Travelling to Australia from the UK: The Pre-Trip Checklist
Travelling to Australia from the UK comes down to four things, in this order: a visa granted before you book (for a British Citizen passport, normally the free eVisitor), the same passport on the day you fly, an arrival card filled in honestly, and nothing undeclared in your bags. This checklist puts each step on a timeline, from weeks before departure to the airport in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth.
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.
This page is about the trip itself. If you want the full detail on the visa, including what the eVisitor lets you do and when a longer visa makes sense, read our Australian tourist visa guide for UK citizens first, then come back here.
Quick facts for British travellers
| Item | What applies to a British Citizen passport |
|---|---|
| Visa | eVisitor (subclass 651), free. The ETA (subclass 601) is also open to you, at $20 (AUD) |
| Where to apply | eVisitor: online through ImmiAccount. ETA: only in the official Australian ETA app |
| Processing | Home Affairs' published figures: 90% of eVisitor applications processed in less than 1 day |
| Stay | Up to 3 months after each entry, multiple entries, 12 months from the grant date |
| Passport | A valid passport, and the same one you applied with. Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force publish no six-month rule |
| On arrival | Incoming Passenger Card for most travellers; SmartGates for ePassport holders aged 7 or over |
| Health cover | People who lived in the UK before arriving may be eligible for Medicare under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement |
Your pre-trip timeline
The official rule behind this timeline is short. For the eVisitor, Home Affairs says: "Do not arrange to travel to Australia until we let you know in writing that we have granted you the visa." Everything else is our suggested order.
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Before you book flights | Decide which passport each traveller will use. Renew any passport that needs it now, not later | The visa is tied to the passport you apply with |
| Before you book flights | Apply for an eVisitor for every traveller, one application each, children included | Home Affairs says not to arrange travel until you're granted |
| Before you book, if it applies | Anyone with a criminal conviction, or on a passport that isn't eVisitor- or ETA-eligible, starts a Visitor visa (subclass 600) | The 600 Tourist stream takes weeks (50% in 18 days, 90% in 38 days), not hours |
| When the grant email arrives | Check every name, middle name and date of birth against the passport | A mismatch can cause problems at check-in or at the border |
| 3 to 4 weeks out | Sort travel insurance, check the rules for any medicines you take, find your GHIC or EHIC card | You'll need them if you get ill in Australia |
| Week of departure | Check that the passport in your hand is the one on the grant, and that the grant is still inside its 12 months | Your visa is linked to one passport, so a different one on the day causes problems |
| On the plane | Fill in the Incoming Passenger Card, including the health and character questions | False answers can affect your visa status |
| Arrival | SmartGate or an officer, then biosecurity: declare food, plant and animal products, or bin them | Undeclared goods can bring fines and even visa cancellation |
Our separate guide explains how long the eVisitor takes and when UK passports should apply, including what to do if yours hasn't arrived after a day.
Which visa, in one paragraph
A British Citizen passport is on both lists: the free eVisitor, lodged through ImmiAccount, or the $20 ETA, lodged only in the Australian ETA app. Both give you 3 months per entry, so most people have no reason to pay. A British National (Overseas) passport is on the ETA list but excluded from the eVisitor, so BN(O) holders use the ETA. The eVisitor also excludes British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Protected Person and British Subject passports, and the ETA list names only British Citizen and BN(O). If you hold one of those, check the official lists before you book; Home Affairs says other passport holders "may be eligible" for the Visitor visa (subclass 600). None of these visas allows work for an Australian employer (for that, see the Working Holiday visa for UK citizens). Our ETA and eVisitor guide for UK citizens compares the two.
Passport rules that catch people out
Validity. The Australian Border Force asks non-citizens for "a valid passport or other acceptable travel document" at immigration clearance. Home Affairs and the ABF publish no six-month rule. If you change planes in another country, check that country's own rules, because they may differ.
The same passport, start to finish. Your visa is linked to the passport you applied with. If you renew after applying, the rules depend on the visa:
- eVisitor: Home Affairs lists a new passport among the changes you must tell it about.
- ETA: Home Affairs says the ETA "will cease" when your passport expires or you get a new one, and you must apply again.
The simplest fix is to renew first and apply second.
Dual nationals. If you're a British and Australian citizen, Home Affairs says Australian citizens "should use their Australian passport to enter and leave Australia". Travelling without it "will be more difficult", and the airline might not let you board. If you hold two non-Australian passports, say British and Irish, you must use the passport you applied with for both entering and leaving Australia.
What to carry on the day
- Your passport. The visa itself is electronic; the airline and the border check it against your passport.
- Proof you can leave. The eVisitor requires you to have enough money to support yourself in Australia and to leave at the end of your stay. A return or onward booking and access to funds help show both.
- Any medicines you take, with your prescriptions. What Australia allows (packaging, quantities, restricted medicines) is set out in our Australia entry requirements guide.
- Your GHIC or EHIC card. Services Australia accepts a UK Global Health Insurance Card, or a European Health Insurance Card with the initials UK, as proof you live in the UK if you need to enrol in Medicare (see below).
Arriving in Australia: card, gates and biosecurity
The arrival card. Everyone arriving must complete an Incoming Passenger Card. It includes questions about your health and any criminal convictions, and for non-citizens "providing false information can affect their visa status". A parent can complete the card for a child. A digital version, the Australia Travel Declaration, is being piloted on Qantas flights. The ABF announced in July 2026 that it will reach all international airports and seaports before the end of 2027. Unless your airline invites you to use it, expect the paper card, and answer it the same way you answered your visa application.
SmartGates. They aren't limited to certain nationalities. You may be able to use the arrivals SmartGates if your passport has the ePassport symbol, you're at least 1.1 m tall, and you're aged 7 or over and travelling with a parent or legal guardian if you're a child. Unaccompanied children under 16 can't use them. As a non-citizen you may also be asked to have your fingerprints checked; the ABF says the scans aren't kept.
Biosecurity. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's rule is to declare "any risk goods including food, animal products and plant material (including wooden articles), and all footwear, clothing and equipment used in rural areas or near animals", or put them in the bins at the airport. For a British traveller that means the obvious things (the sandwich from Heathrow, the biscuits for relatives) and the less obvious ones: walking boots from a countryside weekend, and muddy golf clubs, bikes or prams. The department's advice for a faster clearance is to make sure footwear and equipment is "dry and clean (i.e. free from soil, seeds and grass)". A false declaration can bring an infringement notice of up to $7,280, and your visa may be cancelled, in which case you may not be able to return to Australia for up to three years. Duty-free allowances, cash and medicines are all covered in the entry requirements guide, so we won't repeat them here.
Health cover: what the UK agreement does
The UK is one of 11 countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. Services Australia says visitors from the UK "may be eligible for medical care under Medicare". The details matter:
- It depends on where you live, not your passport. "To be eligible, you must have been living in the United Kingdom (UK) before arriving in Australia." A British citizen who lives in Dubai isn't covered by it.
- It covers three things: medically necessary care out of hospital, medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital, and some PBS prescription medicines at the general rate.
- It doesn't cover planned treatment. "The RHCA doesn't apply if you travel to Australia for medical treatment."
- You only enrol if you need care. Cover starts the day you arrive and ends when your visa expires. You enrol through myGov or with a Medicare enrolment form, showing your visa, your passport and proof you live in the UK.
Anything outside those three items, such as treatment as a private patient, isn't part of the agreement, so travel insurance is still worth having. Our Reciprocal Health Care Agreements explainer has the background.
Money
Australia uses the Australian dollar. The eVisitor requires enough money to support yourself during the stay and to leave at the end of it, but Home Affairs publishes no minimum amount. Tell your bank you're travelling, and keep a second card separate from your wallet.
Common mistakes by UK travellers
- Paying for the free visa. The eVisitor costs nothing. The ETA's only charge is the $20 app fee: "There is no other charge payable for an ETA." If a website charged you more, you paid a third party.
- Mixing it up with the UK's own ETA. The UK runs its own electronic travel authorisation for people visiting the UK. It costs £20, and GOV.UK says people with "a British or Irish passport" don't need one. It has nothing to do with Australia.
- Flying on the British passport when you're also Australian. Australian citizens should enter and leave on their Australian passport, and can't get an ETA at all.
- Letting autocorrect change your name. Home Affairs tells eVisitor applicants to make sure the name "has not been auto-corrected by your device", to include middle names, and to enter the date of birth in dd/mm/yy format.
- Assuming a spent conviction doesn't count. Australian forms can ask about convictions that are no longer on your record. Read our guide to visiting Australia with a criminal record from the UK before you answer.
- Forgetting that every traveller needs a visa. That includes babies and a partner on a different passport. Our guide to visiting Australia as a UK family with mixed passports sets out who needs what.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents do I need to enter Australia from the UK?
A valid passport, a visa or authority granted before you travel (for a British Citizen passport, usually the free eVisitor) and a completed Incoming Passenger Card with its health and character declaration. The ABF lists exactly these three for non-citizens at immigration clearance. The visa is electronic, so there's no separate document to show.
Does my British passport need six months' validity for Australia?
Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force require a valid passport and publish no six-month rule. What matters more is that you travel on the same passport you used for the visa. If you're connecting through another country, check that country's own entry or transit rules.
Will Medicare cover me as a UK visitor?
It may. Under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, people who were living in the UK before arriving may get medically necessary care out of hospital, public-hospital care as a public patient, and some PBS medicines. It doesn't apply if you travel for treatment, and it isn't a replacement for travel insurance.
Do I still fill in a paper arrival card?
Most travellers do. The digital Australia Travel Declaration is a pilot on Qantas flights, with a national rollout promised before the end of 2027. If your airline doesn't invite you to use it, fill in the paper Incoming Passenger Card on the plane.
How early should I apply for the eVisitor?
There's no official lead time. Home Affairs' figures show 90% of eVisitor applications processed in less than a day, and its advice is not to arrange travel until you're granted. Apply before you book, but not so early that your arrival falls outside the 12 months from the grant date.
