Visiting Australia as a UK Family: Kids, Partners and Mixed Passports
Every person in your family needs their own Australian visa, babies included, and each person's passport decides which one. British Citizen passports get the free eVisitor. A partner on an Indian or Filipino passport will usually need a Visitor visa (subclass 600), which takes weeks rather than hours. So plan the trip around the slowest application, and book flights only once everyone is granted.
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.
For how the eVisitor itself works (stay length, what you can do, how to apply), see our Australian tourist visa guide for UK citizens. This page deals with the part that gets complicated: a household where not everyone holds the same passport.
Which visa each passport gets
| Passport | Visa to apply for | Official charge | Where to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK British Citizen | eVisitor (subclass 651). The ETA is also allowed | Free (ETA $20) | ImmiAccount (ETA: the Australian ETA app) |
| UK British National (Overseas) | ETA (subclass 601) only. The eVisitor excludes BN(O) | $20 | Australian ETA app |
| Other UK types (British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Protected Person, British Subject) | Not eVisitor-eligible, and the ETA list names only British Citizen and BN(O). Check the lists; a subclass 600 may be the route | From $250 if 600 | ImmiAccount |
| Irish | eVisitor or ETA | Free ($20 ETA) | ImmiAccount or the app |
| Other EU passports | eVisitor. Twelve EU states, including Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, are eVisitor-only | Free | ImmiAccount |
| Indian, Filipino and other visa-required passports | Visitor visa (subclass 600), Tourist stream | From $250 per person | ImmiAccount |
| New Zealand | No visa before travel. Special Category visa (subclass 444) on arrival | None | At the border |
| Australian (dual citizen) | No visa. Should travel on the Australian passport | None | Not applicable |
All amounts are in Australian dollars. Home Affairs' own wording for visa-required passports is that they "may be eligible" for the subclass 600; there is no family version of any of these visas.
Worked example: a British–Indian family of five
This family is hypothetical. Say you live in Leeds. You and your three children (aged 9, 5 and 10 months) hold British Citizen passports. Your wife holds an Indian passport and lives in the UK with you. You want three weeks in Australia next spring to visit your brother in Brisbane.
Step 1: your wife's subclass 600 goes first. It's the slow one. Home Affairs' processing tool shows the Tourist stream at 50% in 18 days and 90% in 38 days, and it's a guide, not a promise. Lodge it well before you'd want to book. She applies from outside Australia, in ImmiAccount, from $250.
Step 2: her evidence reflects her life in the UK. The official document list includes bank statements for a 3-month period, pay slips, a letter from her employer saying she'll return to her job, a letter from your brother inviting the family, and your plans while in Australia. The list also mentions "proof that you can return home". Because home is the UK, evidence of her UK immigration permission is the natural way to show that.
Step 3: health checks probably don't apply. India is not on Home Affairs' low TB-risk list. But for a stay of under 6 months, Home Affairs says "no health examinations needed unless special circumstances apply". The 6-month threshold is what matters here, not the nationality alone.
Step 4: book once she's granted. Home Affairs asks 600 applicants not to arrange travel until it confirms the grant in writing.
Step 5: four eVisitors, one each. Now lodge eVisitors for you and each child, including the baby. Home Affairs' figures show 90% processed in less than a day. The baby needs a British passport first, because the visa is linked to the passport. Don't apply more than 12 months before you arrive, because the eVisitor is valid for travel for 12 months from the grant date.
Step 6: arrival. You and your 9-year-old can use the SmartGates if your passports carry the ePassport symbol and your child is at least 1.1 m tall. The 5-year-old and the baby are too young for the SmartGates, so a parent takes them through the staffed counters. Your wife's eligibility depends on her passport having the ePassport symbol, not on her nationality. You can fill in the Incoming Passenger Cards for the children.
Our eVisitor timing guide for UK passports explains the eVisitor figures in more detail.
Children: the rules that surprise parents
- Every child applies separately. Home Affairs is explicit for both visas: you can't include family members in your application, "including those listed on your passport". That covers babies.
- Children's interests are weighed. For the ETA and eVisitor, Home Affairs says it "might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18."
- Form 1229 isn't for the eVisitor or ETA. The consent form itself says it "is not for the use of" ETA or eVisitor applicants under 18. So a British child travelling with only one parent on an eVisitor doesn't need it. If you and your child have different surnames, we'd still suggest carrying a copy of the birth certificate.
- Form 1229 does apply to a child on a subclass 600. If the child needs a 600 (for example, a child with an Indian passport), anyone with the legal right to decide where the child lives who isn't travelling must complete Form 1229 or a statutory declaration giving consent. Under-18s on a 600 should also provide a birth certificate showing both parents' names. If the child won't stay with a relative or legal guardian, Form 1257 is needed as well.
- SmartGates have an age floor. Children aged 7 or over, at least 1.1 m tall and travelling with a parent or guardian may use them. Unaccompanied children under 16 can't.
A partner on a visa-required passport
The subclass 600 is a full application with supporting documents, not a quick online form. A few points for British households:
- It's per person, and it's separate. Each family member on a 600 "must submit a separate application". Your partner can't be added to your eVisitor, and you can't be added to their 600.
- Stay length is decided case by case. Generally, the Tourist stream is granted for 3 months, with up to 12 months "in certain circumstances". Ask for what you need and explain why.
- Health cover can follow residence. Services Australia says the UK reciprocal health agreement depends on having "been living in the United Kingdom (UK) before arriving in Australia", and accepts "your British passport or non-British passport" with proof of UK residence. So a non-British partner who lives in the UK may be able to enrol in Medicare for medically necessary care. Travel insurance is still strongly recommended for 600 holders.
- A grandparent aged 75 or over. If a grandparent on a visa-required passport comes too, Home Affairs requires visitors aged 75 or over applying for a 600 to have a medical examination and a serum creatinine/eGFR test. Allow time for that.
- If a 600 is refused, the refusal letter explains why and whether review is available. Our guide to a refused Visitor visa 600 covers the options. If anyone in the family has a criminal conviction, read our guide to visiting Australia with a criminal record from the UK first, because it changes which visa to use.
If you're really planning to move to Australia together, a visitor visa is the wrong tool. See the partner visa guide for UK citizens instead.
Dual citizens and New Zealanders in the family
British and Australian. Home Affairs says "Australian citizens should use their Australian passport to enter and leave Australia." Without it, entry "will be more difficult" and "the airline might also stop you from boarding". An Australian citizen also can't get an ETA, even on a British passport, and doesn't need a visa at all.
British and another non-Australian passport (for example British and Irish). Pick one passport for the visa and use it both ways. Home Affairs says you "must use the passport you used when applying for your visa for both entering and leaving Australia." If you use the ETA, you must also declare your other passports in the application.
New Zealand passport holders don't apply in advance. Most are granted a Special Category visa (subclass 444) on arrival, "subject to meeting health and character requirements". The ABF says New Zealand citizens with criminal convictions "might not be eligible".
Timing: plan around the slowest application
| Application | What Home Affairs publishes | When to lodge |
|---|---|---|
| Subclass 600, Tourist stream | 50% in 18 days, 90% in 38 days | First, before booking anything |
| Anyone declaring a conviction | Character assessments aren't prioritised because of travel plans | First, with court documents ready |
| eVisitor | 90% in less than 1 day | After the 600 is granted, within 12 months of arrival |
| ETA | "Immediately" in most cases; 90% in less than 1 day | Same as the eVisitor. One phone can submit and pay for the whole family's ETAs |
With the ETA, everyone applying must be physically present with the person using the phone. Our pre-trip checklist for travelling to Australia from the UK covers passports, the arrival card and biosecurity for the whole family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my baby need their own visa to visit Australia?
Yes. Home Affairs says a separate application must be made for each family member, "including those listed on your passport", so a baby needs their own eVisitor (or other visa) linked to their own passport. There's no fee for the eVisitor, so this costs nothing.
Can my non-British spouse travel on my eVisitor?
No. Each visa covers one person, and eligibility depends on the passport each person holds. A spouse on a visa-required passport, such as an Indian or Filipino one, will usually need a Visitor visa (subclass 600), from $250, applied for in ImmiAccount before you book flights.
Can I include my children in my eVisitor application?
No. Home Affairs says: "You can't include family members in your application." Each child needs their own application on their own passport. You can prepare them all at once, but each is decided separately.
Do I need Form 1229 if my child travels with only one parent?
Not for an eVisitor or ETA: Form 1229 says it is not for ETA or eVisitor applicants under 18. It is used for a child applying for a subclass 600 when someone with the legal right to decide where the child lives isn't travelling. That person completes Form 1229 or a statutory declaration giving consent.
My child has British and Australian passports. Which should they use?
The Australian one. Home Affairs says Australian citizens should use their Australian passport to enter and leave Australia, and Australian citizens can't get an ETA. Travelling without an Australian passport is possible but "more difficult", and the airline might refuse boarding.
How early should my partner apply for a Visitor visa 600?
Before you book. Home Affairs' tool shows 90% of Tourist-stream applications decided in 38 days, and it asks applicants not to arrange travel until they're granted. Lodge the 600 first, then the family's eVisitors once it's granted.
