Electronic Travel Authority Subclass 601
Overview
Stay
- Up to 3 months at a time
Processing times
- Processing time for this visa is not available.
With Subclass 601, you can
- visit family or friends
- cruise or have a holiday
- undertake some business visitor activities
You must
- apply from outside Australia
- have an eligible passport
About Subclass 601
Travel to Australia
- as a tourist – for example, to cruise or have a holiday
- to visit family or friends
- as a business visitor
You can study or train for up to three months on this Subclass 601. If your main reason for traveling to Australia is to study, you should apply for a student visa.
NOTE: if you would like to visit Australia as a tourist or business visitor, you should apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and complete the relevant health checks:
- train at a childcare center
- study to be a doctor, dentist, nurse, or paramedic
- enter health care or hospital environments.
Cruise
You will need a Subclass 601 if you enter Australia during a cruise.
For round-trip cruises, you can come and go to Australia as many times as you like without resetting the length of your stay.
Have your travel agent or cruise operator find out if we consider your sailing a round trip.
Business visitor
As a business visitor, you can:
- make general business or employment inquiries
- discuss, negotiate, sign a contract
- as part of an official government visit
- take part in a conference, trade fair, or seminar. The organizers can’t pay you to take part.
You can’t:
- work to provide services to a business in Australia
- sell stuff to the people
It may be canceled if you’re planning on coming to Australia and working on an ETA. They may refuse you entry as a visitor if they think you really came to work.
To work in Australia, you must have a visa that allows you to do so.
How long can you stay
This is a temporary Subclass 601. It’ll work for being in Australia for either one year or until your passport expires. Whichever’s shorter.
You will be granted a multiple entry electronic travel authority. You can leave and re-enter Australia as often as possible, unrestricted by any time limits. You can stay in Australia for 3 months after each entry.
Recently, the Australian government announced that it will grant multiple entry visas for travelers. This means you can leave and re-enter Australia as often as you want, unrestricted by any time limits. You can stay in Australia for 3 months after each entry.
If you spend a lot of time in Australia or visit it frequently, we may ask about your travel purpose next time you enter the country. If you are found not to be visiting for tourism,
You need to apply for a new visa if you want to stay in the country for more than 3 months.
The Subclass 601 starts the day it is granted unless you’re in a situation where you already have another valid visa.
Stay longer
You can’t stay in Australia longer by extending your current Subclass 601. You don’t have to apply for another visa.
To learn about other visas, explore your options on the USCIS website. Or talk to one of our attorneys to see what they recommend.
Stay in Australia after your ETA expires, and do not have another form of visa to live there. You will be an illegal immigrant. You may also be deported.
Including family
You can’t include family members in the same application. Each family member must submit their own application.
Apply from
You must be outside of Australia when you apply for your ETA and when the visa is granted.
Processing times
You will typically find out if your ETA application has been approved by the authorities almost as soon as it’s submitted.
If your application takes a while to process, it might be because:
- you don’t fill it in correctly
- we need more information from you
- it takes us time to verify your information
Processing time for this visa is not available.
If you have any criminal convictions in any country, we will need more information from you. You should apply for a 600 Visitor visa and provide proof of your criminal record.
Entry
You can keep re-entering Australia with this Subclass 601 as often as possible.
Visa Subclass 601 label
Your visa will be digitally linked to your passport. You don’t need a sticker on your passport.
Your ETA is linked to your passport. Make sure it’s still valid, otherwise:
- your ETA will cease
- you must apply for a new ETA
Maritime Crew visa or Special Purpose visa
Your ETA will activate when we grant it to you, and you will have both visas simultaneously.
If you have another valid visa, your ETA Subclass 601 will also be valid, meaning you will have two visas simultaneously.
When you arrive in Australia, you’ll have 2 visas. You can stay as long as it takes for the 1st visa to expire and then return with the 2nd visa.
If the more extended period exceeds 3 months, your ETA will expire after that time. It’ll be canceled, but you can stay for the other visa’s duration.
Eligibility
You Need to have an eligible passport:
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brunei
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong (SAR of China)
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Monaco
- Norway
- Portugal
- Republic of San Marino
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan (excluding official or diplomatic passports)
- The Netherlands
- United Kingdom—British Citizen
- United Kingdom—British National (Overseas)
- United States of America
- Vatican City
If you hold more than one passport, you’ll likely need to declare this on your ETA application if you’re including other passports. You’ll also need to provide details of your passport and nationality.
Suppose you are an Australian citizen and hold an ETA-eligible passport. In that case, you do not need to apply for a visa to enter Australia.
Be a genuine visitor.
You must only intend to:
- stay temporarily in Australia
- obey any condition and stay period attached to your visa
If you plan to stay in our country for a while or stop by frequently, we may ask at the point of entry why you are really visiting us next time.
If we suspect your reasons are not legitimate, your temporary visa may be retracted.
