Apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) to travel to Australia.
An Australian Government mobile app that you can use to lodge an Australian ETA application. The ETA allows eligible passport holders to travel to Australia for short-term stays for tourism or business visitor purposes.
It is recommended that you apply well ahead of when you want to travel. It is suggested that you do not make travel arrangements until your ETA has been granted. See the ETA website to find out more and check your eligibility to apply:
Please note, Australian citizens are ineligible to apply for an ETA. For more information, see: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/entering-australia/crossing-the-border/travel-documents-for-australian-citizens-and-permanent-residents
Support videos to assist with using the Australian ETA App are available as follows:
Scanning your passport: https://bordertv.au.vbrickrev.com/embed?id=ba6716a7-6c16-42dc-bf75-53caa8c36a61
Reading the ePassport chip (front page): https://bordertv.au.vbrickrev.com/embed?id=20860fc6-30ea-43bd-802f-ca35ee17c873
Reading the ePassport chip (back page): https://bordertv.au.vbrickrev.com/embed?id=bfe3c5c3-b7bd-487b-a0f1-8be80ae704ea
Reading the ePassport chip (data page): https://bordertv.au.vbrickrev.com/embed?id=c36923d1-e910-4891-b33a-73382b4d70ba
Taking a live photo of yourself: https://bordertv.au.vbrickrev.com/embed?id=f3a9ec56-d973-4df6-82a5-3d63ed792239
Please note that use of the Australian ETA App incurs a non-refundable service fee of $AUD20.
One star. A fun little five-hour adventure just to visit Australia. Looking for a relaxing way to spend your afternoon? Try the official ETA app! First, enjoy hours of failing to scan your passport chip—no matter the angle, lighting, or level of desperation. Then, move on to the facial recognition game, where your reward is… absolutely nothing. That is, until you randomly flip your phone around and it magically decides, “Close enough!” After about five hours and 100 tries, I somehow got through. I’m still not sure the app actually captured a proper photo, but hey, progress is progress. Tried the web instead? Perfect—just make sure you love long-winded forms and surprise $190 AUD fees. All of this for something required to enter the country. Brilliant system, truly.
This app is BS, why isn’t this possible on a laptop / manually? I’m usually a pretty chill person. But due to the fickleness of this app and its inability to process all smartphones, I am now sitting at home using my friends phone since the app wouldn’t process my info at all even despite trying the 2 hours at the airport. Essentially it comes down to using recent smartphone models. I had to use a friends iPhone 15 despite my iPhone 8 having an NFC reader— if Australia is going to fund Apple like this, I shan’t be spending money on souvenirs when I arrive as that money just went into rebuying my ticket to see my friend. ETA, yah basic.