An eVisitor is valid for 12 months from the date it is granted, and it allows as many entries as you like during that period. What it does not give you is 12 months of continuous time in Australia. Each individual visit is limited to 3 months.
Two clocks, not one
- Visa validity — 12 months, counted from the grant date, not from your first entry
- Stay per visit — 3 months, counted from each arrival
- Entries — multiple, for as long as the visa is valid
So a visa granted in January expires the following January regardless of whether you used it. Arrive in December and you may still stay 3 months, but you cannot re-enter after the visa expires.
What the three months does not cover
- Work for an Australian employer
- Study beyond 3 months
- Any expectation of entry — the officer at the border decides
Source: Department of Home Affairs — eVisitor (subclass 651)
Applying again from inside Australia is not how the eVisitor works. If you need longer than three months in one go, look at a Visitor visa (subclass 600) before you travel.
More on the eVisitor
After you land
Your visa gets you on the plane. What comes after — SmartGate, cash, tax refunds, healthcare, driving, emergencies — checked against official sources.
Public holidays
Each state and territory sets its own public holidays. The dates that apply everywhere, the ones that differ, and what it means for your trip.
Driving
Each state sets its own rules: NSW allows up to 6 months on an overseas licence, the NT 3. Non-English licences need a translation or an IDP.
Leaving and returning
Each entry restarts the three-month clock, but back-to-back visits attract questions, and the border officer can refuse entry.
At the border
Immigration, customs and biosecurity are three separate checks with different questions. Knowing which is which makes the queue much shorter.
Biosecurity
Undeclared biosecurity goods can bring a fine of up to twelve penalty units — and for visa holders, cancellation and a three-year exclusion.