Coming to Australia to visit the country on a short-term basis can be made possible by applying for a tourist visa. Generally, these visas last for three months but there are certain types of travel visas that can be extended to last for a year. These visas can easily be renewed in Australia providing that the owner can support himself without the need of working in the country. Travel visas do not permit owners to work in Australia.

Electronic travel application (ETA) visa is a type of Australian travel visa obtained electronically. There are three kinds of ETA's: holiday and visiting, short validity business, and long validity business. Holiday and visiting ETA or subclass 976 visa is valid for multiple entries within one year. However, each visit should be limited to at most three moths. On the other hand, short validity business ETA or subclass 977 visas are applicable for businessmen who go to Australia for business conferences. These visas permit people to do short trips to the country to attend meetings, seminars or do client visits. The visa entitles the holder to one visit for every three months. Lastly, long validity business ETA visas are very much alike with short validity visas. The difference lies in the length of stay allowed in each visit. Long-term validity visas authorize their owners to stay for at most three months each visit.

ETA's can be obtained online. There are sites that offer ETA visa processing. This service is particularly attractive for families who wish to visit Australia together. Each of them should have an ETA visa to be able to visit the Australia. Among the requirements for applying an ETA online are valid passports for each traveler and valid credit card. Results of the application can be viewed before the applicant leaves the site. A reference number will also be provided. This reference number can be used to check an ETA and print details of the visa. To protect the applicants from fraudulent acts, the reference numbers are handled in a confidential and private manner.