Visa information for visitors to Australia

**Please note that all travellers to Australia must have a valid visa before boarding their plane. Travellers to Australia cannot apply for a visa on arrival.**

Information on "visitor visa processing and requirements" is on the website of the Dept. of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous
Affairs: www.immi.gov.au

Two important pages on the above website are:

Information about attending an event in Australia can be found at the
following website: www.immi.gov.au/business/iecn.htm ("persons
wishing to attend events").

Details for contacting the appropriate visa office closest to the
applicant's place of residence can be found at:
www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas.htm

Visas required for Travel to Australia to participate in the IPSF 2006 Congress

There are two possible visa options for congress delegates entering Australia to attend the 2006 IPSF congress.

The appropriate visa for congress delegates is a Short Stay Business Visa.
The method of application will depend on their country of passport:
The visas are
a) The Electronic Travel Authority (a short stay validity Business visa -subclass 977); or
b) The Short Stay Business (paper) visa (subclass 456).

Unless congress delegates will be travelling on a passport from one of the following countries or locations, they will be unable to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA):

* Taiwan passport holders can be processed for an ETA only if resident in and applying from, Taiwan.
** UK passport holders whose nationality is British National (Overseas) can be processed for an ETA only if resident in, and applying from, Hong Kong SAR. ***Please be aware that Taiwanese passport holders and BNO passport holders cannot apply for an ETA online. Such passport holders must contact their closest visa office for information about how to obtain their ETA.

a) The Electronic Travel Authority (a short stay validity Business visa -subclass 977);

Some participants may be eligible for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visa. The ETA is an electronic or invisible visa and can be applied for online and issued the same day, but this visa is not available for all travellers.

The Department's website for ETA applications is: www.eta.immi.gov.au

Event delegates from the ETA eligible countries/locations should apply for a short stay validity Business ETA online, or via their travel agent.

Because Australia has special visa arrangements with NZ, NZ passport holders will be visaed on arrival in Australia and do not need to lodge a visa application prior to their departure from NZ.

Guide on Applying for a ETA Short Stay Business Visa Online.

When the website www.eta.immi.gov.au is accessed, the visa applicant will see the following heading: "Welcome to the Australian Government's Electronic Travel Authority System"
At the top left hand side of that screen, the visa applicant will see a tab suggesting that they "Apply for ETA".
The visa applicant should click on that tab and then proceed to lodge their visa application online. When asked to choose the kind of ETA for their needs, they should indicate that they are applying for a Short Stay Validity Business ETA.
Once processing is complete, the visa applicant will be provided with a personalised reference number to keep.
There will be no visible visa in their passport but their visa will exist electronically and will be visible when read at passport control, on their arrival in Australia.