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Australia's visa policy deals with the requirements that a foreign national wishing to enter Australia must meet in order to obtain a visa, which is permission to travel, enter and remain in the country.

Since 1994, Australia has maintained a universal visa regime, meaning that every non-citizen in Australia must have a visa, either through application or automatically granted by law. The exception is New Zealand citizens with a valid New Zealand passport who do not need to apply for a visa before arriving in Australia. A special category visa (subclass 444) (SCV) is issued.

An SCV is a temporary visa that a New Zealand citizen obtains in Australia. It allows you to stay for an unlimited period, travel and work.

The visa ceases when New Zealand citizens leave Australia.

SCV holders do not have the same rights and benefits as Australian citizens or permanent residents.

Eligible visitors to Australia's visa policy apply online for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or eVisitor visa depending on their nationality. Visitors who are eligible for an ETA can also apply through a travel agent, airline and specialist service providers.

eVisitor (subclass 651)

The eVisitor system was introduced on 27 October 2008, replacing the old eVisa system to create a short-stay system for citizens of Australia and the European Union, while maintaining a universal visa system. eVisitor is available to citizens of all 27 member states of the European Union and 9 other European countries.

The eVisitor is issued free of charge and allows the holder to visit Australia an unlimited number of times, up to 3 months per visit, within 12 months for tourism or business purposes. At the time of travel and entry to Australia, all eVisitor holders must be free of tuberculosis and have no criminal convictions or sentences (whether or not served) of 12 months or more.

The following countries can receive an eVisitor:

European Union, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City.

ETA (subclass 601)

An ETA allows the holder to visit Australia an unlimited number of times, up to 3 months per visit, within a 12-month period for tourism or business purposes. There is no visa application fee, but there is a 20 Australian dollars service fee for online applications. At the time of travel and entry to Australia, all ETA holders must be free of tuberculosis and must not have tuberculosis and no criminal convictions for which a conviction or sentence (whether or not served) is 12 months or more.

The following countries can receive an ETA:

Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, United States.

Taiwanese citizens holding passports with a national identification number can also apply for an ETA.

Citizens of Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain and the city The Vatican may apply for an ETA instead of an eVisitor.

Visitor Visa (subclass 600)

Visitor Visa - for people who need to come to Australia for a short period of time for tourism, business purposes or to visit family. They are issued for periods of up to three, six or twelve months. Chinese citizens can get a ten-year visa from the end of 2016 when applying from China.

List of documents for application submission:

- - Confirmation of visa fee payment
  - Application on Form 1419
  - Written authorization from you to provide information to third parties or agents: Form 956 or Form 956A
  - Photochrome
  - Photocopy of the personal data page of a valid foreign passport
  - Confirmation of your previous international trips: copies of visas
  - Confirmation of the availability of funds in the form of a bank account statement. Cash and credit cards are not proof.
  - Confirmation of the source of your income:
  1.Certificate from the employer indicating the period of employment, position and salary, as well as the duration of paid leave
  2.Documents confirming the registration of your organization, its current activities and income, if you have your own business
  3.Documents, confirmation of ownership
  - A letter from the school or university, indicating your student status and the approved period of absence
  - If you are visiting a relative or friend in Australia:
  - A copy of an identity document: a photocopy of a passport, a driver's license is welcome
  - A signed statement specifying the degree of support, if the inviting party provides you with financial support for the trip and stay in Australia, and proof of the inviting party's income (salary receipts, bank statement)
  - For applicants under the age of 18 (including dependent applicants):
  1.Notarized copy of birth certificate
  2.Notarized written permission to travel to Australia from the parent not traveling with the child, as well as the personal data page of the passport or a copy of another document proving that parent's identity
  - If you are over 75 years old, you must provide health insurance for the entire period of your planned stay in Australia.
What documents are required for a child visa to Australia?
The application will be considered if there are scanned copies of all the documents required to obtain a child visa to Australia. They include:
- Passport of the child's parents or official guardian.
- Child's birth certificate or passport (depending on the age of the minor).
- Current foreign passport of parents and child with availability.
- Questionnaire.
- Two color photos.
- A certificate from the place of study stating that the educational institution does not object to the child's trip abroad during the specified period.
- Certificate, diploma or certificate of any education received by the child (if available).
- Confirmation of the financial status of the child's parents, or the person accompanying him (bank account statement, certificate from the place of work, etc.).
- Receipt for payment of the consular fee.
A visa to Australia can be issued for a period of 3 to 12 months. The exact period for which a child's Australian visa will be issued depends on the decision of the Consulate's commission in each specific case.

Transit 72 hours or less

If you are transiting through Australia, you must get a ticket for the next flight that departs Australia no later than 72 hours after your first entry. If a suitable connecting flight is not available, transit through Australia will not be possible.

Visa requirements

To transit through Australia, you must have a valid visa or be from an eligible Transit Without Visa (TWOV) country. The list can be found at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/transit-771/travellers-eligible-to-transit-without-visa.

If you do not have a valid visa or are not eligible for TWOV, you must apply for a visa to enter Australia. An Australian transit visa (subclass 711) allows eligible individuals to transit through Australia for up to 72 hours.

Cats and dogs can only be brought into Australia from approved countries. Pets traveling from New Zealand must have resided in the country from birth or for 90 days prior to the date of removal to Australia. Pets must not be in quarantine at the time of shipment and must be at least eight weeks old. Cats and dogs must not be pregnant for more than 40 days at the time of removal.

You can only transport certain species of birds and domestic rabbits from New Zealand. Australia does not allow any other pets to be brought into the country.

Check the country category

The Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources recognizes four different categories of countries depending on the rabies risk of animals coming from those countries. Cats and dogs from approved countries are allowed to enter, subject to compliance with all veterinary requirements.

Category I: New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Cocos Island

Category II: American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Falkland Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Iceland, Japan, Kiribati, Mauritius, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

Category III: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary and Balearic Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Republic of Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland , France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jersey, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Malaysia (Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak only ), Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, South Africa, Reunion, Saipan, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa Korea, Spain , Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland (including Liechtenstein), Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, USA (including the District of Columbia, Northern Mariana Islands, Pooh Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (but excluding Guam and Hawaii), Uruguay.

Category IV: All countries not listed in Groups I, II and III are prohibited countries and your animal cannot enter Australia directly from these destinations. Dogs and cats traveling from non-permitted countries must move to a category II or III country for six months before being eligible to enter Australia.

Microchip

All pets entering Australia must be implanted with an ISO 11784/11785 microchip that can be read by Avid, Destron or other ISO compliant readers. The microchip must be scanned after implantation and its number must be correctly recorded on all your pet's documents.

Entry permit

An import permit is required to bring your pet into Australia. You will need to submit an application and supporting documentation, which includes a rabies vaccination, a rabies test titer declaration and a rabies test laboratory report. All accompanying documentation must clearly state the animal's microchip number.

Import permits take about 20 days to process and are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. It is important that you submit the correct documentation.

Quarantine

Pets arriving from Category I countries are not required to spend time in quarantine. Your pet can go home with you after an inspection upon arrival. Cats and dogs entering Australia from Category II and Category III countries will spend around 10 days in a quarantine facility, provided your pet meets all veterinary requirements.

What can be transported to Australia by plane?

These are personal goods (gifts, cameras, sports and electronic equipment, leather goods, watches, perfumes and jewelry often require confirmation and surcharge) with a total value of up to AUD 400 for over 18s and up to AUD 200 for under 18s. You can also import a reasonable amount of clothes, shoes and personal hygiene items in your luggage duty-free.

It is prohibited to import into Australia: drugs, steroid drugs, cold weapons and firearms, protected plants, animals and their products. Any animals, foodstuffs, plants and their products must be declared and subject to quarantine control. When importing cash tokens that exceed the equivalent of AUD 5,000, they must be declared.

How much alcohol can you bring into Australia?

Travelers over the age of 16 can import alcoholic beverages up to 1 liter into the country duty-free. An adult passenger (regardless of residency) may carry no more than 50 cigarettes or 50 g of tobacco duty-free.

Upon arrival at the airport, you and your luggage may be sprayed with a disinfectant. The fine for the intentional transportation of prohibited products ranges from 32 to 5,790 USD or up to 5 years in prison.

When leaving the country, every passenger over the age of 12 pays a tax.

Forbidden to export from Australia: animals and plants, objects of wild nature (corals, shells, reptiles). Items of historical value (without appropriate permission), wood and bamboo products, leather, bone, bird feathers, shells and corals cannot be exported.

Tourists and visitors who plan to drive in Australia should be aware of Australian traffic rules and regulations.

If you are a tourist and have a valid driving license from your home country in English, you can drive in Australia. If your national driver's license is not in English, you must have an international translation of your driver's license. However, remember that an international driver's license does not in itself give you the right to drive in Australia, but is only valid in conjunction with a national driver's license. Foreigners can drive a car with an international driver's license for no more than three months.

Before you drive, make sure your insurance is valid and covers the areas you plan to drive.

Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers.

In most states, local city speed limits range from 50 km/h to 80 km/h (30-45 mph); on major highways the limit is 100 km/h (55 mph). In the Northern Territory, the speed limit is 110 km/h on highways and all rural roads.

In Australia, the traffic rules have very strict laws regarding drunk driving. Most states have a legal blood alcohol level of 0.05%, but it is recommended that you refrain from drinking alcohol while driving. The police have the right to stop any driver for a breathalyzer test. This action is called a Random Breath Test (RBT).

In Australia, the minimum driving age varies between states and territories. In Victoria, the minimum driving age is 18; in the Northern Territory — 16 years and 6 months. In other states and territories, the minimum driving age is 17.

Rent a car

To rent a car in Melbourne without a deposit, the driver must be at least 21 years old (in some cases at least 25 years old), have an international driver's license and have at least 1 year of driving experience. Payment is made by credit card.

Triple zero (000) is the Australian standard emergency number (for ambulance, fire or police) and 112 is the international standard emergency number.

Fly on low-cost airlines to cover long distances

In Australia, traveling between major cities can take several days. The easiest way to travel long distances is to use airlines.

There are many reputable budget airlines that offer affordable flights throughout the country:

Tiger Air, Jet Star, Scoot, and Virgin Australia.

Use trains or buses within the city

In Australian cities, you'll find trams, subways and public buses, but trains are generally the best way to get around. The railroad network is extensive and quite affordable.

We recommend buying a travel card in a store and refilling it at the station. A train ride in the city usually costs only a couple of dollars. You need to put your card on the reader when you enter and exit the train platform.

Tipping

Tipping is not as common in Australia as it is in Europe and the United States. In cafes and restaurants, you can keep the change or round up the bill, while taxi drivers usually expect you to round up the bill to the nearest dollar. Only in more upscale restaurants is a service charge of ten percent the norm;

! Please note that on holidays, cafes and restaurants in cities may add an additional ten percent surcharge to the bill.

There is no bargaining here.

Communication

Getting an Australian SIM card is easy. You can buy one at any Woolworths, Coles, IGA or local post office.

If you're going to be spending a lot of time in rural or regional areas, choose a Telstra SIM card that offers the best coverage.

Optus is great for use in the city and has pretty good data deals.

! Keep in mind that Australian internet is slow. Moreover, the further you travel, the more unstable it will be.

Australia travel tips: Be sure to download offline Google maps for any area you're exploring so you can get around without the internet.

Tap water is safe to drink

Australia has clean tap water that you can drink. So you don't have to buy plastic water bottles. You will save money and help the environment. Bring a reusable water bottle with you and you can refill it anywhere during your stay in Australia.

Be aware of potential dangers

There are very dangerous animals in Australia: poisonous spiders and snakes, jellyfish, sea crocodiles and white sharks. Although fatal accidents are rare, it's a good idea to learn how to behave if you encounter these animals;

If you are going to protected areas, correlate your routes with safety information, find out what is found there. Don't walk without shoes, watch where you pitch your tent if you're camping.

If you can, avoid driving at night entirely to avoid kangaroo and emu incidents. And remember to drive on the left side of the road.

Sources:

1. https://www.roughguides.com

2. https://www.worldpackers.com

3. https://www.birdgehls.com

You can find Australian Embassies in different countries at: https://www.embassy-worldwide.com/country/australia/

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