The Australia ETA or Electronic Travel Authority is the easiest way to travel to the country for short visits or business trips. The system was introduced in 1996. Basically, this is an electronically stored authority to travel to Australia. It removes the need for a visa label, passport stamp or even application forms.

The Australian ETA visa system can be accessed by more than 300,000 travel agents worldwide and more than 75 airlines. There are three types of Australia ETA visas available:

ETA (Visitor) subclass 976 allows up to three months stay per visit within a 12-months from visa grant. The ETA (Business Entrant - Short Validity) subclass 977 also allows the same length of stay with 12-months of visa grant but is mostly used for business travel. The ETA (Business Entrant - Long Validity) subclass 956, on the other hand, allows up to three months stay per visit and is based on the validity of the passport.

It is important to remember that when an ETA is granted, it is always linked electronically to the ETA visa holder's passport. As such, if there is a need to change a passport after the Australian ETA visa has already been granted, then the applicant must get a new ETA for the new passport.

During travel, the service provider (ie airlines or border control) enters the information found on the traveler's passport into their ETA system, which interacts with the departmental systems. The ETA visa holder's details are checked and the service provider is advised of the outcome. Everything is done electronically.

Travelers can enjoy the seamless process of purchasing their airline ticket and obtaining their Australian ETA visa at the same time. Service providers also benefit from this system as it saves airline staff time at the check-in counter.