Travelling to Australia

General visa requirements

Anyone who is not an Australian citizen needs a valid visa to enter and spend time in Australia.

Before travelling to Australia

With the exception of New Zealand citizens travelling on New Zealand passports, all foreign nationals must obtain a visa before travelling to Australia. (New Zealand citizens are issued with a visa on arrival in Australia.)
Visas are available from Australian visa offices such as Australian Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates. They are also available from travel agents and airlines in certain countries.
Please note that:

• airlines may refuse to allow travellers without valid visas and passports to board their aircraft;
• it is recommended that intending visitors first obtain a visa before purchasing airline tickets, Olympic and Paralympic tickets, or entering into any other financial commitments dependent upon entry to Australia;
• visitors are subject to visa requirements while in Australia; and
• tourists are not allowed to work during their visit to Australia.

People who want to work need to apply to an Australian visa office for a temporary residence visa. Penalties apply for people who breach work conditions.

NOTE: for the purposes of obtaining a visa attending the IETF meeting is treated as a tourist activity and not work.

Types of Visa

Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)

An ETA is an electronically stored authority to travel to Australia for a short stay.

ETAs are generally available to passport holders from 31 countries in Europe, Asia and North America, through participating airlines and travel agents. The Australian Government does not charge external service providers to offer this service to travellers.
ETAs are available for tourism and business purposes. Tourist ETAs are free of any Government charge, but credit card payments are required for long validity business entry ETAs.
For more information, see the ETA website.

Tourist visa

Tourist visas are normally valid for 12 months, during which time you may make as many visits as you like for up to 3 months stay at a time.
It is possible to obtain tourist visas which allow you to stay for more than 3 months at a time, or which are valid for travel longer than 12 months.
If you are required to obtain a letter of invitation to the IETF for purposes of getting a visa to Australia, please send a message to ietf47@connect.com.au. Please include your fax number and country of citizenship in your request.