💵 How much it costs
Data read on 23/09/2026 in the official «Visa Prices» table of the Department of Home Affairs, whose page was updated on 1/07/2026. eVISITOR (subclass 651): AUD 0,00. The visa page says it in four words: «The eVisitor is free». ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORITY (subclass 601): the visa fee is AUD 0,00, but there is a service charge: «There is no Visa Application Charge (VAC) however there is an application service fee of AUD20 to use the Australian ETA app». Twenty Australian dollars, and there is no other way to get it: «There is a service charge of AUD20 to use the Australian ETA app. There is no other charge payable for an ETA». VISITOR VISA (subclass 600), full price list by stream: Tourist stream from outside Australia AUD 250,00; Tourist stream from inside Australia AUD 630,00 (and AUD 700,00 for subsequent applications); Business Visitor stream AUD 250,00; Sponsored Family stream AUD 250,00; Approved Destination Status stream AUD 250,00; Frequent traveller stream AUD 1.845,00. And there are costs that are NOT in that figure and that the department itself lists: «You might also have to pay other costs for: health checks, police certificates, biometrics». Medical examinations, police certificates and biometrics are paid separately and have no price published in that table: NOT PUBLISHED. Published concessions: from 1 July 2026 there is a reduced fee for citizens of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste (Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu), and there is a full fee exemption for those travelling «as a representative of a foreign government», with a United Nations Laissez-Passer for official purposes, or as a member of an exempt group. None of the three visas lets you add family members to the application: «Each family member, including those listed on your passport, must submit a separate application». One application and one fee per head, babies included.
⏳ How long it takes
Australia does NOT publish a fixed timeframe for the eVisitor or for the Visitor 600. For both it refers you to the same tool: «For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application». In other words, it publishes statistics on how long already-decided applications took —the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles—, not a commitment. Official timeframe in days: NOT PUBLISHED. For the ETA 601 there is an answer: «In most cases we will tell you of the result of your ETA application immediately. Your application may take longer if you do not complete the application process correctly or we require further information». Immediate in most cases, with three published reasons for delay: «you don't answer the questions in the ETA app correctly», «we need more information from you», «your information is hard to verify». And all three visas repeat the same warning, which is the most important one in this section: «We suggest you do not make travel arrangements until we grant your ETA» and, for the eVisitor, «Do not arrange to travel to Australia until we let you know, in writing, that we have granted you the subclass 651 visa». For the eVisitor the department adds a concrete acknowledgement timeframe: «We will let you know when we have received your application. If you don't receive an email from us within 12 hours of applying, check your application status in ImmiAccount».
📅 How long it's valid
Once again you have to separate how long the visa lasts from how many days you can stay, because they are not the same thing. eVISITOR 651: «The eVisitor visa is valid for travel to Australia for 12 months, starting from the date it is granted. The visa has multiple entry. You can leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you want while it is valid. You can stay in Australia for 3 months after each entry». Twelve months of visa, unlimited entries, THREE MONTHS of stay per entry. ETA 601: «It is valid for travel to Australia for either 12 months, or for the period your passport is valid, whichever is shorter». Twelve months OR until your passport expires, whichever comes first, with multiple entries and three months per entry. And a fine point: «The 12 month visa period starts on the date it is granted unless you hold another substantive visa that is already in effect». VISITOR 600 Tourist stream: here there is no fixed number, the officer decides case by case. «You can stay for the period or dates specified on the visa grant letter. We determine the length of your visa on a case by case basis. Things we might consider when determining your stay period include: how long you want to stay, why you want to stay in Australia. We might not grant the length of stay you want». What they do publish is the usual practice: «Generally, we grant a stay period of 3 months. We might grant a stay of up to 12 months in certain circumstances». And it can come with a single entry or with multiple entries: «We can grant this visa with a single entry or multiple entry». Parents and step-parents of Australian citizens or permanent residents can receive a visa of more than 12 months, with a cap: «You can't stay in Australia for more than 12 months in total in any 18 month period». NONE OF THE THREE CAN BE EXTENDED: «You can't stay in Australia longer by extending this visa. You must apply for another visa». And staying after it expires has a name and a consequence: «If you stay in Australia after your eVisitor visa ceases, and do not hold another visa to stay, you will become an unlawful non-citizen. We may remove you from Australia».
👤 Who needs it?
We read the eligible passport lists for all three visas on the Department of Home Affairs site on 23/09/2026 and this is how our nationalities are split. ROUTE 1 — eVISITOR 651, FREE. The official list of 36 passports is: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Republic of San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom (British Citizen) and Vatican City. Of our twenty-eight nationalities, FIVE qualify: ANDORRA, GERMANY, DENMARK, SPAIN and ITALY. ROUTE 2 — ETA 601, AUD 20 via the app. The official list includes Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Netherlands, United Kingdom (British Citizen and British National Overseas), UNITED STATES and Vatican City. Of our nationalities, the only one that has the ETA and does NOT have the eVisitor is the UNITED STATES. Andorra, Germany, Denmark, Spain and Italy are on BOTH lists: for them the choice is obvious, because one is free and the other costs 20 Australian dollars. ROUTE 3 — VISITOR 600, AUD 250. This is the one for everyone else, and that is TWENTY-ONE of our twenty-eight: ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, GUYANA, HONDURAS, MEXICO, NICARAGUA, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PERU, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, SURINAME, URUGUAY and VENEZUELA. That is the fact people confuse most and the one that ruins most trips: in Latin America there is NO ETA and NO eVisitor, you have to apply for a real visa, with documentation, money and time. Two more warnings about documents: you cannot apply for the eVisitor or the ETA «with a non-citizen passport, certificate of identity or other travel document including a Titre de Voyage», and British passports in the categories British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Protected Person or British Subject are not valid for the eVisitor.
