Australia ETA for Canadians 2026: How to Apply, Cost, Processing Time and Rules

Do Canadians Need a Visa for Australia? (2026 Quick Answer)

Yes. Anyone who is not an Australian citizen needs a valid visa to enter Australia, Canadians included. For a holiday, a family visit or a short business trip, that visa is usually the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA, subclass 601).

The ETA is applied for only in the official AustralianETA app, and only from outside Australia. As of October 2026 there is no visa charge, just an AUD 20 service fee. It lasts 12 months or until the passport expires, with multiple entries and up to 3 months per visit. Most results come almost at once, but Home Affairs suggests not booking travel before the grant.

Global Affairs Canada's travel advice agrees that Canadians need an ETA and should travel on the passport they applied with. That passport needs to be valid on the day of entry, though airlines may apply stricter rules.

Which passports qualify

Canada is on the Home Affairs list of ETA-eligible passports, and the document has to be a valid Canadian citizen passport. A non-citizen passport, a certificate of identity or a Titre de Voyage does not qualify. Canadian-Australian dual citizens cannot apply either, because Australian citizens have an automatic right of entry.

A note for Canadian permanent residents

Eligibility depends on the passport, not on where you live, and a PR card is not a passport. A Canadian PR on a passport outside the ETA list applies through ImmiAccount, usually for the Visitor visa (subclass 600), or for the free eVisitor (subclass 651) with a European passport.

ETA (Subclass 601) Explained - Validity, Stay and Entries

The ETA is a visa in its own right. It is linked digitally to your passport, with no visa label, and you can check it in VEVO or with the "Visa check" function in the app.

• Validity: 12 months, usually counted from the grant date, or until the passport expires if that is sooner
• Entries: multiple, for as long as the ETA is valid
• Stay: up to 3 months after each entry
• Extension: not possible, so a longer stay needs a different visa

Long or frequent visits can draw questions at the border, and an ETA can be cancelled if the holder is not a genuine visitor. Overstaying makes a person an unlawful non-citizen.

What the ETA covers

Home Affairs allows tourism (cruises included), visits to family or friends, business-visitor activities, and up to 3 months of study or training in total. Business visitors cannot work for or provide services to an Australian-based business, or sell directly to the public. The ETA is not a work visa.

Cruises and new passports

A round-trip cruise that starts in Australia counts as time in Australia, so it does not reset the 3-month stay.

If your passport expires or is replaced, the ETA ceases and a new application is needed.

How to Apply in the AustralianETA App Step by Step

The only channel is the free AustralianETA app from the Department of Home Affairs, on the App Store and Google Play. As of October 2026, the Canadian App Store listing requires iOS 17.6 or later on iPhone.

What to have ready

• A valid Canadian passport
• A phone with a camera, NFC and location services turned on
• A valid email address
• A payment method for the AUD 20 service fee

According to IRCC, all new Canadian passports since 1 July 2013 are ePassports with a chip, which the app reads over NFC.

The steps

• Start the application while you are outside Australia.
• Scan your passport so the app pre-fills your name, date of birth and passport number.
• Take a live photo of yourself.
• Answer the questions, including criminal convictions, any prior names and contact details in Australia.
• Pay the fee, submit, and watch your email, junk folder included.

Home Affairs expects applicants to declare other passports, other names and any criminal conviction or domestic violence history. Inaccurate answers can lead to cancellation. Details that do not exactly match the passport can cause boarding delays or refused entry, and an ETA cannot be corrected after it is issued.

Families and helpers

Each family member needs a separate application, children on a parent's passport included, though applications on one phone can be paid for together. A relative or travel agent can help, but the traveller has to be present for the live photo. That is why Visarun does not lodge ETAs remotely. Our team can check your details before you submit.

Cost, Processing Time and Common Delays

Cost

As of October 2026 there is no visa application charge for the ETA. The only payment is the AUD 20 app service fee, which the official app listing describes as non-refundable.

Processing time

Most results arrive immediately. The Home Affairs processing-times guide, checked on 22 October 2026, shows ETA decisions in less than 1 day at every percentile it reports. That is a guide, not a promise.

Wrong answers, requests for more information or details that are hard to verify slow things down. The official app listing recommends applying well ahead and not making travel arrangements until the ETA is granted.

If the app cannot approve your ETA

A small number of applications are not approved automatically. The applicant gets an email letter with a link to an online form in ImmiAccount, where they attach documents and Form 1554 (ETA Request for further processing). Applying for a different visa is the other option.

The Australian High Commission in Ottawa says resubmitting in the app gives the same result and charges the card again. The Home Affairs Global Service Centre is on +61 2 6196 0196, weekdays 9 am to 5 pm, your home country's local time.

Scam websites

The High Commission also warns about websites posing as Home Affairs. Its red flags:

• Applying through a website instead of the app
• Paying more than AUD 20 to lodge
• Extra fees for "premium" or "expedited" processing
• Information not from an official site ending in .gov.au

The risks it names are lost money, a refused ETA, being denied boarding and refused entry.

When to Apply for a Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) Instead

These situations usually call for the Visitor visa (subclass 600), lodged online in ImmiAccount, rather than an ETA:

• A criminal conviction in any country
• A past failure to meet the health requirement
• Plans to enter hospitals or health care settings, train at a childcare centre, or study to be a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic
• A stay longer than 3 months at a time
• A passport outside the ETA and eVisitor lists, which some Canadian permanent residents hold

Under Australia's character rules, applicants declare charges awaiting legal action in any country, and a "substantial criminal record" under section 501(7) of the Migration Act 1958 can fail the test. Assessments can take considerable time. We do not predict outcomes. Home Affairs makes the decision.

Visitor 600 cost and timing

• Tourist stream, applying outside Australia: from AUD 250 per applicant (as of October 2026)
• Lodged from inside Australia: AUD 630 base charge
• Possible extras: health checks, police certificates and biometrics
• Processing guide for the Tourist stream (October 2026): 50% decided within 21 days, 90% within 33 days

The charge is not usually refunded if the visa is refused. The Tourist stream is generally granted for 3 months, sometimes up to 12, with single or multiple entry.

Documents that help

Home Affairs suggests evidence such as 3 months of itemised bank statements, pay slips or tax records, an invitation letter from family or friends in Australia, and proof of reasons to return home, for example an employer letter.

Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person may give immigration assistance with an Australian visa application. Visarun helps organise and check documents for a 600, without representing applicants or guaranteeing a result.

Arrival in Australia - Incoming Passenger Card and Biosecurity

Incoming Passenger Card

Most passengers still fill in the paper Incoming Passenger Card, handed out on board or in the terminal. It is completed in English, signed and dated, and asks about migration status, health and prior criminal convictions. False answers can affect a non-citizen's visa.

The digital declaration

As of 22 October 2026, the Australia Travel Declaration offers a digital alternative in two cases:

• By invitation in the Qantas app, on Qantas flights into Brisbane and select flights into Sydney and Melbourne
• As a web form for all travellers flying into Western Sydney International Airport

Both can be submitted up to 72 hours before arrival, and an officer scans the pass as you leave the airport. If a flight is rescheduled or lands elsewhere, the paper card may be needed instead.

SmartGates and biosecurity

Passport holders aged 7 or over and taller than 1.1 m can use arrival SmartGates. Non-citizens may have at least four fingerprints scanned.

Certain food, plant material and animal items have to be declared or dropped in the terminal bins before screening. Bags may be checked by X-ray or a detector dog. A false declaration can bring an infringement notice, civil penalties, prosecution or visa cancellation, while declaring everything brings no penalty under the Biosecurity Act 2015.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

• Visitor 600 price: since 1 July 2026, AUD 250 for the Tourist stream outside Australia, up from AUD 200 according to published fee tables, and AUD 630 from inside Australia, under regulations made in June 2026.
• ETA fee: still AUD 20 as of October 2026.
• Travel Declaration: in July 2026 the Australian Border Force announced a rollout to all international airports and seaports before the end of 2027, phasing out the paper card. The Qantas pilot is due to reach Perth, Adelaide and the other remaining capitals before the end of 2026.
• Western Sydney: the ABF's October 2026 FAQs describe a web-form declaration for everyone flying into Western Sydney International Airport.
• SmartGates: since June 2025 the minimum age is 7 for ePassport holders.
• Digital Passenger Declaration: the COVID-era form stopped being required on 6 July 2022.

We found no official announcement of other ETA changes. Rules and prices can change quickly, so we recommend checking the Home Affairs ETA page before applying.

FAQ

Is the Australian ETA free for Canadians?

There is no visa charge, but the app takes a non-refundable AUD 20 service fee. That was the only cost as of October 2026.

Can I apply for the ETA on a website?

No. ETAs are lodged only in the AustralianETA app. The High Commission in Ottawa treats website applications as a sign of a scam.

How long does the ETA take?

Most results arrive immediately. Some applications are referred for more information, so it is safer to apply before booking flights.

Can I work in Australia on an ETA?

No. Canadians aged 18 to 35 can look at the first Working Holiday visa (subclass 417), applied for outside Australia, which cost AUD 840 as of October 2026.

Do I need a visa to transit through Australia?

Not if you fly on to a third country within 8 hours and stay in the transit lounge. Clearing immigration, for example to collect bags, requires a visa.

I got a new passport. Is my ETA still valid?

No. The ETA ceases when the linked passport expires or is replaced, so a new ETA is needed.

I am a Canadian permanent resident with another passport. Can I get an ETA?

Only if that passport is on the ETA list. Canadian residence does not count, and the usual alternative is a Visitor visa (subclass 600).

Do I need travel health insurance?

Home Affairs recommends it, because visitors pay all their own healthcare costs while in Australia.