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Many visa applications are lodged directly. A registered migration agent or immigration lawyer helps with complex or refused matters.

What is a Section 48 bar?

It limits the visas you can apply for while unlawfully in Australia after a refusal or cancellation. A professional can map your options.

Can I appeal a refused visa?

Often yes — the Administrative Appeals Tribunal reviews many decisions, but strict time limits apply.

Character and health refusals for Australia 601 ETA in 2026: when to choose 600

How criminal convictions and health issues affect an Australian 601 ETA, and when official guidance says to apply for a Visitor (600) visa instead.

If you have a criminal conviction in any country, the Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) is very likely the wrong visa for your trip. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Electronic Travel Authority (Subclass 601) page, as published in July 2026, applicants with a criminal conviction in any country should apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and provide evidence about those convictions. The same page points applicants who have previously failed to meet the health requirement, or who will be entering health care or hospital environments, towards the 600 as well.

One caveat before the detail: this is general legal information, not advice about your own circumstances, and it cannot predict how any individual application will be decided. Use the Department's current published requirements as your reference point, and get advice specific to your history if your situation is complicated.

Does a criminal conviction in any country rule out an ETA?

No — there is no rule saying a conviction produces an automatic refusal. The eligibility criteria require you to meet the character requirement like any other applicant. But the Department's own guidance on the 601 page is direct: if you have a criminal conviction in any country, it will need more information from you, and you should apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and provide evidence about your criminal convictions.

The practical reason is the design of the visa. The 601 is built for speed — the official page states that in most cases you will be notified of the result immediately, and that processing takes longer when the Department needs more information from you or your information is hard to verify. A conviction pushes your case out of that streamlined track, because a character assessment needs documents and time that an app-based decision is not set up to handle.

For completeness, the Migration Regulations 1994 tie the subclass to public interest criteria covering character and health, and the Department's PAM3 procedural guidance refers to condition 8528, which concerns criminal convictions totalling 12 months or more. Because the operational guidance on the official page is broader than any single threshold, confirm the criteria as currently published rather than relying on a summary.

What does the ETA application actually ask you to declare?

The application is made through the Australian ETA app, and it asks you questions including whether you have any criminal convictions, any prior names, and your contact details in Australia. The Department's step-by-step guidance lists three specific things you must declare: whether you hold any other passports, whether you have been known by any other name, and any criminal conviction or domestic violence history.

You must also check that your name, date of birth and every other answer are correct before you submit. The Department notes that you cannot change the details on an ETA once it has been issued.

What happens if the information is wrong or left out?

You must truthfully answer all questions. If you are granted an ETA but the Department finds that you provided incorrect information, your ETA may be cancelled. That is stated twice on the official material — once under the character requirement and once under the accuracy requirement — which tells you how seriously it is treated.

There are also practical consequences short of cancellation. If your ETA details do not exactly match your passport details, you might experience delays when boarding your aircraft or be refused entry in Australia.

If the Department cannot process your application without more information, it will send you a letter explaining how to provide it. You then use the link in the letter to submit an online form directly in ImmiAccount, answer all the questions, attach the required supporting documentation, and attach Form 1554: ETA Request for further processing. The guidance also warns you not to submit further ETA applications through the app, because you will receive the same results. If a visa is refused, the Department tells you in writing why, and whether you have a right to a review of the decision.

When does a health issue point you to the 600 instead?

You must meet the health requirement to be eligible for a 601. Two situations then move you away from the ETA. First, where an applicant has previously failed to meet the health requirement, the official page states that the most appropriate visa is a Visitor (subclass 600) visa. Second, if you will be entering health care or hospital environments, you should apply for the 600 and complete the relevant health checks.

The same health-check direction applies to two study-adjacent activities: training at a childcare centre, and studying to be a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic. These are listed on the 601 page as reasons to apply for the 600 rather than travel on an ETA. The regulations and PAM3 guidance also attach condition 8527, which concerns active tuberculosis; confirm the current wording on the Department's official health requirement page.

None of this changes your financial position if you do travel. The Department recommends you take out health insurance, and notes that you are personally liable for all your healthcare costs while in Australia. Some countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia, which is a separate matter administered by Services Australia.

Which situations point you towards the 600?

Your situation	What the official guidance points to
Criminal conviction in any country	Apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and provide evidence about your criminal convictions
Previously failed to meet the health requirement	The 600 is described as the most appropriate visa
Entering health care or hospital environments	Apply for the 600 and complete the relevant health checks
Training at a childcare centre, or studying to be a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic	Apply for the 600 and complete the relevant health checks
Passport not on the ETA-eligible list	Apply online through ImmiAccount for a visa that suits your needs; European passport holders may be eligible for an eVisitor (subclass 651) visa, and there is no charge to make that application
Granted an ETA on the basis of incorrect information	The ETA may be cancelled

A hypothetical to show how the rule works

Assume an applicant who holds an ETA-eligible passport and has a conviction from several years ago in a country outside Australia. Two paths are open. In the app, they declare the conviction — and because the Department will need more information, the guidance says they should instead apply for a 600 and provide evidence about the conviction. Or they do not declare it, are granted the ETA, and the Department later finds the information was incorrect — at which point the ETA may be cancelled. The first path is slower; the second risks the whole trip.

How do you move from an ETA to a 600 application?

If you are ineligible or unable to apply through the Australian ETA app, you can apply online for another visa that suits your needs through ImmiAccount. Other passport holders may be eligible for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa; European passport holders may additionally be eligible for the eVisitor (subclass 651).

On cost, the official page states there is no Visa Application Charge for the 601, but there is an application service fee of AUD20 to use the Australian ETA app. The 601 page does not set out a 600 application charge, so check that figure on the Department's official Visitor visa (subclass 600) page rather than assuming it is comparable.

What else can end an ETA after it is granted?

The 601 is not a work visa. You cannot undertake paid work for an Australian employer, and if you work or intend to work in Australia on an ETA, your ETA may be cancelled and you may be removed or refused entry.

Genuine visitor status matters over time as well. If you stay in Australia for long periods or make frequent visits, the Department may ask you about your travel purpose next time you enter, and if you are found not to be a genuine visitor your ETA may be cancelled. Separately, your ETA is attached to your current passport: if that passport expires or you get a new one, the ETA ceases and you must apply for a new ETA. If you remain in Australia after your ETA ceases without another visa, you become an unlawful non-citizen and may be removed.

The remaining eligibility criteria are worth a quick self-check: you must hold a passport from one of the listed ETA-eligible countries or jurisdictions, you must genuinely intend a temporary stay, any debt owed by you or your family to the Australian Government must be repaid or arranged to be repaid, and the visa might not be granted if it would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18. Note also that you cannot include family members in an ETA application — each family member, including those listed on your passport, must submit a separate application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a 601 ETA if I have a criminal conviction?

The eligibility criteria require you to meet the character requirement, so a conviction is not an automatic bar in itself. However, the Department's official guidance states that if you have a criminal conviction in any country it will need more information, and that you should apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and provide evidence about your convictions.

Do I have to declare an old or spent conviction?

The Department's guidance requires you to declare any criminal conviction or domestic violence history when you apply, and it does not distinguish by age of the conviction. Because the declaration obligations may differ from spent-conviction rules in your own jurisdiction, check the current wording on the Department's official pages before you answer.

Does it matter that my conviction is from another country?

No, the country of the conviction does not limit the guidance. The official page uses the phrase "a criminal conviction in any country" and directs those applicants to the 600 with evidence about the convictions.

Can I use an ETA if I am entering a hospital or healthcare setting?

The official guidance says you should apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and complete the relevant health checks if you will be entering health care or hospital environments. The same direction applies if you will train at a childcare centre or study to be a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic.

What happens if I already hold an ETA and the Department finds undisclosed information?

If you are granted an ETA and the Department finds that you provided incorrect information, your ETA may be cancelled. You may also face delays boarding your aircraft or be refused entry if your ETA details do not exactly match your passport, and details cannot be changed once the ETA is issued.

Can I include my spouse or children in my ETA application?

No. The 601 has no secondary applicant criteria, and the official page states that each family member, including those listed on your passport, must submit a separate application. If all family members apply using the same mobile device, you can submit and pay for the applications at the same time.

If my ETA is refused, can the decision be reviewed?

The Department will tell you in writing why it refused the visa and whether you have a right to a review of the decision. That right is not universal for this visa, so read the refusal notice itself rather than assuming review is available.