 | | | | | | | | AUSTRALIA EMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS IMMIGRATION INFORMATION
| One of the most important things for any travellers and yet forgotten by thousands of ardent travellers every year your passport is one thing you simply can’t leave home without. As well as remembering to take it with you, however, you also need to ensure that your current passport is valid for at least six months beyond the date of your return to your home country. You should also take at least two photocopies of the pages containing your photo and any other important information. Carry one on your person and one somewhere safe or if you’re really clever you could e-mail a copy to yourself or save it onto a floppy disk so you can access it at any time. Furthermore, in order to get into many countries on the stay abroad you will require a visa of some type, even if you are just visiting. This is usually an insert, stamp or sticker which is placed in your passport and the duration of its validity varies from place to place. If you do intend to work or study in the country to which you are traveling, however, you should organize your visa even further in advance as this can take longer to process. As well as your passport you should ensure that you have at least one other form of identification with you. This may be a driver’s license, birth certificate or any other form of ID which is acceptable worldwide. As with passports, bring at least two copies of all forms of identification in case of loss or theft. You should also find out where your embassy is in the country to which you are travelling as this will come in very handy for genuine emergencies. For example if you need to return home urgently or lose important documents or passports, your embassy should be able to help you out pretty quickly.  | VISA APPLICATIONS AND PASSPORTS | | | | | Passports | | Valid passport required by all. | | | Note | | Australian visa regulations (including visa application charges) change from time to time. The information provided below is valid at the time of publication, but visitors should check that this information is still current by visiting the Australian High Commission's website (australia.org.uk/visas) or by calling the Australian Immigration and Citizenship Information Line (tel: (09065) 508 900; calls cost £1 per minute). | | | Visas | | Required by all except the following: (a) nationals of New Zealand; (b) nationals of the following countries do not need to obtain a transit visa before travel if they are continuing their journey to a third country within 8 hours of arriving in Australia: EU countries, Andorra, Argentina, Brunei, Canada, Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Korea (Rep. of), Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, USA, Vanuatu, Vatican City, and Zimbabwe. All other nationals must obtain a transit visa before travel, irrespective of the period of transit in Australia. Transit visas are free of charge. | | | Note | | Not all airports remain open all night; travellers should check with the airline. | | | Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visas | | The ETA is an electronically stored authority for travel to Australia that allows people from certain countries to visit Australia temporarily for tourism or business purposes. An ETA is invisible and therefore will not show up in your passport. ETAs (Visitor and Business - Short Validity ETAs only) can be obtained online from the main Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) website at http://eta.immi.gov.au/ or from over 10,000 travel agents and airline offices throughout the UK. Please note, the Australian High Commission, London, no longer offers an automatic ETA service. | | | Note | | Only nationals of the following countries are eligible for an ETA: EU countries, Andorra, Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan*, British Overseas Territories**, USA and Vatican City * Nationals of Taiwan are only eligible for an ETA if resident in and applying in Taiwan. ** Holders of UK passports which indicate their nationality to be British National (Overseas) passports can only be processed for an ETA by external service providers if resident in and applying in Hong Kong. | | | Types of ETA and cost | | Tourist Visit: Free of charge. Business Visit (long-term): A$60; Business Visit (short-term): free of charge. | | | Note | | A service fee is charged when applying for an ETA online through the DIMA ETA website. Some travel agents and airlines issuing ETAs also charge a processing fee. | | | Validity of ETAs | | Tourist Visit ETAs are valid for 12 months from date of issue (or until the passport expires, whichever comes first) and permit multiple entries into Australia for a stay of up to 3 months on each visit. Long-term Business Visit ETAs are valid for the life of the passport, and permit multiple entries for a stay of up to 3 months for each visit. Short-term Business Visit ETAs are valid for 12 months from date of issue (or until the passport expires, whichever comes first) for a single entry of up to 3 months. | | | Other types of visa and cost | | Visitors not eligible for an ETA, or seeking a longer stay than an ETA offers, may apply for Tourist Visit (Non ETA) and Business Short-stay and Business Long-stay (Non ETA) visas. Tourist Visit and Business Short-stay visas cost £25. Business Long-stay visas cost £60. | | | Validity of non-ETA visas | | For non-ETA visas, the validity varies according to the type of visa, the purpose of the trip and the validity of the passport. The validity will be stated on the visa label in your passport. | | | Application to | | ETA: Authorised travel agents or airlines, by telephone or online through Australian Visas Ltd (see above). Non-ETA: Australian Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates. | | | Application requirements | | ETA: (a) Valid passport. (b) Fee (if applicable). (c) Completed application form giving details of passport number and expiry date, airline, names of travellers etc (if applying by post). Tourist and Business Visitor (Non ETA): (a) Completed application form. Application forms for tourist and business visitor visas can be downloaded from the High Commission's website at australia.org.uk/visas. Business visa forms are also available from Australian Outlook, 3 Buckhurst Road, Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex, TN40 1QF. An A4 stamped, self-addressed envelope with a 66p stamp must be enclosed to cover postage. (b) Valid passport with two unused visa pages. (c) Fee (payable by cheque or postal order and made out to the Australian High Commission). (d) One or more recent passport photographs as required. | | | Note | | (a) Prior to lodging an application, visitors should confirm the current visa fees by calling the High Commission. (b) All travellers to Australia, except Australian citizens and permanent residents, must satisfy health and character requirements. (c) All travellers, including minors travelling on a parent's passport, require their own visa or ETA. | | | Working days required | | ETA: When issued through DIMA's ETA website at eta.immi.gov.au, or through travel agents or airline offices, ETAs are usually processed and valid immediately. Non-ETA visas: 3-5 weeks. | | | Temporary residence | | Applicants for temporary residence, working holidays and long-stay business visits to Australia should contact DIMA's main website at http://immi.gov.au/ or the High Commission's website at http://australia.org.uk/ Any queries should be made to the Embassy or High Commission (see Address section). | | | Addresses | | Australian Tourist Commission | | Postal address: PO Box 2721, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia Street address: Level 4, 80 William Street, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, NSW 2011, Australia Tel: (2) 9360 1111. Fax: (2) 9331 6469. Website: http://atc.net.au/ or http://australia.com/ | | | | | | Visa Applications Forms. How to find the right one(s)? Understand that we cannot provide forms, since this specific topic is too complex for a implementation in our websites. Each country uses its own specific application formulars for tourists, residents and/or workers. There are no general or multipurpose formulars for each country. Anyway you may search needed form in the Internet by using the www-searchengines like, Altavista, Yahoo, Google. Search examples: Type your query and set for the word 'COUNTRY' the real country name you look for. Type excatly like examples below. You can copy and paste the search strings: If your search was successful, first visit the governments' or embassies' websites.
PASSPORT APPLICATIONS, RENEWALS Applying for a Passport You should apply for your passport several months in advance of your planned departure, making sure you fill in the dates of your upcoming trip in the appropriate place on the application. If you'll need visas from foreign embassies (find out by checking foreign entry requirements for the country you'll visit, allow more time. (It's very important to check those requirements. Imagine how disappointed you'd be if you were turned back on the day of your departure because your passport expires in three months and the country you're visiting requires it to be valid at least six months AFTER you return home! Also check on immunization requirements -- you may need to be inoculated before you can enter a country!) As a rule, it takes about 25 business days to process your passport application and get the document sent to you. Something to think about: Lines are longest at passport agencies from January to July, resulting in longer waiting times for applicants. You might want to avoid the crowds by applying through a nearby clerk of court or post office that accepts passport applications. Lost or Stolen Passport Losing your passport -- especially if you're in a foreign country -- can be scary. It's the most important item you carry with you, so it's best to keep it someplace secure (like in a money pouch you wear under your clothes). Another safety measure you can take is to make two photocopies of the photo ID page of your passport. Leave one at home with family or friends and keep the other in a different place from your passport, perhaps buried in the bottom of checked luggage. This could make all the difference in getting you on your flight home in the event that your passport is lost or stolen. It also makes getting it replaced much easier. Can I Have My Old Passport Back? Yes! Most people view their passports as important memorabilia and are eager to get them back. That's why your previous passport, marked "canceled," will be returned to you with your new one.
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