An Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) is an authorisation for entry to Australia available to holders of certain states' passports. Established in 1996 to remove the need for some people to apply for full visas, they can be applied for over the Internet, through travel agents and through airlines. Unless there is some problem with the application, the ETA is granted immediately. Unlike ordinary visas, when an ETA is issued, no stamp or other documentation is added to the holder's passport; instead the computer-based system links the passport number to the ETA and is accessible by immigration officials.^[1] A state is an organized political community, occupying a territory, and possessing internal and external sovereignty, that enforces a monopoly on the use of force. ... The title page of European Union member state passports bears the name European Union, then the name of the issuing country, in the official languages of all EU countries. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... An entry visa valid in all Schengen treaty countries Visas for Laos, Thailand, and Sri Lanka A visa (short for the Latin carta visa, lit. ... A travel agency is a store where individuals or families go to buy travel packages. ... A Boeing 747-400 belonging to Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the UKs largest airlines. ...

ETAs are issued by the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in three different types: the short validity tourist and business ETAs, each valid for one year and the long validity business visa, valid for the life of the holder's passport. All three types allow entry as often as desired during the validity of the ETA for stays of up to three months (and for a stay up to three months beyond the expiration of the ETA provided entry is during the validity period). None of them allow the holder to take up new paid employment.^[2] Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs departmental headquarters in Canberra. ...

As of February 2006, 21 million ETAs had been issued and ETAs accounted for 83% of all tourist and short-term business visas granted worldwide.^[1]

Eligible passports

Holders of thirty-four different passports are eligible for ETAs:^[3]

Holders of Taiwanese (Republic of China) passports must be resident in and apply from within Taiwan. Holders of British National (Overseas) passports must be resident in and apply from within Hong Kong. New Zealanders are not eligible for the ETA Visa as they may enter Australia without giving notice; they are given a Special Category Visa on arrival. The Republic of China passport (Traditional Chinese: 中華民國護照) is the travel document issued to citizens of the Republic of China. ... This article concerns matters of British nationality law in relation to Hong Kong. ... A Special Category Visa is a type of Australian visa granted to most New Zealand citizens on arrival in Australia. ...

Medical Checks
A recent addition to the ETA Visa requirements (2006) is that anyone over the age of 70 years of age when applying, must now get a medical examination from one of the Australian Government approved doctors. This list of approved doctors is available from the Australian Immigration website. [1]

Reciprocity

Some countries regard the ETA as being equivalent to visa-free travel when deciding whether to grant the same to Australians wishing to enter their territory. The United States, for example, offers their Visa Waiver Program to Australian passport-holders,^[4] and one of the conditions for joining this scheme is that "Governments provide reciprocal visa-free travel for U.S. citizens (90 days for tourism or business purposes)".^[5] Japan has also granted visa-free access to Australians.^[6] The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States of America which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the US for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. ...

Whilst several countries in the European Union have access to the ETA system, not all of them regard it as being visa-free travel.^[7] As a matter of EU policy, however, none of them impose reciprocal requirements on Australian nationals for short-term stays.^[8][9] (The United Kingdom and Ireland are exempt from this particular EU policy, but still do not impose any short-term visa requirements on Australians.)^[10][11] Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts The Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, commonly known as the Amsterdam Treaty, was signed on...

See also

• Immigration
• Immigration to Australia
• Tourism in Australia
• Special purpose visa
• Permanent Resident of Norfolk Island visa

Immigration to Australia began at least 40,000 years ago, when the ancestors of Australian Aborigines arrived via the islands of the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea. ... Tourism in Australia is a very large sector of the economy. ... A special purpose visa is a visa given by operation of law to certain non-citizens in Australia to whom standard visa and immigration clearance arrangements do not apply. ... A Permanent Resident of Norfolk Island visa is a type of Australian immigration visa granted on arrival in Australia to a non-citizen who is a permanent resident of Norfolk Island. ...

External links

• The main ETA website
• The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs

References

1. ^ ^a b "Australian Immigration Fact Sheet: Electronic Travel Authority." Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs: URL accessed on 2006-03-19.
2. ^ "Types of ETA." Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs: URL accessed on 2006-03-19.
3. ^ "ETA Eligibility." Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs: URL accessed on 2006-03-19.
4. ^ "Visa Waiver Program (VWP)." U.S. Department of State: URL accessed on 2006-03-25.
5. ^ "Visa Waiver Program - How a Country Qualifies." U.S. Department of State: URL accessed on 2006-03-25.
6. ^ Senator Amanda Vanstone, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (1998-11-05). "Visa Free Entry to Japan for Short-term Visitors from Australia." Department for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs URL accessed on 2006-03-25.
7. ^ "Report from the Commission to the Council - on visa waiver reciprocity with certain third countries, COM(2006) 3 final." (.doc) Commission of the European Communities: URL accessed on 2006-03-25.
8. ^ "Same visa policy for all European Union Member States." EUROPA: URL accessed on 2006-03-25.
9. ^ Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (2001-03-21). "Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001". Official Journal of the European Communities 44 (L 81): 1–7; Article 1(2) and Annex II. ISSN 0378-6978.
10. ^ "Visa and Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) nationals." UK Visas: URL accessed on 2006-04-04.
11. ^ "Do I need a visa to come to Ireland?." Department of Foreign Affairs, Government of Ireland: URL accessed on 2006-04-04.