Are you going on a holiday or business trip to Australia? Then you may use the eVisitor visa. This visa for Australia is valid for twelve months and can be used an unlimited number of times within its validity period. Each stay in Australia on the eVisitor visa may last up to three months.

The Sydney skyline, with the famous Sydney Opera House in the foreground

The visa validity period

After applying for a visa for Australia, It usually takes no more than 5 days for the visa to be issued. If you chose an urgent delivery, the visa is usually issued within 60 minutes. The validity period starts as soon as you receive the visa. You are allowed to travel to Australia from that moment onwards.

The Australia visa is valid for twelve months. It must be valid when your passport is checked upon arrival in Australia. The visa shows the expiry date. This is the last day you may enter Australia. Even if you enter Australia on the last day of the validity term, you may stay in the country for up to three months.

The maximum length of stay per trip

The Australia visa is valid for 12 months, but this does not mean that you are allowed to stay in the country for a year at a time. You may stay in Australia for no longer than three months. Even if you travel to Australia multiple times during the validity period of the visa, you may stay in the country for up to three months each time. Please make sure to enter the country within the validity term that is mentioned on the visa.

Important information for cruise travellers

Pay particular attention to the validity term of your visa if you travel to Australia by cruise ship. If you go ashore in Australia multiple times during a cruise, you are usually not allowed to stay in the country for three months each time. If you leave and arrive at multiple ports in Australia, you usually do not leave Australia’s sea borders, meaning that you do not officially exit the country. In that case, your final departure date is determined by your first arrival in the country. Therefore, you have to leave the country three months after your first arrival in Australia at the latest, and not three months after your last arrival.

Are you taking a cruise that departs from Australia and returns there at a later date? Ask your cruise line or travel agency if you officially leave Australia during this time. To be on the safe side, you can also plan your trip in such a way that you do not come back to the country more than three months after your first arrival.

Check the validity of your passport
The validity of your Australia visa expires immediately when the validity of your passport expires, even if your visa is valid for a longer time than your passport. You may only arrive in Australia with the passport that you used for your visa application. The passport number of this passport appears on the visa.

Your passport must still be valid for a minimum of 6 months from the day you arrive in Australia. Does your passport expire earlier than that? Then you should prioritise the application for a new passport. You can only apply for your visa after you receive your new passport.

The visa validity may expire earlier

You are only permitted to apply for an Australia visa if you meet the visa requirements. You have to meet these requirements throughout your stay in Australia, not just when you are applying for the visa. Has anything changed in your situation so that you no longer meet all the requirements? Then your visa is no longer valid, meaning that you cannot use it to travel to Australia. This is the case in the following situations, among others:

• The passport you used for the visa application is no longer valid.
• You have contracted tuberculosis.
• You have received a prison sentence.
• You intend to work in a way that requires a work visa.
• You, or a family member, are in debt to the Australian government.

Is the validity term of your visa too short?

Will you arrive in Australia after the validity of your visa expires? Then you should apply for a new visa. You can submit a new application before your current visa has expired. The new application will overwrite the previous visa. Once it is issued, the new visa will allow you to travel to Australia within the following year. You may only submit a new application if you are located outside of Australia.

Apply for a new visa

Are you already in Australia and do you want to stay longer than three months? In that case, it is not possible to extend your visa or to re-apply for the same type of visa. However, the immigration service offers other types of visas that you can apply for within Australia. The immigration service can inform you about the eligibility criteria.