Australian eVisitor Visa (651) for Greek Citizens
Updated: 16 August 2026
Greek citizens visiting Australia for tourism or business use the eVisitor (Subclass 651), not the ETA. As an EU member, Greece is on the eligible passport list, so Greek nationals apply online through ImmiAccount. The visa is free, permits stays of up to three months per visit, and allows unlimited entries across a 12-month validity.
Independent guide — not a government service. Australian Visa Online is an independent information resource. We are not affiliated with the Australian Government or the Department of Home Affairs, and we do not lodge applications on your behalf. Always confirm current requirements before you apply.
Are Greek Citizens Eligible for the eVisitor (651)?
Yes. Greece is on the list of eligible countries for the eVisitor (Subclass 651), the visa built specifically for European passport holders travelling to Australia. If you hold a valid Greek passport, you can apply for the eVisitor for tourism or business visitor purposes — and eligibility flows directly from Greece's membership of the European Union.
Here is where many Greek travellers go wrong: for years, Greek citizens were not eligible for the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) Subclass 601. That list has since been expanded to include Greece and most other European countries — but the ETA carries a $20 service charge and runs through a phone app, while the eVisitor is free. The eVisitor and the ETA grant almost identical travel rights once you hold one, so for a Greek passport the free eVisitor remains the sensible route.
If you take away one fact from this page: Greek passport → eVisitor (651). The $20 ETA is now open to you too, but there is no reason to pay for what the eVisitor does free.
eVisitor (651) Quick Facts for Greek Passport Holders
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Visa subclass | 651 (eVisitor) |
| Who it's for | Greek and other eligible European passport holders |
| Cost | Free — AU$0 visa application charge (see the visa fees schedule) |
| Apply via | ImmiAccount (online web portal) — not the ETA app |
| Maximum stay | Up to 3 months per visit |
| Validity | 12 months from grant (or until your passport expires, whichever comes first) |
| Multiple entries | Yes — unlimited within the 12-month validity |
| Work rights | No (business visitor activities permitted) |
| Where to apply | Online, through ImmiAccount |
| Must be outside Australia | Yes — when you apply and when the visa is granted |
For current decision expectations, see our visa processing times guide. The eVisitor is usually one of the faster visas to be decided, but a minority of applications are referred for manual review, so timeframes are never guaranteed.
How Greek Citizens Apply for the eVisitor (651)
The eVisitor is lodged online. Unlike the ETA — which runs through a dedicated mobile app — the eVisitor is processed through ImmiAccount, the Department of Home Affairs' web portal. Here is the process for a Greek passport holder.
Step 1: Create an ImmiAccount. Register a free account on the Department of Home Affairs ImmiAccount website. Use an email address you check often — your grant notice arrives there. This is the same system used for most Australian visa types.
Step 2: Start an eVisitor (Subclass 651) application. Choose the eVisitor from the list of visa products. Make sure it is 651 specifically, and not a different visitor visa.
Step 3: Enter your Greek passport details. Provide your passport number, full name exactly as printed (including the Latin-script transliteration on the passport), date of birth and nationality. Accuracy is critical — the visa is linked electronically to this exact passport number.
Step 4: Answer the declaration questions. A short set of questions covers character (any criminal history), health, and the purpose of your visit. Answer honestly. A false or misleading declaration can lead to refusal, cancellation and future exclusion from Australia.
Step 5: Submit. Because there is no visa application charge for the eVisitor, there is no payment step for the visa itself. Lodge the application from outside Australia.
Step 6: Receive your grant notice. You are notified by email through ImmiAccount. The eVisitor is electronic and tied to your passport — there is no label or stamp in the physical document. Save the grant notification for your records and carry a copy when you travel.
You must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the eVisitor is granted. If you are already onshore on another visa, the eVisitor is not the right product and you would look at an onshore option instead.
Validity, Stay Length and Multiple Entries
The eVisitor runs on the same clock for Greek citizens as for every other eligible nationality.
| Rule | How it works for Greek citizens |
|---|---|
| Validity period | 12 months from the date of grant, or until your Greek passport expires — whichever comes first |
| Stay per visit | Up to 3 months in Australia on each entry |
| Number of entries | Unlimited within the 12-month validity |
| Resetting the stay | Each time you leave and re-enter, a fresh 3-month stay period begins |
| 12-in-18 cap (condition 8558) | You cannot spend more than 12 months in Australia within any 18-month period, even though each visit resets the 3-month clock |
| Extending a stay | Not possible — the eVisitor cannot be extended past 3 months per visit |
This makes the eVisitor flexible for Greek travellers who want more than one trip — a holiday in the Australian summer now, a return to visit family later in the year — all on a single grant. But the three-month limit per visit is firm, and the condition 8558 cap sits on top of it: no matter how you space your visits, you cannot accumulate more than 12 months onshore in any rolling 18-month window.
If you need a single continuous stay longer than three months, the eVisitor will not stretch that far — you would look at the Subclass 600 Visitor visa instead, which can be granted with longer stay periods (from $250). And a caution that applies to Greek citizens as much as anyone: the eVisitor is for visiting, not for living in Australia through back-to-back stays. The Department watches travel patterns, and chaining consecutive three-month visits to reside semi-permanently can trigger questions at the border or lead to cancellation.
What Greek Citizens Can (and Cannot) Do on an eVisitor
The eVisitor covers two broad categories — tourism and business visitor activities — and grants no work rights.
Tourism activities include:
- Holidays, sightseeing and travel across Australia
- Visiting family and friends (relevant for Greece's large Australian diaspora)
- Recreational activities — road trips, diving, exploring the coast
- Short-term study or training of up to three months
- Receiving medical treatment, where you are not a public health risk
Business visitor activities include:
- Attending conferences, seminars and trade fairs
- Making general business enquiries
- Conducting negotiations or contract discussions
- Attending business meetings
What the eVisitor does not allow:
- Working for an Australian employer
- Selling goods or services directly to the public
- Providing services to an Australian business
- Filling a position or doing paid work — including freelance, contract or remote work
The line that trips up many Greek professionals is the boundary between a "business visitor activity" and "work." Attending an industry conference in Melbourne is fine. Being paid to deliver a session at that same conference is work, and that needs a different visa. Crucially, this includes remote work: sitting in a café in Sydney doing paid work for your Greek employer is still work performed on Australian soil, and the eVisitor does not authorise it. If any part of your trip involves paid activity while you are physically in Australia, the eVisitor is the wrong visa.
What's Different for a Greek Passport Compared to ETA Nationalities
A Greek citizen's practical experience differs from, say, an American or Japanese traveller in a few concrete ways. Both groups end up with very similar travel rights, but the route there is not the same.
| Feature | eVisitor (651) — Greek citizens | ETA (601) — e.g. US, Japan, Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible nationality | Greece and other listed European passports | 30+ passports, now including most European countries |
| How you apply | Online via ImmiAccount | Via the Australian ETA mobile app |
| Cost | Free (AU$0) | ETA service charge (AU$20) |
| Maximum stay | Up to 3 months per visit | Up to 3 months per visit |
| Validity | 12 months | 12 months |
| Multiple entries | Yes | Yes |
| Work rights | No | No |
The headline difference is the application channel: Greek citizens use ImmiAccount online, while ETA nationalities use the phone app. The second is cost — the eVisitor has no visa application charge at all, whereas the ETA carries an AU$20 service charge through its app. Permitted activities, stay length and validity are effectively the same once granted, which is why our ETA vs eVisitor comparison treats them as twins separated mainly by cost and application channel.
If you hold dual nationality — for example, a Greek passport plus one from an ETA-eligible country — apply using whichever passport you will actually present at the Australian border, and choose the visa product that matches that document.
Common Mistakes Greek Applicants Make
Paying in the ETA app for what the eVisitor does free. Greek passports are now on the ETA list, so the app will take your $20 — but the eVisitor covers the same trip at no charge. Use ImmiAccount and apply for the eVisitor (651).
Applying from inside Australia. The eVisitor must be applied for, and granted, while you are outside Australia. If you are already onshore, this is not the right pathway.
Assuming it covers remote work. Doing paid work for a Greek — or any — employer while physically in Australia is work performed on Australian soil. The eVisitor does not authorise it.
Renewing your passport after the grant. The eVisitor is tied to a specific passport number. If you renew your Greek passport, the visa attached to the old one no longer works for travel — you must apply again with the new passport details. The good news: it is free again.
Ignoring the 12-in-18 cap. Resetting the three-month clock with each entry does not mean unlimited time onshore. Condition 8558 caps you at 12 months in Australia within any 18-month period. Plan longer or repeated trips around it.
Overstaying. Staying beyond your permitted period — even by a day — can trigger an exclusion period and serious consequences for future Australian visas. Track your three-month limit carefully.
eVisitor vs Other Options for Greek Travellers
For most Greek tourists and business visitors, the eVisitor is the clear choice: free, fast, and built for European passports. But it is not the only route into Australia.
- For a single stay longer than three months, the Subclass 600 Visitor visa can allow extended periods (from $250).
- To see how the eVisitor compares to the near-identical ETA, read the ETA vs eVisitor comparison.
- For the full feature breakdown of the product itself, see the dedicated eVisitor (Subclass 651) guide.
- For current charges across all visitor products, check the visa fees complete schedule.
- For everything else Greece-specific, start at the Australian visa for Greek citizens hub.
The eVisitor is the right answer for the vast majority of Greek citizens making short, visa-free-charge trips to Australia. Reach for an alternative only when your stay length or planned activity falls outside what the eVisitor permits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Greek citizens need a visa to visit Australia?
Yes. There is no fully visa-free entry for Greek passport holders, but the visa they need — the eVisitor (Subclass 651) — carries no application charge and is applied for online through ImmiAccount. It permits tourism and business visitor activities for up to three months per visit, with multiple entries over a 12-month validity.
Can Greek citizens use the Australian ETA?
Yes, since the ETA (Subclass 601) list was expanded to include Greece and most other European countries. It costs $20 through the ETA app, though, and there is rarely a reason to pay it: the eVisitor (651) offers near-identical travel rights with no application charge, lodged online through ImmiAccount.
How long can a Greek citizen stay in Australia on an eVisitor?
Up to three months per visit. The eVisitor is valid for 12 months from grant, and within that period you can enter Australia multiple times — each entry allows a fresh stay of up to three months. Condition 8558 also caps total time onshore at 12 months in any 18-month period, and the visa cannot be extended beyond three months per visit.
Is the eVisitor free for Greek passport holders?
Yes. The eVisitor has no visa application charge for eligible applicants, including Greek citizens — it costs AU$0. Because government fees and related costs can change, confirm the current position on the visa fees complete schedule before you apply.
Can Greek citizens work in Australia on an eVisitor?
No. The eVisitor allows tourism and business visitor activities — meetings, conferences and negotiations — but grants no work rights. Paid work, including remote work for a Greek employer performed while you are physically in Australia, is not permitted. Any paid activity on Australian soil requires a different visa.
How do Greek citizens apply for the eVisitor (651)?
Create an ImmiAccount online, start an eVisitor (Subclass 651) application, enter your Greek passport details, answer the character and health declaration questions, and submit while you are outside Australia. Because there is no visa application charge, there is no payment step for the visa itself.
What happens if a Greek citizen needs to stay longer than three months?
The eVisitor cannot be extended past three months per visit. For a longer single stay, the Subclass 600 Visitor visa can be granted with extended stay periods (from $250). You would generally apply for it before your eVisitor stay runs out, to avoid becoming unlawful in Australia.
