Australian ETA (subclass 601) explained: cost, eligible countries, and rules
What the Australian ETA actually costs, which 34 passports can use it, what it lets you do, and how it compares to the Visitor visa (subclass 600). Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 ETA visa charge: $0
- 0:16 34 passports
- 0:37 12 months validity
- 0:49 Allowed: tourism, business, short study
- 1:02 Applying through the app
- 1:14 600 visa: $250 offshore
- 1:27 ETA refused?
- 1:40 Want longer than 3 months?
- 1:52 Overstay past 3 months?
- 2:04 Where to read more
Transcript
The Australian ETA, subclass 601, has no visa application charge. But the official ETA app charges a service fee of $20 to use it — that's the only cost.
It's available to holders of 34 passports, including Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States.
Many European passport holders use a different visa instead — the eVisitor, subclass 651. It's a similar visa, but it's applied for online, not through the app.
Once granted, the ETA is valid for 12 months, and you can enter and leave Australia as many times as you like. Each individual stay can be up to 3 months.
On an ETA you can do tourism, visit family, attend business meetings, or study a short course of up to 3 months. You can't work for an Australian employer, or take payment from an Australian source.
You apply through the Australian ETA app: enter your passport details, answer some questions, and pay the $20 service fee. In most cases Home Affairs tells you the result immediately.
Compare that with the Visitor visa, subclass 600, which anyone can apply for. It costs $250 applied offshore, or $630 if you're already in Australia.
If an ETA application is refused — usually because of a prior immigration issue or a travel document problem — you can apply for the subclass 600 instead, and explain your situation more fully.
You can't extend an ETA while you're in Australia. To stay longer than 3 months, you either leave and re-enter for a fresh 3-month stay, or apply for a different visa, like the 600.
The most common mistake: overstaying. Stay past your 3-month limit and you become unlawfully in Australia — and that follows you into every future visa application.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description.
Short versions
- The Australian ETA has a hidden $20 fee (0:35)
- The most common Australian ETA mistake (0:32)
- Not eligible for the ETA? Here's the alternative cost (0:34)
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