Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has listed 36 countries whose citizens can use the free eVisitor visa, a multiple-entry travel authorisation available only to eligible European passport holders.

Free eVisitor route limited to European passport holders

Australia has published the countries whose citizens qualify for its free eVisitor visa, with the list made up entirely of European nations. The eVisitor, formally known as subclass 651, allows approved travellers to enter Australia repeatedly during a 12-month period, provided each individual stay does not exceed three months.

The permit has no application charge, making it a comparatively accessible option for short visits by those who meet the passport requirements. However, the eligibility rules exclude passport holders from Africa, Asia and most other regions, leaving many travellers to use other Australian visa categories instead.

Countries named in the eligibility list

The Department of Home Affairs list, as reported by Legit.ng, names the following 36 eligible countries:

  • Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus
  • Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France and Germany
  • Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy and Latvia
  • Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco and the Netherlands
  • Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Republic of San Marino and Slovakia
  • Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City and the United Kingdom, for British citizens only
Passport and boarding pass placed beside luggage in an airport terminal
The eVisitor visa allows eligible travellers to make multiple short visits to Australia over 12 months.

Specific passport conditions apply

The Australian rules include further conditions for some applicants. For the United Kingdom, eligibility is limited to travellers holding a British Citizen passport. Other British-status passports do not qualify, including British National Overseas, British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Protected Person and British Subject passports.

Applicants using Vatican City documents must also ensure their passport clearly states nationality of Vatican City, also known as the Holy See. The eVisitor cannot be applied for with a non-citizen passport, a certificate of identity or other travel documents such as a Titre de Voyage.

African travellers must use other visa pathways

No African country appears on the eVisitor eligibility list. That means citizens of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and all other African nations cannot use the subclass 651 route for travel to Australia.

Travellers from countries outside the eligible group must instead apply through alternative Australian visa channels, which are typically more expensive and can take longer to complete. The eVisitor process itself is online, and Australia’s immigration authority advises applicants to check the official visa processing time guide for an indication of recent decision timeframes. The guide reflects recently finalised applications and does not guarantee the timing of any individual case.

For travellers, the list underlines how strongly passport nationality shapes access to Australia’s simplest short-stay visa options. Airlines, agents and visitors planning trips should confirm the exact passport category before relying on the free eVisitor route.