Entering Australia - Visa Requirements
To enter Australia a valid passport is required
and, unless you are a New Zealander, you will need a visa. This can be
obtained in advance from an Australian consular office abroad or, if
you are an American travelling by Qantas, you can obtain one from the
airline¹s offices in Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Short-stay visas are valid for up to three months
and long-stay visas for up to six. The former are free while the latter
carry a small charge of $A35 as do multiple-entry visas. Extensions
requested from within Australia can be costly. Furthermore, the amount
of time you plan to spend in the country is not entirely at your own
discretion. Embassy officials might limit your time if you appear
unsavoury in their eyes. A return ticket and sufficient funds¹ are
also required, although the meaning of the latter is clearly debatable.
A Working Holiday Maker visa exists for 'young'
people (usually meaning 18 to 26) from Ireland, the Netherlands, the
UK, Canada and Japan. It is available from the country of origin, valid
for up to one year and carries a charge of $A145. It permits casual
rather than full-time employment, meaning that you are only supposed to
work for three of the twelve months.
Visa extensions can take a long time to obtain and may be
surrounded by lengthy procedures so apply as early as possible. A $A35
fee must be paid up-front which may not be refundable, regardless of
the outcome.
Quarantine Arrangements
Australia is a beautiful country free from many
pests and diseases found elsewhere in the world. Quarantine helps keep
it that way.
When entering Australia, it's vital that you declare on
your Incoming Passenger Card any food, live plants and animals and any
items made from wood, plants or animals.
Quarantine officers use detector dog teams, X-ray
machines and random baggage checks to detect undeclared quarantine
items. If you conceal itemsof quarantine concern, you may receive an
on-the-spot fine or you could be prosecuted.
More quarantine information for travellers is
available on the Australia Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) web
site: http://www.aqis.gov.au
