Australian ETA Refused or Not Approved: What It Means and What to Do

Australian ETA Refused or Not Approved: What It Means and What to Do

If Home Affairs refuses your ETA, it tells you in writing, with the reason and whether you can seek a review. Don't apply again in the app: Home Affairs says "You will receive the same results." The usual way to visit is a different visa through ImmiAccount: the Visitor visa (subclass 600), or the free eVisitor if your passport qualifies and the issue isn't a criminal conviction.

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 for after a decision has gone against you. For how the ETA normally works, see our complete guide to the ETA (subclass 601).

First, work out which situation you're in

Whatever the app screen shows, Home Affairs' decisions come in writing. It says: "Check your emails, including your junk mail folder for a written notification from us." Read what you've actually received before you do anything else.

On that last row: "We cannot change the details on an ETA once it has been issued," and if you get a new passport, "your ETA will cease" and "you must apply for a new ETA".

What the refusal letter tells you

The official ETA page says: "If we refuse your visa we will let you know in writing. We will tell you why we refused your visa and whether you have a right to a review of the decision."

Two parts of the letter decide your next move:

• The reason. It shapes your next application. A conviction means your next application needs evidence about it. A passport problem gets fixed first.
• The review line. Only your letter can tell you whether your refusal is reviewable. If it says yes, follow its instructions exactly. If it says no, the realistic route is a new application for a different visa.

Why ETAs are refused or sent to another visa

Home Affairs doesn't publish a list of ETA refusal reasons. Your letter gives yours. What the official ETA page does set out are the rules an application has to meet, and the situations where it points people to a different visa.

Criminal convictions

This is the one the official page is most direct about: "If you have a criminal conviction in any country, we will need more information from you. You should apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) and provide evidence about your criminal convictions."

Note the wording. It says you "should apply for" a 600. It doesn't say a conviction bans you from Australia. On any visa application, Home Affairs' character page says you must "declare all criminal conduct you have been: charged with that is awaiting legal action in any country · convicted of in any country". Australian character forms also ask about convictions "including any conviction which is now removed from official records", so don't assume an old or spent conviction lets you answer no.

The outcome for serious records is firmer. Home Affairs says: "You will not pass the character test if you hold a substantial criminal record." Under the law, that includes a sentence of 12 months or more in prison. Even so, the character page also says: "We consider all circumstances of a case." There is no guaranteed outcome either way. Our guide to the Australian visa character test explains the wider rules.

Domestic violence history and other declarations

You must also declare other passports, other names and "any criminal conviction or domestic violence history." Home Affairs warns: "If you do not provide accurate information, we may cancel your ETA."

Health

"Where a visa applicant has previously failed to meet the health requirement, the most appropriate visa for these applicants is a Visitor (subclass 600) visa. If you will be entering health care or hospital environments, you should apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa."

Debts to the Australian Government

"If you or any family members (including those who don't apply for the visa with you) owe the Australian Government money, you or they must have paid it back or have arranged to pay it back."

Passport problems

• Only citizen passports from the 34 listed countries and jurisdictions qualify. "You cannot apply for an ETA with a non-citizen passport, certificate of identity or other travel document, such as a Titre de Voyage." Taiwan passports qualify, but not official or diplomatic ones.
• If you hold more than one passport, "you must declare this in your ETA application and provide details of your other passports."
• If the ETA details don't exactly match your passport, "you might experience delays when boarding your aircraft or be refused entry in Australia."

Where you are, and who you are

• "You must be outside Australia when you apply for the ETA and outside Australia when the visa is granted."
• Australian citizens can't apply for an ETA, even on another passport. They "do not need a visa to enter Australia."
• For children: "We might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18."

Step 1: Don't reapply in the app

Home Affairs' visa-outcome section, straight after its instructions for applications that can't be processed without more information, is blunt: "Do not submit further ETA applications through the Australian ETA app. You will receive the same results."

Each attempt costs another "non-refundable service fee of $AUD20" (the app's store listing), and a different phone or helper doesn't change the result.

Step 2: If your letter asks for more information, answer it

A request for more information is a different letter from a refusal. Home Affairs says: "You will receive a letter detailing how to provide this information. You must: use the link in the letter to submit an online form directly in ImmiAccount · answer all questions in the online form and attach the required supporting documentation · complete and attach Form 1554: ETA Request for further processing to the online form."

Form 1554 is short. It asks for the Transaction Reference Number (TRN) of your online request, your employment details, your main address in Australia, anyone you're travelling with, and any family, friends or contacts in Australia with their residency status.

Home Affairs adds: "If we cannot process your application without more information, you can consider applying for another visa that is suitable for your travel needs."

Step 3: Apply for the Visitor visa (subclass 600)

For most people, the Visitor visa (subclass 600) is the official route. Home Affairs names it for people with convictions and for people who previously failed the health requirement. It's applied for in ImmiAccount, where you attach documents to support your case.

What's different about the 600:

• Where you apply. Online through ImmiAccount, not the app.
• Cost. The Tourist stream, applied for outside Australia, costs "from AUD250.00 for each applicant". Each family member applies separately.
• Evidence. If a conviction is involved, "provide evidence about your criminal convictions". For the Tourist stream, Home Affairs also asks you to "Provide as much proof as you can to show you are visiting Australia as a temporary visitor only."
• Police certificates. "We may ask you to provide a police certificate". If asked, it will usually be if you are over 17 and lived in a country for at least 12 months in the past 10 years. See our police clearance certificates guide.
• Honesty. Answer every question truthfully. Where a form asks about earlier visa applications or refusals, include the ETA refusal.
• Time. Home Affairs' processing-times tool (page updated 4 September 2026) shows the Tourist stream at "50% processed in 18 Days" and "90% processed in 38 Days". It's a guide only and "does not guarantee that applications will be decided within the timeframe."

If the 600 is later refused as well, our guide to what to do after a Visitor visa 600 refusal covers review rights and reapplying.

The eVisitor: only for passports on both lists

Some ETA passports are also eligible for the free eVisitor (subclass 651). These 24 are on both lists: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City (the passport must show Vatican nationality) and the United Kingdom (British Citizen passports only).

"The eVisitor is free", it's applied for online through ImmiAccount, and 90% of applications are processed in "Less than 1 Day". The same debt rule applies, and you must have enough money to support yourself and to leave Australia.

It isn't a way around your refusal reason. If a conviction is involved, the eVisitor page itself says: "If you have a criminal conviction in any country, apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) instead. If you arrive in Australia on an eVisitor with a criminal conviction, you might be refused entry."

The eVisitor isn't open to British National (Overseas) passports, or to the non-European ETA passports: Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. For those, the Visitor visa (subclass 600) is the official alternative. Our ETA vs eVisitor comparison sets out the two side by side.

If you already have flights booked

The official ETA page says: "We suggest you do not make travel arrangements until we grant your ETA." And where a character assessment is involved, Home Affairs says: "We will not prioritise a case because you have made travel arrangements."

You can't fly on a refused ETA: "You also need to get your visa before you travel to Australia."

Compare your departure date with the timeline for your route:

• Visitor visa (subclass 600): half of Tourist stream applications took 18 days or less, and 90% took 38 days or less. With a character assessment, Home Affairs recommends that offshore applicants "do not finalise travel plans until they know the outcome".
• eVisitor (if eligible and no conviction): under 1 day for 90% of applications. Still don't travel until you're told in writing it's granted.

If your flight is sooner than the realistic timeline, contact your airline or travel agent early about changing dates, before any fare deadlines pass.

Say you're a Canadian passport holder with a theft conviction from ten years ago. You applied for an ETA, answered the conviction question honestly, and three weeks before your flight a refusal letter arrives. Your passport isn't on the eVisitor list, so the path is a subclass 600 with evidence about the conviction. With the median Tourist stream application taking 18 days, and a character assessment possibly taking longer, you would apply straight away and ask your airline about moving the flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reapply for an ETA after it's refused?

Home Affairs says: "Do not submit further ETA applications through the Australian ETA app. You will receive the same results." Each attempt costs a non-refundable AU$20. The official route is another suitable visa through ImmiAccount, usually the Visitor visa (subclass 600).

Does an ETA refusal mean I can never visit Australia?

The official ETA page doesn't say that. Your refusal letter gives the reason and whether you can seek a review, and Home Affairs points people to other visas, such as the subclass 600, where you can provide evidence. Only a Home Affairs decision on that new application can tell you whether you'll be allowed to visit.

Will I get my AU$20 back if my ETA is refused?

The app's store listing describes the AU$20 as a "non-refundable service fee". It pays for using the app to lodge an application, not for a particular result.

Can I appeal an ETA refusal?

Check your letter. Home Affairs says a refusal letter tells you "whether you have a right to a review of the decision." If it says yes, follow its instructions. If it says no, a new application for a different visa is the usual path.

My ETA is still "processing". Is that the same as a refusal?

No. A pending application hasn't been decided. Most ETAs are decided immediately, but some take longer when Home Affairs needs more information. See our guide to an ETA stuck in processing for what to do while you wait.