The visa policy of Australia comprises the legislative and regulatory framework governing the entry of foreign nationals into Australia, and specifies the requirements for obtaining a visa, which authorises travel to, entry into, and stay in the country. A visa may also confer additional privileges, such as the right to work or study, and may be subject to conditions.
Since 1994, Australia has maintained a universal visa regime, under which every non-citizen present in Australia must hold a valid visa, whether obtained through an application or granted automatically by law. Australia does not operate a visa-on-arrival system, except that eligible New Zealand citizens are granted a Special Category Visa (subclass 444) on arrival pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement. Visitors holding passports from certain countries may obtain visas through streamlined processes:
New Zealand citizens using a valid New Zealand passport are granted a Special Category Visa (subclass 444) on arrival pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement. No application form or visa application charge is required.
Nationals of 36 countries, comprising the 27 EU member states, the four EFTA member states, the United Kingdom, and four European microstates, may apply for an eVisitor visa (subclass 651) online without a visa application charge.
Nationals from 34 countries and territories may apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) using the Australian ETA mobile application upon payment of a service charge.
Under the Migration Regulations 1994, certain persons are taken to hold a valid visa without applying through the standard Australian visa process, including certain visitors, principally those connected with foreign governments or armed forces, who qualify for entry under the special purpose visa provisions established under the Migration Act 1958 and related regulations.
Nationals of all other countries must apply for a visa before travelling to Australia.
Since 1 September 2015, Australia has ceased issuing visa labels as evidence of visa status, with all visas issued and recorded electronically. Visa holders can access their visa records and conditions through Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO), a digital verification service provided by the Department of Home Affairs.
Visa policy map
History Visa formats in Australia have changed over the years. Australia was possibly one of the first countries to replace ink-based stamps with more secure stick-on labels in the 1970s.
In 1987, the then-Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs initiated a scheme which saw the utilization of computers to process visitor visa applications in overseas Australian missions for the first time.
In 1990, a second generation of the Immigration Records and Information System (IRIS II) was introduced as a replacement of the original 1987 scheme. At the time, IRIS II was the most advanced visa processing system in the world, simplifying immigration clearance processes at airports and enabling across-the-counter visa issue at the Australian diplomatic missions. This resulted in the rollout and use of a simplified generic 'Arrival' stamp for all arrivals - citizens or non-citizens by September 1990. This same general design is in use today, albeit by request only.
In 1996, the Electronic Travel Authority system (ETA) was launched. The system allows visas to be issued electronically and linked to the applicant's passport, eliminating paper application forms. Australia was the first country in the world to launch electronic visas.
By 1997, the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs became known simply as the Department of Immigration, and this resulted in a slight design change of the departure stamp which would ready 'Immigration Australia' instead of 'Immigration and Ethnic Affairs'.
By 1998, a new smaller arrival and departure card format was introduced and simultaneously the cessation of stamping these documents once processed by an officer also ceased.
In 2012 the Department of Immigration put out a notice on their website that they were going to trial the cessation of stamping passports on departure from Australia. Legislation was required to be changed first and this then resulted in the move becoming permanent by 2013. This resulted in the removal of stamps from the front line desks, However, the website has always stated you can always request one if evidence of travel is required from a Border Officer (typically at a secondary desk). This was all in-line with the rollout of Automated Border processing gates.
Australia officially ceased the issuance of visa stickers on 1 September 2015, and all visas are issued and recorded electronically.
2016 was the last year in which foreign passports were automatically stamped on arrival. This resulted in the removal of stamps from the front line desks bringing this into line with the similar moves regarding stamping passports on departure in 2013. However, the website has always stated you can always request one if evidence of travel is required from a Border Officer (typically at a secondary desk). This was all in-line with the rollout of Automated Border processing gates.
From July 2017, the use of outgoing departure cards ceased. Passengers were previously required to complete paper declarations upon departing Australia. Instead, the same information is now sourced automatically through electronic systems.
By the end of 2017, all wet-ink passport stamping had ceased as a matter of course at the primary line for arrivals and departures at staffed counters. Evidence of travel stamps can still be requested at a secondary staffed counter typically immediately after the primary line (including if you have used SmartGate for automated passport processing).
Physical arrival cards were replaced with a Digital Passenger Declaration mobile phone app in February 2022. In July 2022 physical paper cards were brought back and the app was scrapped due to poor user experience and difficulties it created for the travellers who were unable to use a suitable electronic device.
Legal authority Visa rules are set out in the Migration Act 1958 and the Migration Regulations, which are administered by the Department of Home Affairs.
Visa exemption Special purpose visa A special purpose visa is a visa exemption given by operation of law to certain foreign nationals in Australia to whom standard visa and immigration clearance arrangements do not apply. It effectively exempts certain persons from the normal processes for entry into Australia. These include members of the Royal Family and the members of the Royal party, guests of Government, Status of forces agreement forces members including civilian component members, Asia‑Pacific forces members, Commonwealth forces members, foreign armed forces dependents, foreign naval forces members, airline positioning crew members and airline crew members, eligible transit passengers, persons visiting Macquarie Island, eligible children born in Australia and Indonesian traditional fishermen visiting the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands.
Transit without a visa Some travellers do not need a Transit visa (subclass 771) if they depart Australia by air within 8 hours of the scheduled time of their arrival, hold confirmed onward booking and documentation necessary to enter the country of their destination and remain in the transit lounge at an airport (i.e. they do not need to clear immigration in order to re-check their luggage).
Holders of passports of the following countries can transit without a visa:
All European Union member states All European Free Trade Association member states
Holders of diplomatic passports, except nationals of Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Morocco, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tunisia, Yemen, Zimbabwe, and Arab Non-National Passport Holders (ANNPH).
A Transit visa is required for Gold Coast airport, and for Cairns airport and Sydney airport if staying overnight. Transit without a visa through Adelaide applies only to passengers departing on the same aircraft unless advance notice is given by the airline.KLM - Visa Information In addition, those who need to leave the transit lounge for any reason must hold a valid Australian visa.
Torres Strait Residents of thirteen coastal villages in Papua New Guinea are permitted to enter the 'Protected Zone' of the Torres Strait (part of Queensland) for traditional purposes. This exemption from passport control is part of a treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea negotiated when PNG became independent from Australia in 1975. Full list was determined in 2000 and includes the following 13 villages – Bula, Mari, Jarai, Tais, Buji/Ber, Sigabadaru, Mabadauan, Old Mawatta, Ture Ture, Kadawa, Katatai, Parama and Sui. They can make traditional visits (free movement without passports) as far as 10 degrees 30 minutes South latitude (near Number One Reef). Australian traditional inhabitants come from the following villages – Badu, Boigu, Poruma (Coconut Island), Erub (Darnley Island), Dauan, Kubin, St Pauls, Mabuiag, Mer (Murray Island), Saibai, Ugar (Stephen Island), Warraber (Sue Island), Iama (Yam Island) and Masig (Yorke Island). They can make traditional visits to the Papua New Guinea Treaty Villages and travel north as far as the 9 degrees South latitude (just north of Daru). Vessels from other parts of Papua New Guinea and other countries attempting to cross into Australia or Australian waters are stopped by the Australian Border Force (ABF) or the Royal Australian Navy.
Online Visa All Australian visas are electronic visas since 2015, with details stored only in the Australian immigration database. Visa details are electronically linked to passport details. Physical labels or stamps are no longer needed. Nearly all Australian visas can be applied for online.
Short-term travellers with certain passports benefit from reciprocal visa waiver agreements with Australia. These travellers still technically require a visa but obtain them through a streamlined online process, when staying for 3 months or less. Eligible visitors apply online for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or eVisitor visa depending on their nationality. Visitors eligible for an ETA may also apply through some travel agents, airlines and specialist service providers. Many applications are granted in minutes, whereas others require further checking of information.
eVisitor (subclass 651) The eVisitor was introduced on 27 October 2008, replacing an older eVisa system, to create a reciprocal short stay travel arrangement for nationals of Australia and the European Union, while still maintaining the universal visa system. On 23 March 2013 the business and tourist purpose visas were merged into a single application.
The eVisitor is issued free of charge and allows the holder to visit Australia for unlimited times, up to 3 months per visit, in a 12-month period for tourism or business purposes. Applicants must also satisfy the health and character requirements as for other visas.
Holders of passports of the following countries may apply for eVisitor:
All European Union member states All European Free Trade Association member states
The grant rate of eVisitor has been consistently high over the years, never dropping below 98.5%. In the second quarter of 2025 the lowest approval rates for tourism applications were for the nationals of Romania (71.2%), Croatia (74.9%), Lithuania (86.7%) and Bulgaria (94%) with all other countries having a grant rate above 98%. There is still a major difference in approval rates between these 5 countries and the rest even 10 years after the European Commission was notified.