No, an approved travel authority is not a visa. It does not meet the legal or regulatory requirements to serve in lieu of an Australian visa when a visa is required under Australian law.

If your electronic travel authority is approved, this approval establishes that you are eligible to travel to Australia under the ETA Program, but does not guarantee that you are admissible to Australia. Upon arrival in Australia you will be inspected by a Customs and Border Protection officer at a port of entry who may determine that you are inadmissible under the ETA Program or for any reason under Australian law.

You can apply for following types of ETA:

Visitor ETA
Valid 12 months for multiple stays of 3 months max each visit.

BUSINESS SHORT
Valid for up to 3 months on each visit within a 12 month period.

BUSINESS LONG
Valid for up to 3 months per visit for the life of the passport.

All you need to make an application for an ETA through this site is your valid passport and your credit card (American Express, Diners Club, JCB, MasterCard or Visa).

A. All you need to make an application for an ETA through this site is your valid passport and your credit card (American Express, Diners Club, JCB, MasterCard or Visa).

If you have applied for an ETA through this site, you can enquire through this site to find out the current status of your ETA. You will need to provide some data from your passport and the Reference Number displayed by this site when the application was processed.

If you did not apply for your ETA through this site or did not make a note of the Reference Number, you will not be able to make an enquiry through this site. You will need to contact your travel agent or airline office and they can make the enquiry for you.

This site operates under the principles outlined in the Privacy Statement. Only the data required to process your application will be collected. It will only be used for that purpose by this site. Limited audit information will be stored on this site. The full data on your application and ETA status will only be permanently stored on secure servers operated for DIAC in Australia. Please see the full Privacy Statement for further details.

If you apply for an ETA and the system determines that you already have a current visa or ETA with a longer period of stay than the ETA you are applying for, or the current visa or ETA has work rights or residency rights, the application will not be processed. There will be no charge for this application.

Each child will need an ETA. You need to enter the passport details exactly as for the parent, replacing the name, date of birth, sex and country of birth with the children's details as they appear in the passport.

From 21 April 2008, the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship is implementing changes to the ETA system. The department will continue to process most ETA applications instantly; however, in a small number of cases, some additional processing will be required. If your ETA cannot be issued immediately, please check back in 12 hours to confirm whether your application has been successful. Please apply for your ETA as early as possible to allow sufficient time for your application to be processed.

Airlines have access to the ETA database through their reservation systems. They will make an enquiry to determine your visa status when you check in for your flight.

Visitor ETA conditions:

• Valid for visits to Australia for tourism or to visit friends or relatives.


• Valid for multiple visits within 12 months from date of issue.


• Maximum length of each visit is three months.


• Condition 8101 - You must not work while in Australia.


• Condition 8201 - You must not study for more than 3 months.


• Condition 8527 - You must be free from tuberculosis.


• Condition 8528 - You must not have any criminal convictions for which you have been sentenced for a total combined period of 12 months or more, whether or not the sentence/s were served.

Yes, Travel Authorization is mandatory for all descenders of the US under VWP. On January 12, 2009 a Travel Authorization became mandatory for all travelers under Visa Waiver Program (VWP) that intend to enter the United States by air or sea. Without an approved Travel Authorization, foreign nationals may be denied boarding, experience delayed processing at the port of entry, or even be denied entry at the US border.

Once issued the Travel Authorization is valid for 2 years unless the foreign national's passport expires earlier.

Travel Authorization is not related to any visa process and is not a visa by any chance. It is a separate requirement that applies only to foreign nationals of eligible 36 countries traveling to the US under the Visa Waiver Program. It does not meet the legal or regulatory requisites to serve in lieu of a United States visa when a visa is required under United States law. Individuals who possess a valid visa will still be able to travel to the United States on that visa for the purpose for which it was issued. Individuals traveling on valid visas are not required to apply for a travel authorization.

No, you don't have to bring a paper printout of your ESTA to airport as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be able to electronically communicate a traveler's ESTA status to the carriers.