Visiting Australia: The ETA or eVisitor, and What It Costs

By The Escape desk · Last verified 4 October 2026

If you hold a Singapore passport, you visit Australia on an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), subclass 601, not the eVisitor. You apply only through the official Australian ETA app, and the cost is an AUD 20 service fee per person, paid by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay (as of October 2026). Once granted, the ETA allows multiple entries for 12 months (or until your passport expires, if sooner), with stays of up to three months each visit, for tourism or business-visitor activity. Australia advises applying at least four weeks before you fly; most outcomes arrive by email within 72 hours. Work is not allowed on an ETA.

The good news is that it is all done from your sofa in about ten minutes. The only real trap is the many look-alike websites that charge several times the official fee.

Quick facts

• Singaporeans use the ETA (subclass 601); the free eVisitor (subclass 651) is for European passports.
• Apply only in the Australian ETA app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
• Cost: AUD 20 app service fee per traveller (October 2026).
• Valid 12 months, multiple entries, up to 3 months per stay.
• Apply four weeks ahead; most decisions come within 72 hours.
• Renewed your passport? You need a new ETA, because it is linked to the old one.

ETA or eVisitor: which one is yours?

Australia runs two light-touch electronic visas for short visits, and which one you get depends only on your passport. Both allow repeat visits over 12 months with stays of up to three months, but they are applied for differently and cost differently.

Feature	ETA (subclass 601)	eVisitor (subclass 651)
Who uses it	Singapore and other ETA-eligible passports	EU and other European passports
How to apply	Australian ETA app only	ImmiAccount online
Cost	AUD 20 service fee	Free
Validity	12 months, multiple entries	12 months, multiple entries
Stay per visit	Up to 3 months	Up to 3 months
Work allowed?	No	No

If someone in your travel party holds a European passport (a spouse, say), they apply for the eVisitor separately. Planning a stay longer than three months, studying for longer, or working? Neither fits; look at the Visitor visa (subclass 600) or the relevant work or student visa on the Department of Home Affairs website.

How to apply in the Australian ETA app

1. Download the Australian ETA app, published by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Ignore paid search adverts for “ETA Australia” websites.
2. Scan your passport’s data page with the camera, then hold the phone to the passport so the app can read the chip by NFC.
3. Take a live photo of the traveller; it is matched against the passport photo.
4. Answer the health and character questions and give your contact details.
5. Pay the AUD 20 fee. Each traveller is a separate application, so a family of four pays AUD 80.
6. Wait for the email. There is no label in your passport; the ETA sits electronically against your passport number.

Worked example: a family of four flying to Perth in December. Four applications at AUD 20 each comes to AUD 80. Pay with a card that has no foreign transaction fee, and choose to be charged in Australian dollars, not Singapore dollars. If they return to Melbourne in July, the same ETAs still cover them, because each is valid for 12 months.

What happens when you land

Most passengers still fill in the paper Incoming Passenger Card, handed out on the plane. Australia is replacing it with a digital form, the Australia Travel Declaration, which can be filled in up to 72 hours before arrival. In October 2026 this is a pilot on selected Qantas flights; the Australian Border Force announced in July 2026 that it will reach all international airports and seaports by the end of 2027. Use whichever your airline gives you.

Australia is strict about biosecurity. Declare all food, plant material and animal products on the card, even a packet of bak kwa or dried mushrooms; declaring and having an item checked is fine, while failing to declare can bring a fine. Arrivals SmartGates take ePassport holders aged seven and above; under-16s go through with a parent or guardian.

The WahLiao Verdict

Get the ETA the moment your flights are booked: AUD 20 in the official app, done for a whole year of visits. Do one application per traveller, check every passport number against the actual passport, and apply again if anyone renews a passport before the trip. Skip any website that sells you an “ETA service” for more; the app is the only channel, and it is cheap.

Questions people ask

Can Singaporeans get the free eVisitor?

No. The eVisitor is for European passport holders. A Singapore passport uses the ETA, which costs AUD 20.

Can I apply for the ETA on the website instead of the app?

Not officially. Australia says ETAs are only available through the Australian ETA app. Websites offering to apply for you charge extra for the same thing.

I renewed my passport. Is my ETA still valid?

No. The ETA is linked to the passport you applied with, so a new passport needs a new ETA and a new AUD 20 fee.

Can I stay longer than three months?

Not on one visit. Each entry allows up to three months. For a longer stay, apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) before you travel.

Sources: Department of Home Affairs, ETA (subclass 601); Department of Home Affairs, eVisitor (subclass 651); Australian High Commission, ETA app, AUD 20 fee and validity; Australian Border Force, Incoming Passenger Card and Australia Travel Declaration rollout (July 2026); Australian Border Force, who can use SmartGates. The Escape explains; it does not advise.

Read next: UK ETA, US ESTA and Europe’s ETIAS · Paying Overseas: Card Fees and DCC · Back to The Escape

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