Tourist Visa Australia

Go to Australia can help you find the right tourist visa for Australia. Applying for a tourist visa allows you to take a holiday in Australia or visit family and friends. There are different visas to choose from.

Please note: if you intend to work while visiting Australia, a Working Holiday Visa may be of interest to you. You cannot work on a regular tourist visa.

Tourist Visa Australia - How can I get one?

To obtain a Tourist Visa in Australia, the applicant must contact the Department of Immigration. Here the tourist can apply through paper or online for a visa. The Department of Immigration are the one’s who will decide whether or not to grant the applicant a visa.

A tourist visa allows visitors to stay in Australia for 3 – 6 months. This is valid for travel within 12 months of the Tourist Visa being granted. Tourist Visa holders are not permitted to work in Australia, cannot study in Australia for more then 3 months, and must have onward travel plans made for once the visa has expired.

Applicants must pay a non refundable fee when applying for their Tourist Visa. It is best to check with the Department of Immigration to see how much the fee will be as these can change yearly. Along with the Application form, the applicant must include either their passport or a certified copy of their passport. All adult applicants must also include a medical certificate and a chest x-ray to confirm that the tourist does not have tuberculosis.

Acceptance into Australia will be given depending on how the Immigration Department goes with checking the tourists application and checking references. Acceptance will also be determined on the visitors Assessment Risk Level, this is determined on the length of stay and which country the applicant is from.

The Department of Immigration will contact the applicant electronically or via paper mail to inform them of the Departments decision on their application.

Who can apply for a Tourist Visa?

Overseas visitors may apply for a Tourist visa outside Australia for an initial period of up to 12 months; alternatively, applications may also be made for a Tourist visa inside Australia for those wishing to extend their stay up to a maximum of six months from the date of last entry on the current visa. If you wish to apply for a Tourist visa from Australia, you must apply for a Tourist visa at least two weeks before your current visa expires.

Tourist visas are a popular choice amongst many international students, who apply in order to remain in Australia to attend their graduation ceremony once they have completed their course of study.

Applicants seeking Tourist visas must comply with eligibility criteria set by the DIAC (The Department of Immigration and Citizenship), which include meeting satisfactory financial and health requirements, health insurance and character requirements.

In the event that a person wishes to extend their stay in Australia for tourism purposes, they must demonstrate that they:

do not be extending their stay to commence, continue, or finish a course of study.
do not have a “No Further Stay” condition on their current visa.

At present, Australian Tourist visas are made available to residents of the following countries: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Republic of , Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK – British Citizen, USA and Vatican City.

You can apply for one at Australian embassies or consulates or online from the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). For more information, visa application requirements, associated charges and the visa application process, please visit the DIAC website.

Tourist Visa Australia – FAQ

How popular is the tourism visa?

Students, travellers, people with a motive to work and settle in Australia, and tourists with a mind to spend a short holiday in the country come in each year. While some are on a Work visa, Working Holiday visa or Student visa, many opt for a Tourist visa. Easy to apply and less rigid, this visa one of the popular visas that foreigners generally apply for visiting Australia.

Study options on a tourist visa

Although a Working Holiday visa or Work and Holiday visa allow visitors to work and study, a Tourist visa does not allow the holder to work in Australia. It allows the holder to study no doubt, but the duration cannot be more than 3 months.

In fact, students on a Student visa cannot hope to extend their stay in the country on a Tourist visa if they are:

Studying a CRICOS certified course
Planning to start a CRICOS certified course

Many tourists plan to extend their stay in the country by extending their Tourist visa. However, once they have completed a 3 month’s course, they cannot study further.

Unique Cases Involving Studies in Tourist Visa

Tourists coming from non-English speaking countries can study English even if they currently have a Tourist visa. They need to apply for a subclass 570 Independent ELICOS visa. There are levels of assessments that depend from which country the learner is coming from. If you wish to study English for a course that ends within 3 months, you can continue the course with your Tourist visa.

What Next?

Apart from a Tourist visa — subclass 600, you can apply for Australian Electronic eVisitor (tourism) option. However, this option is offered in limited countries and can be used for 3 months only. It is best to take up a Student visa if you want to pursue studies in Australia. If you want to work and gain work experience, you need to take up a Working Holiday visa. There is also an option to allow holders to study part-time during their off-duty hours.

All in all, Tourist visas are popular as they help students to study for a while and decide their future in the country.

Common Visa Types

ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) (Subclass 601) - if you are outside or inside Australia

Available to passport holders in a select number of regions and countries, this is an electronically stored permittance for visits extending to 3 months.

eVisitors (Subclass 651) - if you are outside Australia

An electronically stored permittance for tourism/business purposes again extending to 3 months. This is for certain European countries.

Visitor visa (Subclass 600) - if you are outside or in Australia

For a temporary stay with varied lengths of 3, 6 or 12 months. This subclass is suitable for tourists, people on business trips and to visit family. Please note: there are several visas under this subclass with varied cost and eligibility.

Sponsored Family Stream Visa (Subclass 600)

For individuals wishing to visit family for a period up to 12 months. This visa requires formal sponsorship by an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
This visa is usually not an option for Au Pairs.

Tourist Visa Australia

Tourist Visa Australia

Go to Australia can help you find the right tourist visa for Australia. Applying for a tourist visa allows you to take a holiday in Australia or visit family and friends. There are different visas to choose from.