When travelling to Australia for tourism or business, you will need to obtain a residence permit such as a visa, an eVisitor or an ETA. These last two solutions offer the advantage of being much cheaper than the traditional visa and are accessible to many travellers who wish to visit this country for a period of less than 3 months, i.e. 90 consecutive days, and who reside in one of the member countries of these systems. It should be remembered that the eVisitor mainly concerns European Union nationals. The eTA is intended for other nationalities such as the United States. In this article we will tell you everything about the price of this online visa to help you prepare the best budget for your trip.
How much does a visa cost to travel to Australia?
As we have just seen, if the trip you are planning to make to Australia meets certain conditions and you live in France or any other European Union country, the eVisitor system will be the simplest, fastest and, above all, the cheapest way to obtain a residence permit.
The eVisitor application is done entirely online, which saves valuable time compared to the traditional visa application which can take several weeks. While the Australian government does not charge a fee for processing eVisitor applications, you will have to pay a fee to the service provider through which you are applying for the verification and data transfer service.
For eTA, the service fee charged by the Australian government is AUD 20.
The fees currently offered by our partner service provider depend on your country of residence. You can simulate the price directly online.
Why do I have to pay a fee for an eVisitor?
You may wonder why you need to pay this fee when the Australian Government processes these eVisitor applications free of charge. In fact, the fee is charged by the online intermediary, the website through which you will apply.
Indeed, these sites offer much more than the provision of an application form and take care of the complete verification of your file and its transfer to the competent authorities in order to ensure you have every chance of obtaining this precious travel document.
Thus, the fees paid by the eVisitor eVisa applicant are used to pay the service provider for these services. You will also receive help if you have difficulty filling in certain items on the form.
How are the visa processing fees paid?
The Australian visa fee is payable at the end of the application process, when you have completed the application form and checked all the answers. This payment is essential as without it your application cannot be processed or forwarded to the Australian authorities.
There are various secure ways of paying these fees, but the quickest way, and the one that will ensure that you receive authorisation in good time, is of course by credit card. In this case, you should be aware that the payment will be made in a secure area. On some sites, you can also pay by Paypal or bank transfer.
Once you have paid these fees, you will receive a reply to your request within 72 hours, directly by email to the address you have indicated in the form.
Can I get a discounted or reduced rate on my visa to Australia?
If you are used to finding reduced fares for certain services, for example for large families or unemployed people, you should know that this is not possible with the online eVisitor application.
Unlike some online services, the eVisitor procedure will apply the same fees to all travellers, regardless of their number, social or family situation. So if you are travelling with several people, if you are a student or unemployed, you will have to pay the same fees as other travellers who make such an application.
The eVisitor visa is also compulsory for all family members, including children even if they are minors. However, note that the application process will be easier if you apply as a group for your whole family or for you and the friends you are travelling with. You will, of course, have to fill in a form for each traveller and pay a fee for each form, but you can make a single global payment to speed up the process, using just one credit card.
But of course, you are not obliged to do this and you can ask each traveller to pay their own visa fees online.
Is the claim refused if the payment is rejected by the bank?
Of course, in some cases, especially if your bank has blocked credit card payments, it is possible that your payment will be refused and that you will not be able to pay the price of the visa for Australia. However, you will be notified immediately of this refusal and you can try again to pay with another credit card, bank transfer or using a Paypal account. You can also contact your bank to unblock the situation and your card to be able to pay the fees.
Unfortunately, if you cannot find a solution to this payment problem, the data you have entered in the visa application form will not be retained. You will have to log in to the provider's website again and start the process from the beginning when you are able to pay. Please remember to check your bank account to ensure that it has sufficient funds and contact your bank before completing the online visa application form.
Once the payment of the fee has been made online, you should receive your visa within a maximum of 72 hours by email. However, if you find that you have not received it within this timeframe, we recommend that you check that the payment has been debited from your bank account. If this is not the case, there is probably a problem with the payment and you are strongly advised to start the process again.
Please note that the credit card you use to pay the visa fee does not have to be in the applicant's name. It is therefore possible to avoid certain situations by borrowing the card of your spouse or a member of your family in order to obtain your travel authorisation in time and be able to complete your trip to Australia.
What happens if the online visa application is refused?
If you have paid the application fee and your online visa application has been accepted and processed, but you have been refused, you may wish to check whether this amount will be debited from your account.
In reality, the fees are debited from the account before the application is processed and when it is validated by the applicant. It is therefore essential that the amount has been deducted from your account before your application can be checked and forwarded.
However, on some sites, it is possible to receive a refund of these fees if your eVisitor or eTA is refused. This refund will be made to the bank account used for the payment and will depend on the reason for the refusal. If the reason for the refusal is, for example, incorrect information or a desire to conceal the truth when filling in the form, you will not be refunded.
Apply for your Australia e-visa!
Adeline HARMANT
As a web writer and globetrotter with a passion for travel and tourism, I have acquired in-depth knowledge of the procedures that are essential for travellers. I help travellers to complete all the formalities required for a successful trip, particularly when it comes to obtaining a visa online. With several years' experience in this field, I'd like to offer you some valuable advice to help you discover the world with complete peace of mind.
