If you are traveling to Australia, we assure you it will be a memorable experience. Perhaps, it could be a little confusing if you are not familiar with the visa application process and the documents needed for an Australia ETA. We are going to list the requirements that are needed for you to apply for an Australian ETA through the official mobile application of the Australian government.  

At present, foreigners can apply for ETA only through the Australia ETA app. If you are not able to log in to the app, you may not be eligible for an Australia ETA, as citizens of only a few countries are entitled to it.  

Preparing Your Application  

It is important to make adequate preparations before starting your application process, as it is time-consuming. You must ensure that you have a good internet connection and that scanned copies of your identity and travel documents are in handy.  

Before You Apply   

An Australian ETA provides passport holders of eligible foreign nations the authorization to enter the country for short-term stays related to tourism and visitor business activities like attending conferences and negotiation meetings.  

Please note the Australian ETA does not give you permission to work or engage in activities that earn money. The first step of your application process will be downloading the mobile application. The app is available both in the Apple Store and Google Play Store.  

As per the reviews, the users have faced a few challenges while downloading the mobile application and during the online process. We encourage users to close all other apps opened on their cell phones before applying.  

On its official website, the Australian Ministry of home affairs has uploaded videos giving instructions on scanning the passport and taking a photograph using the mobile application. Our suggestion is to go through the videos, as it will make your application process easier and faster.  

Applying for Your ETA 

We found that the Australia ETA App opens to the terms and conditions page. The terms specify that you can use the app only to get an ETA and check its status. You have to remove the app from your cell phones after that.  

The conditions also state that the home affairs department can remove your app if it finds suspicious activities. Once you agree to the terms and conditions, the next page instructs you to set an australian eta app passcode. Once the passcode is confirmed, you can start applying.  

What Are the Conditions For an Australian ETA?  

Before asking for your travel or personal information, the app once again reinstates the conditions for the ETA. They are as follows.  

As per the ETA conditions, the validity of your Australia ETA is 12 months from the date of issuance. 

If you have an Australia ETA, you can enter and leave the country multiple times during the visa validity period. 

• You should be free of active tuberculosis. 
• You cannot engage in study or training for more than 90 days.
• You cannot work.
• You should not have criminal convictions.

It also gives details about the refund policy.  

Now, processing fee refunds are allowed in certain situations, including technical faults and hardware glitches in the mobile application. However, a refund is not possible in the cases of ETA denial and if you could not make it to Australia during the validity time. If the ETA is canceled due to various issues, your processing fee will not be refunded.  

Your ETA Application  

All applicants can apply for the Australia ETA by themselves through the app. You can also apply through IATA-registered travel agencies. You need to confirm whether you are a travel agent at the beginning of the application process.  

If you are an agent/agency, then you need to submit the IATA registration number as well as the date of approval.   

Scanning Your Passport  

You are required to scan the data page of your passport. Before starting, you need to give access to the device’s camera. You also need to enable the Near Field Communication function of the device and remove the cover if there is any.    

How to scan passport for australian visa

The scan should cover the entire data page, including the line at the bottom. 

Align the device with the documents. The red outline that frames the scanning area will turn green if the alignment is correct. 

• You should not obstruct the camera. 
• No glare and shadow should be on your document. 

Reading the eChip  

The Australia ETA app can read the eChips attached to the electronic passports of the USA and other eligible countries. The NFC-activated device can scan the chip directly from the passport and copy personal and identity details from it.  

We had to keep the mobile device on the data page of the passport. Your device should be touching the data page. Move your device up and down until the data is captured by the app. You can verify it later.  

Note that only if you are an applicant from the USA do you need to scan the data page of your electronic passports, whereas citizens of other countries can scan the chip on the front/back page of their passport.   

Taking Your Photograph  

If you are an applicant for the Australia ETA, you have to take a selfie using the app as part of your application process. This should be a good-quality passport-size photograph. Frame your face in the highlighted oval shape. You need to remove your spectacles if you are wearing any. 

There should not be any shadow covering your eyes and face. The eyes should be open and looking at the camera. Ensure that your photo is taken in front of a light background without any disruptions and in a well-lit area.  

Your Personal Details  

You need to enter a number of personal and identity details while applying for the ETA for Australia.  

Nationality: You should declare your citizenship. According to international laws, nationality is the legal identification of a person. It establishes you as a subject of a sovereign nation and thus provides legal protection on international borders.  

Given name: This is your legal first name. It should reflect your given name in the passport.  

Family name: This is your legal second/third name.  

Date of birth: The day you were born as appearing in your passport. This will typically have the day, month, and year you were born.  

Gender: Your gender is given in the passport.  

Your Passport Details  

Passport number: Your number as appearing on the data page of your passport  

Date of issue: The date from which your passport is valid  

Date of expiry: From this date, your passport will be deemed invalid. Note that the Australian ETA is electronically linked to your passport.  

The ETA expires when your passport validity ends. If the passport validity is less than three months, we will advise you to get a new passport before applying for an ETA.   

Country of issue: The country that issued your passport.  

All applicants (multiple users) need to apply separately for an Australia ETA. After scanning the eChip attached to the electronic passports of the eligible countries, the applicants have to verify the information.  Also, if you hold passports from any other country, you must declare the same. This is required if you have dual citizenship. 

We could proceed to the next section after filling in the above details. 

Your Travel Details 

You also need to provide your contact and accommodation details in Australia. If you know the address of the place where you are going to stay in the country, you need to enter that. You must inform the officials if there are any changes to this information during your stay in the country. 

Travelers With Other Australian Visas  

You can check the details of other Australian visas that you already have. It is to be noted that the validity of your new ETA begins only after the expiry of the existing visas. You will have to submit the following information to check the details of an existing visa:  

Country of birth: The foreign country in which you were born. This can be different from the country of your nationality.  

Alias: If you were known by some other name. If yes, you need to enter personal information like your first name, family name, gender, and the reasons for the name change. 

Home address: This should not be a post box address. Your home address typically has the apartment/house number, the name of the city/ country, and the post office number.  

Mobile phone number: You must enter your contact number. You have the option to enter more than one phone number.  

Email address: A valid and functioning electronic mail address is required. This will have your name and its domain name. You will receive a code at this address. If you enter the wrong email ID, you will not receive this code and cannot proceed further.    

Your ETA Type and Location  

Here you must declare the purpose of applying for an Australia ETA. This visa waiver is only granted for short-term stays for business and tourism. The Australian ETA allows multiple entries for a period of 12 months, and you can stay for a maximum of 90 days on every visit.  

Criminal Conviction  

You must submit if you have ever been convicted of a crime, including domestic violence. Australia does not grant an ETA to foreigners with a criminal record.  

You have to apply for a visitor visa subclass 600 at an Australian embassy or consulate.  The home ministry officials will conduct character verification checks on such applicants and, if satisfied, will issue a visa. This was not applicable in our case. 

Declaration  

While filling out the Australia ETA application form, we had to declare that we would leave the country once the ETA validity expired, and we did not possess any other visa.  

If you fail to give correct information about your dual citizenship, dual passports, or criminal convictions, you may be refused entry, and our ETA may be canceled. You must verify the information given before submitting. Note that the information you entered cannot be altered after your submission. 

Your Location While Applying  

Before proceeding to make the payment, we were required to enable the location of the cell phone. This is to ensure we were applying from outside Australia.  

Remember, you can apply for an ETA for Australia only outside the country. You have to declare this during the online application process. At present, only citizens of New Zealand are eligible for a visa on arrival in Australia.  

Payment  

You can make the payment through valid credit cards. The Australian ETA will be delivered to your email address within minutes of applying. The mail will have your visa grant number, your date of expiry, and specific conditions attached to it.  

If you are denied an ETA for Australia, the email will detail the reasons for the decision and whether you can apply for a review. 

Conclusion 

We could easily apply for Australia ETA. Hopefully, with our step-by-step guide for Australian ETA, you can easily navigate the application process.