The Australian ETA App: Download, Phones That Work and What It Asks
The Australian ETA app is the free, official app from the Department of Home Affairs for applying for an ETA (subclass 601). Download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play, where it is listed as "AustralianETA". Your phone needs a camera, NFC and location services switched on. You'll also need your passport, an email address and a way to pay the AU$20 service fee.
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 covers the app itself: getting it, what your phone needs, what each step asks and where people get stuck. If you're still working out whether the ETA is the right visa for you, start with our complete guide to the ETA (subclass 601), which covers eligibility, stay rules and conditions.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official name | Australian ETA app (store name "AustralianETA", developer Department of Home Affairs) |
| Download cost | Free |
| Where to get it | Apple App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android) |
| iPhone software | "Requires iOS 17.6 or later" (App Store listing, September 2026) |
| Phone must have | A camera, NFC switched on, location services switched on |
| You also need | Your passport, a valid email address, a payment method |
| Service fee | AU$20, non-refundable |
Where to download the official app
Home Affairs' ETA page says: "Download the Australian ETA app for free from the Apple Store (Apple) or Google Play store (Android)." The links on that official page go to these store listings:
If you search the store instead, look for "AustralianETA" and check that the developer shown is the Department of Home Affairs. Both listings describe it as "An Australian Government mobile app that you can use to lodge an Australian ETA application."
Before you install, update your iPhone (the App Store listing says it "Requires iOS 17.6 or later") and use Wi-Fi: the App Store listed the app at 268.3 MB when we checked in September 2026.
A website offering an "ETA form" is not this app. See the official ETA app vs third-party ETA websites for what those services charge.
What your phone needs before you start
Here is Home Affairs' official list, word for word, with what each item means in practice.
| Official requirement | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| "A mobile device with a camera which can take your photo and an image of the Passport data page." | The same phone photographs your passport and takes your live photo. |
| "Near-field communication (NFC) enabled on your mobile device." | NFC is how the phone reads the chip inside your passport. The official video guide says "you must enable the NFC capability of your device" and "The app will prompt you if required." |
| "Location services enabled on your mobile device." | Turn location on in your phone settings before you open the app. |
| "A valid email address." | Your result comes by email. Use an address you can check while you travel. |
| "A valid payment method ready to pay the service fee." | Have your card ready for the AU$20 fee. |
Outside the phone, you need a citizen passport from one of the 34 eligible countries and jurisdictions ("You cannot apply for an ETA with a non-citizen passport, certificate of identity or other travel document"), and "You must be outside Australia when you apply for the ETA and outside Australia when the visa is granted." Australian citizens can't apply at all, even on another country's passport.
What the app asks, step by step
Home Affairs sums up the app in five steps: "scan your passport to pre-fill your name, date of birth, passport number and other details · take a photo of yourself · answer some questions, including whether you have any criminal convictions, any prior names and contact details in Australia · pay the service fee · submit the application."
Here is each step, quoting Home Affairs' ETA page and its official video guides.
1. Scan your passport
Scanning has two parts: the camera captures the data page, and the phone reads the chip inside the passport. For the data page, the video guide says to "Lay your passport on a well-lit flat surface", to "Remove any obstructions from the data page, including your fingers, and reduce glare on the page from bright lights", and that "When the mobile phone is in the correct position, the frame will turn green and the passport details are captured automatically."
For the chip: "Remove any cases or covers from your passport and mobile phone" and "Hold your mobile phone flat against your passport". After you press "Read passport chip", "Slide your mobile phone slowly around the passport until the app recognises the chip and the 'Hold still' message or progress bar displays." At that point, "do not move your device until the scan completes." The app then shows the details from the chip for you to review. "If any information is incorrect, you will need to rescan your passport."
The chip isn't in the same place in every passport. Home Affairs publishes separate videos for passports with the chip in the front cover, the back cover and the data page.
2. Take your live photo
"The live photo is taken using the mobile phone the application is being made on." The guide asks you to be "in a well-lit space in clear contrast against a plain, light coloured background", with the phone "held at an eye level". Move the phone until your face is inside the oval: "the red oval turns green and the photograph is captured automatically."
Avoid shadows on your face and glare from bright lights. The guide also says: "You remove your glasses where possible" and "There are no people other than yourself in the photo."
3. Answer the questions
The app asks, among other things, about criminal convictions, any prior names and your contact details in Australia. Have the address where you'll stay ready before you start. Home Affairs says you must declare "if you hold any other passports", "if you have been known by any other name" and "any criminal conviction or domestic violence history." It also warns: "If you do not provide accurate information, we may cancel your ETA."
If you have a criminal conviction in any country, the official advice is: "You should apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) and provide evidence about your criminal convictions."
4. Pay the service fee
The AU$20 service fee is paid in the app.
5. Check everything, then submit
Home Affairs says: "You must check that all details of your application, including name and date of birth, are correct before submitting your application." Take this seriously, because "We cannot change the details on an ETA once it has been issued."
Applying for your family from one phone
There are no family applications. "You can't include family members in your application. Each family member, including those listed on your passport, must submit a separate application. If all family members apply using the same mobile device, you can submit and pay for the applications at the same time."
Each person's passport is scanned, and each person steps in front of the camera for their own live photo, since the photo must show only the applicant. For children, Home Affairs notes: "We might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18."
Say you're a family of four with ETA-eligible passports. One parent's phone can do all four applications (four passport scans, four live photos, four sets of questions) and pay for them together, with everyone in the room.
Getting help from a friend, relative or travel agent
"You can get help from a friend or family member to apply through the app but you must be physically with them when you apply. Authorised travel agents and industry representatives can also make an ETA application on your behalf using the app."
The same rule applies to agents: "If an agent applies on your behalf, you must still be physically present when they make the application. You will need to take your photo and have your passport available to scan." There is no way to have someone apply for you from another city or another country.
What the AU$20 pays for
"There is a service charge of AUD20 to use the Australian ETA app. There is no other charge payable for an ETA." The store listing adds that the fee is "non-refundable". It pays for lodging an application, not for a grant, and it doesn't come back if you're refused or need to apply again after a mistake. If your passport is also on the eVisitor list (the UK British Citizen passport, Ireland and 22 other European countries), the eVisitor is free. Our ETA vs eVisitor comparison helps you choose.
After you submit
"In most cases, we will tell you of the result of your ETA application immediately." Some take longer. Home Affairs says an application "might take longer to process if: you don't answer the questions in the ETA app correctly · we need more information from you · your information is hard to verify."
- Watch your email. "Check your emails, including your junk mail folder for a written notification from us."
- Check the status in the app. "You can also check the status of your application on the Australian ETA App by using the 'Visa check' function."
- Keep the grant. It gives "your visa grant number", "the date your visa starts" and "your visa conditions". There's no label: "We will digitally link your visa to your passport."
On timing, the official page says: "We suggest you do not make travel arrangements until we grant your ETA." The app's store listing goes further: "It is recommended that you apply well ahead of when you want to travel." Applying early costs you little, because the ETA lasts 12 months from the grant date, or until your passport expires if that comes first. One catch: if you get a new passport, the ETA on the old one ceases and you apply again.
When the app stops you: fixes for the common failures
If the app stops you, these step-by-step guides cover each stage:
- The chip won't read. Check for a phone case or passport cover, NFC switched off, or the phone sitting over the wrong part of the passport. See ETA app passport chip scan not working.
- The selfie keeps failing. Check the light, the background and your glasses against the official photo rules above. See ETA app selfie rejected.
- The card is declined. Start by checking whether your bank blocked a foreign-currency charge. See ETA app payment declined.
- No result after submitting. See ETA stuck in processing, and don't lodge a second application while you wait.
If the answer was a refusal, our guide to what to do when an ETA is refused or not approved explains the official options. For anything else, Home Affairs says: "If you need more help, check the Frequently Asked Questions in the app."
If you can't use the app at all
Home Affairs covers this: "If you are ineligible or unable to apply for an ETA using the Australian ETA app, you can apply online for another visa that suits your needs through ImmiAccount."
- European and UK British Citizen passports may be eligible for the free eVisitor (subclass 651), applied for in a browser.
- Other passports may be eligible for the Visitor visa (subclass 600), which costs from AU$250 for the Tourist stream applied for outside Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Australian ETA app free?
The download is free. In the stores it's listed as "AustralianETA", by the Department of Home Affairs. Using the app to apply costs an AU$20 service fee, which the store listing describes as non-refundable. Home Affairs says there is no other charge payable for an ETA.
Which phones does the ETA app work on?
Home Affairs requires a mobile device with a camera, NFC enabled and location services enabled. On iPhone, the App Store listing says the app "Requires iOS 17.6 or later". On Android, get it from Google Play and check that your phone has NFC turned on.
Can I apply for an ETA on a computer instead?
No. The ETA is applied for in the app only. If you can't use the app, Home Affairs points you to another suitable visa through ImmiAccount, such as the free eVisitor for eligible European passports or the Visitor visa (subclass 600).
Can I apply for my children on my phone?
Yes, but not in one application. Each family member, including children listed on your passport, needs a separate application. If you all use the same phone, you can submit and pay for the applications at the same time. Each child has their own passport scanned and their own live photo taken.
Can I use the ETA app once I'm already in Australia?
No. Home Affairs says you must be outside Australia when you apply for the ETA and outside Australia when it is granted. If you are already in Australia and need to stay longer, you need a different visa, because the ETA can't be extended.
