Online Australia Visas

Australia has a convenient, user-friendly system for short visits by tourist or business people. You can obtain your required visa (New Zealanders are the only exception) by going online and getting approval in seconds. This carefree approach is typical of Australia's often informal way of doing business. The government wants to encourage tourism and immigrants, and getting rid of red tape is certainly one way to do it.

Either you or your airline or travel agent can use the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) system. If you opt for the airline or travel representatives, they may charge a fee for the service. The Australian government charges a fee, which is payable by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Amex, or Diners Club).

Online Visas and Your Privacy

The two prerequisites for all Australian visas are good health and no criminal convictions. As a large island nation, Australians and their cattle and sheep are relatively free of diseases that are serious threats elsewhere, and the government imposes measures it thinks will preserve the country's well-being. Assuming no impediments, your visa should be authorized shortly and recorded in the electronic systems of the government.

Information collected from you online is encrypted and transmitted on secure sites, but there is an inherent risk of sending information on the Internet. Your personal information is retained in the system, but your credit card information is not. A record of your electronic visit is kept, and cookies are used. Among other information stored is your domain name, your server address, the date and time of your visit to the site, the pages accessed, the type of browser used, and your operating system (Windows, for example).