Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 2 . PLANNING AN AFFORDABLE TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
(They may charge you extra to do this.)
Apply online at www.eta.immi.gov.au.
There is a A$20 (US$13) charge,
payable by credit card (Amex, Diners
Club, MasterCard, or Visa). Assuming
you do not have a criminal conviction
and are in good health, your ETA
should be approved quickly. You can
also apply at Australian embassies, high
commissions, and consulates (see
below). Children traveling on their parent’s
passport must each be issued with
their own ETA.
Tourists should apply for a Visitor
ETA. It’s free and valid for as many
visits to Australia as you like of up to
3 months each within a 1-year period.
Tourists may not work in Australia, so
if you are visiting for business, you
have two choices: apply for a free
Short Validity Business ETA, which is
valid for a single visit of 3 months
within a 1-year period, or pay A$65
(US$42) to apply for a Long Validity
Business visa, which entitles you to as
many 3-month stays in Australia as
you like for the life of your passport;
this cannot be done online.
In the United States, Canada, the
United Kingdom, Ireland, and many
other countries, most agents and airlines
are ETA-compatible. But you can
also apply for a visa the old-fashioned
way—by taking or mailing your passport,
a completed visa application
form, and the appropriate payment to
your nearest Australian embassy or
consulate. You will also need to do it
this way if you are someone other than
a tourist or a business traveler—for
example, a student studying in Australia;
a business person staying longer
than 3 months; a long-term resident; a
sportsperson; a member of the media; a
performer; or a member of a social
group or cultural exchange. If you fall
into one of these categories, you will
need to apply for a Temporary Residence
visa. There is a A$65 (US$42)
fee for non-ETA tourist and business
visas for stays of up to 3 months, and
A$160 (US$104) for business visas for
stays between 3 months and 4 years.
Non-ETA visa application fees for
other kinds of travelers vary, from nil to
thousands of dollars. Contact the nearest
Australian embassy, consulate, or
high commission to check what forms
of payment they accept.
Apply for non-ETA visas at Australian
embassies, consulates, and high
commissions. In the United States,
apply to the Australian Embassy,
1601 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 20036 (& 202/797-3000;
dima-washington@dfat.gov.au). The
website of the Australian Embassy in
North America is www.austemb.org. In
Canada, contact the Australian High
Commission, 50 O’Connor St., No.
710, Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 (& 613/
783 7665; www.ahc-ottawa.org). For
business-visa inquiries in the United
States and Canada, call & 800/579
7664. In the United Kingdom and
Ireland, contact the Australian High
Commission, Australia House, The
Strand, London WC2B 4LA (& 090/
6550 3500 for 24-hr. recorded information,
or 020/7379 4334; www.
australia.org.uk). You can obtain an
application form for a non-ETA visa
via the Internet at the Australian
Department of Immigration and
Multicultural Affairs website (www.
immi.gov.au). This site has a good
explanation of the ETA system.
Allow at least a month for processing
of non-ETA visas.
For information on how to get a
passport, go to the Fast Facts section
of this chapter—the websites listed
provide downloadable passport applications
as well as the current fees for
processing passport applications. For
an up-to-date country-by-country listing
of passport requirements around
the world, go the “Foreign Entry
Requirement” Web page of the U.S.
State Department at http://travel.state.
gov/foreignentryreqs.html.