The Official Australian ETA App vs 'ETA Websites': What You Should Pay

The Official Australian ETA App vs 'ETA Websites': What You Should Pay

There is no official Australian ETA website where you type in an application. Home Affairs says: "You must use the Australian ETA App (the ETA App) to apply for an ETA if you hold an ETA-eligible passport." The app is free to download and the only charge is an AU$20 service fee. Websites selling Australian ETAs online are private businesses charging for their help.

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 channel and the price. For what the ETA is, who can get one and the full application walk-through, see our complete guide to the ETA (subclass 601).

Quick facts

Is there an official Australian ETA website or portal?

Not for applying. Home Affairs publishes an official ETA information page on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. It explains who is eligible, the conditions and the steps. But the application itself happens only inside the app. The official page tells you to "Download the Australian ETA app for free from the Apple Store (Apple) or Google Play store (Android)."

People look for an "ETA portal" because Australia's other visitor visas, the eVisitor (subclass 651) and the Visitor visa (subclass 600), are applied for in a browser through ImmiAccount, Home Affairs' online account system. The ETA is the exception: the app is the only official door.

Home Affairs does give a way out if the app isn't an option for you: "If you are unable to use the ETA App, you can apply for another suitable visa through ImmiAccount." For many European passports that means the free eVisitor (see the last section). For other passports, it is usually the Visitor visa (subclass 600).

If you want to know what the app needs from your phone before you download it, our guide to downloading the Australian ETA app and the phones it works on covers that step by step.

What the official route costs

The official page is short and clear on price:

• "There is a service charge of AUD20 to use the Australian ETA app. There is no other charge payable for an ETA."
• "There is no Visa Application Charge (VAC) however there is an application service fee of AUD20 to use the Australian ETA app."

Two more points matter when you compare prices:

• Every traveller is a separate application. "Each family member, including those listed on your passport, must submit a separate application." If everyone applies on the same phone, "you can submit and pay for the applications at the same time." So a family of four makes four applications, each with its own service fee.
• The fee doesn't come back if things go wrong. The app's store listing, published under the Department of Home Affairs, says use of the app "incurs a non-refundable service fee of $AUD20."

If your card is declined at the payment screen, see our guide to fixing a declined ETA app payment.

What third-party "ETA websites" do

Search for "Australian ETA online" or "ETA form" and you will find sites offering to handle the application for you. These are private businesses, not Home Affairs. They generally describe their service as collecting or checking your details and then lodging, or helping you lodge, the application. They charge their own fee on top of the AU$20 official charge. Some call themselves agents, some concierges, some visa services.

We don't name companies, and this page doesn't claim any particular site is dishonest. Paid help is a legitimate product. But the official rules shape what any helper can do:

• The application is made in the app. "Authorised travel agents and industry representatives can also make an ETA application on your behalf using the app."
• You have to be there. "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."
• The photo must be live. For travel industry representatives: "They must take a live facial image of you when they lodge the application. We will not grant you a visa if you do not take a live image."

So a helper who only ever sees an uploaded passport scan and a photo from your gallery can't meet those rules on their own. Before you pay anyone, ask one question: how exactly will my application be lodged? A clear answer mentions the app, your passport being scanned, and you being there for a live photo.

Home Affairs' visa-scams page also says: "You are responsible for checking the conditions of the visa you apply for, even if your application is completed and submitted by someone else." Paying someone doesn't move the responsibility for accurate answers off you.

How to tell the official app from a paid service

This checklist is our own independent guidance. Home Affairs' ETA page doesn't publish one, and it doesn't name or warn about any specific website.

1. Check the domain. Australian Government sites end in .gov.au, and the official ETA page is on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. A site that doesn't end in .gov.au isn't the government, however official its colours and wording look.
2. Check the developer in the app store. The official app is listed as "AustralianETA", and both the Apple App Store and Google Play show the developer as the Department of Home Affairs.
3. Check the price. The official total is AU$20 per application. A higher price means a service fee is being added. That's fine if you knowingly want the service, and not fine if you thought you were paying the government.
4. Check where your passport goes. In the official process you scan your own passport inside the government app. A website asking you to upload your passport page and a selfie to its own servers is a different process, and your data is now held by a private company.
5. Check the promises. The official page says: "In most cases, we will tell you of the result of your ETA application immediately." Some take longer. The page describes no paid fast track, so treat guarantees of approval or speed with care.
6. Check what arrives at the end. A real grant comes from Home Affairs in writing. The official page says it tells you "your visa grant number", "the date your visa starts" and "your visa conditions".

When paying for help can make sense

To be fair to paid services, they aren't always a bad choice. Paying can make sense if:

• You'd rather a travel agent handled it. If an agent is booking your trip, they may offer to lodge the ETA with you in person. Under the rules above, that is an allowed route.
• Nobody in your group has a phone that works. The app needs a phone with a camera, NFC and location services. A friend or family member can also apply on their phone, as long as you are physically with them.
• You want someone to check your answers. Some travellers pay for a second pair of eyes. That's a choice about confidence, not a requirement.

What paid help can't do is change which visa suits you. If you have a criminal conviction in any country, the official ETA page says: "You should apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) and provide evidence about your criminal convictions." That is a different visa and a different kind of help. If you want paid advice about your circumstances, Home Affairs says that "In Australia, it is illegal for a third party to provide paid immigration assistance or help unless they are a registered migration agent with the department's Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) or an Australian legal practitioner." That rule is about immigration assistance in general. Home Affairs doesn't say whether it applies to any particular ETA website, and we don't suggest that it does.

Already paid an ETA website? What to check

Don't apply again straight away. Work through these in order.

1. Find out whether an ETA exists. Look for a written notice from Home Affairs in your email, including the junk folder. The ETA is linked to your passport electronically: "You will not get a label in your passport." You can check what is recorded against your passport in VEVO, Home Affairs' visa check service.
2. Check the details against your passport, letter by letter. Home Affairs says: "We cannot change the details on an ETA once it has been issued." If the details don't match, "you might experience delays when boarding your aircraft or be refused entry in Australia." If something is wrong, ask the service what it will do, and expect to need a fresh application in the app.
3. If it's still pending, read our guide to an ETA stuck in processing. For applications that can't be approved without more information, Home Affairs' instruction is: "Do not submit further ETA applications through the Australian ETA app. You will receive the same results."
4. If nothing was lodged at all, your options are with the business and your card provider. Home Affairs' visa-scams page lists "not lodge the application and simply take your money" among the things scam agents might do, and says suspected visa scams can be reported to the department's Border Watch.

If the application was lodged and then refused, our page on what to do after an ETA refusal explains the official options.

UK or European passport? There is an official online form, and it's free

Many people searching for an "Australian ETA online" hold a UK or European passport. For them, there is an official browser application, just not for the ETA. The eVisitor (subclass 651) is applied for "online" through ImmiAccount, and "The eVisitor is free."

These 24 passports are eligible for both the ETA and the eVisitor: 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 for the eVisitor) and the United Kingdom (British Citizen passports only).

If yours is on that list, compare the two in our ETA vs eVisitor guide. British National (Overseas) passports can use the ETA but not the eVisitor. US, Canadian and the other non-European ETA passports aren't on the eVisitor list, so for them the app is the only way to get an ETA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply for an Australian ETA online on a computer?

No. There is no official web form for the ETA. Home Affairs says that if you can't use the app, "you can apply for another suitable visa through ImmiAccount." European passport holders may be eligible for the free eVisitor, and other passport holders may be eligible for the Visitor visa (subclass 600).

How much should an Australian ETA cost?

AU$20 per application. The official page says: "There is no other charge payable for an ETA." There is no visa application charge. Any price above AU$20 includes a fee for a private service.

Can a travel agent apply for my ETA?

Yes. "Authorised travel agents and industry representatives can also make an ETA application on your behalf using the app." You must still be physically present, have your passport available to scan, and take your own live photo.

Does Home Affairs warn about third-party ETA websites?

We found no such warning on Home Affairs' current ETA page or its visa-scams page. The page simply says the app is how you apply and that the AU$20 service charge is the only charge. The checks on this page are our own independent guidance.

Is it safe to give my passport details to an ETA website?

We can't vouch for any private business. In the official process, you scan your own passport in the government app and it goes to Home Affairs. With a website, your passport details and photo also sit with that company, so check who they are before you upload anything.