Nearly all countries that you’d want to visit would require you to apply for a visa before you can travel into that country. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship compels you to apply for Australian visa before you can begin your exciting vacation in this huge continent of strange animals of the land and water and the intriguing culture fusion it has cultivated.

The foremost thing you should do is visit the closest consulate or embassy in your vicinity and apply for an Australian tourist visa. On the contrary if you don’t have the time and can’t afford to go to the closest visa application center (your area may not have an embassy or consulate), in that case the Australian government provides an online visa transaction, the Electronic Travel Authority or the ETA. You can apply for one right in your own residence or workplace, even on a coffee shop as long as there is an internet connection. Therefore it’s a hassle-free transaction which requires not much time and effort on your part.

There are basically four tourist visa options for those who plan to go to Australia. One is the ETA, and the others are the eVisitors, the tourist visa and the sponsored family visitor visa. Typically, you can stay for a maximum of 12 months on a tourist visa. The ETA and eVisitors only allows for a limited period of three months while the tourist visa is for a maximum of twelve months. On these visas, you are not permitted to work. However, you can study in Australia for as long as the length of the course you will take is well within your length of stay. And remember, you can not apply for another type of visa while in Australia, but you can request for an extension of your visa while there. If you are travelling as a family or group with children, you should also secure each member a passport and a tourist visa. Also make sure that you have every pertinent document like your birth certificates.

Your trip to Australia doesn’t have to be an inconvenience. Isn’t a holiday break intended to be a time to loosen up and not think about the burdens of your job? So travel to Australia with all your papers in order and it will be an enjoyable experience for sure! Remember that you should not gain employment if you have your Australian tourist visas and you should not overstay. However do plan your itinerary and travel across the red desert into the verdant forests and the white sands of the continent. And please do have fun during your stay because this will be a once in a lifetime experience even if you are at all times welcome to visit again, each visit is different and each experience is unique!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!