Am I eligible for ETA visa?
By: dylan | Posted: 12th May 2011
Australia has been and is one of the havens for tourists from all over the world who love the great outback and the diverse range of habitats from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests that are found in the island.
Many people have also been touring Australia for its varied scenic spots that boast of the world famous Sydney Opera House, Mount Augustus, the world's largest monolith and the world's largest coral reef, The Great Barrier Reef among others.
Many people are also planning to apply for visa to Australia not only for the purpose of a holiday but also for work. Australia boasts of having the world's thirteenth largest economy and the ninth highest per capita GDP; which is said to be higher than that of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Japan, and the United States.
So if you are planning to have a holiday visit in Australia or just a short business trip, all you have to do is apply for either a visa for Australia or an Australia ETA(Electronic Travel Authority).
The Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for Australian Tourist Visas is known in the world to be the most advanced and streamlined visa authorization system. It is equivalent to a visa and replaces visa labels or stamps in your passport. It eliminates the need for Australia visa application forms so there is no need for you to visit an Australian diplomatic office to submit an application.
The Australian ETA is an electronically stored authorization for travel to Australia, which means that the applicant doesn't need paper documentation or a stamp in their passport.
To apply, you must determine first if you are eligible for ETA.
An Australian visa applicant is eligible to apply for an ETA while you are outside of Australia and you must hold one of the listed ETA-eligible passports namely Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States of America.
If you have determined that you are one of the ETA-eligible passport holders, then you can submit your ETA applications through travel agents, airlines and online, directly through the Australian ETA web site. If you apply online, the ETA can be approved in less than 30 seconds. All you have to do is enter the details from your passport and your credit card information then the ETA application is processed immediately. The Australian Government systems electronically record the approved applications. A computer system operated for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) of Australia issues the ETA electronically.
Meanwhile, when you check-in at an airport on a flight to Australia, just approach the airline check-in staff for they can electronically confirm that you have authority to board the flight to Australia.
There are two types of ETA that you can apply for online.
The Visitor/Tourist ETA is for ETA-eligible passport holders who want to travel to Australia for tourism or for visit to friends or relatives.
The Short Validity Business ETA is for ETA-eligible passport holders who want to travel to Australia for business purposes.
Both ETA visas grant the ETA-eligible passport holder to stay in Australia for up to 3 months on each visit within 12 months from the date the visa was granted and can be used for single or multiple entry travel. However, employment is prohibited while under an ETA visa.
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Dylan Lautner
http://www.nationalvisas.com.au/This article is free for republishing
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Tags: great barrier reef, coral reef, sydney opera house, australian visa, tropical rainforests, visa applicant