ALL visitors to Australia must have a valid visa to travel to and enter Australia.


Visa Options

If you are planning to visit Australia to participate in an event such as a conference, and you are not being paid for your participation in the event, you need to apply for:

  • eVisitor visa (subclass 651), or,
  • ETA (subclass 601), or,
  • Visitor (Business Stream) visa (subclass 600)

The following information will help you identify the right visa and application process applicable to you. PLEASE NOTE: This information is a guide only. It is the responsibility of the individual traveller to make sure they are applying for the correct visa.


[1] eVisitor [subclass 651]

For a conference event, European Union (EU) passport holders, and some other European passport holders, are eligible to apply individually online for an eVisitor visa (subclass 651) to travel to and enter Australia. Applications for eVisitor visas are free. Passport holders from the following countries can apply for an eVisitor visa online:

  • Andorra
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Monaco
  • The Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Republic of San Marino
  • Slovak Republic
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United Kingdom – British Citizen
  • Vatican City

You need a separate eVisitor for each family member travelling with you to Australia, including those who are younger than 18 years of age and are included on your passport.

See: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/evisitor-651


[2] Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) [subclass 601]

For a conference event, passport holders from a number of countries are eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) (Subclass 601) to travel to and enter Australia. There is no visa application charge for ETA applications lodged online but a service fee of AUD20 is charged for use of the ETA website.  Passport holders from the following countries may apply for an ETA online:

  • Andorra
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Brunei
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong (SAR of China)
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Liechtenstein
  • Luxembourg
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Monaco
  • Norway
  • Portugal
  • Republic of San Marino
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • The Netherlands
  • United Kingdom—British Citizen
  • United Kingdom—British National (Overseas)
  • United States
  • Vatican City

Each family member travelling with you to Australia will need a separate ETA. This includes any children younger than 18 years of age who are included on your passport.

See: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/electronic-travel-authority-601


[3] Visitor Visa [subclass 600] – Online or Paper Based Applications

For countries not listed in [1] and [2] above, this visa lets you visit Australia for conference purposes.

The base application charge for this visa ranges from A$145 to A$365. If you are outside Australia only certain passport holders can apply for this visa online.  If you are not eligible to make an online application you should submit a paper application for the Visitor visa (subclass 600), which can be lodged at your nearest Australian Immigration office to your current place of residence:

See: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/visitor-600


Other considerations:

As visa processes may take up to 3 months, we strongly encourage you to begin the visa application process no later than June 2020.

In some cases, it will be necessary for you to obtain a letter from the conference organisers stating that you will be attending the IPDLN2020 Conference. Your registration confirmation letter should suffice for this purpose but you must therefore register and pay for the conference first.


DISCLAIMER: The information provided in this document is a guide only. It is the responsibility of the individual traveller to make sure they are applying for the correct visa.