Oceania (Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific) - Transit Visa at Sydney Airport; Indian passport holder

Hi All,

This is my first post to this forum; however I am a regular reader here.

I am an Indian passport holder but live in Singapore (Permanent Singapore resident). I am planning a trip to New Zealand, I have booked Qantas Airways which changes planes in Sydney (Layover time less than 2 hrs both ways). I understand I do not need any transit visa in Australia?

Please let me know if it is otherwise. Its better safe than sorry :-)

Starting new thread because I couldnt find this info on any other thread.

Regards,
Ajay

Just an update for any other Indian passport holder with this inquiry -

I called Embassy and today I got lucky that they answered. They suggested "YES", Indian citizens DO NEED a transit visa even if they are just changing plane. No matter what is the layover time 1 or 8 hrs (upto 72 hrs).

This is bad... Aussies are not at all confident about their airport security? How can someone vanish from airport and enter in their country from transit lounge. Phew... I have to apply a visa for a country I am not even visiting to..!

Yes, I fear that this is correct: see this page (http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/transit/no-visa.htm), which lists those passport holder that may transit without a visa.

What the Australian authorities are worried about, I think, is not people absconding uncaught from the airport but rather people arriving in Australia ostensibly in transit and then going on to claim asylum there. I'm not saying that this is (or is not) a sensible policy, but I think that this is the reason for it.

This is bad... Aussies are not at all confident about their airport security? How can someone vanish from airport and enter in their country from transit lounge. Phew... I have to apply a visa for a country I am not even visiting to..!

The visa is free, only mildly inconvenient and you always have the option of booking SQ or JQ direct...

This is bad... Aussies are not at all confident about their airport security? How can someone vanish from airport and enter in their country from transit lounge. Phew... I have to apply a visa for a country I am not even visiting to..!

I don't understand how applying a visa implies a lack of confidence in security.

.. Phew... I have to apply a visa for a country I am not even visiting to..!You have obviously have not "transited" through the US of A [no air side transit apart from a few exceptions (Air NZ?)]

Thanks guys for the reply... Unfortunately I have to go and apply a visa which takes 5 days... Free or not doesnt matter.. Time is more imp than money. It takes time and effort to collate all docs, go to high commission to apply and then collect for just transit..!
Cheers..!

The visa is free, only mildly inconvenient and you always have the option of booking SQ or JQ direct...

Yeah mate but I am a BA frequent flyer so...

Yes, I fear that this is correct: see this page (http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/transit/no-visa.htm), which lists those passport holder that may transit without a visa.

What the Australian authorities are worried about, I think, is not people absconding uncaught from the airport but rather people arriving in Australia ostensibly in transit and then going on to claim asylum there. I'm not saying that this is (or is not) a sensible policy, but I think that this is the reason for it.

Hhmm that make sense but how they would avoid people claiming asylum with a transit visa?

I don't understand how applying a visa implies a lack of confidence in security.

Well it works two ways... Confidence in your guest (And his/her nationality) and confidence in your own ability to handle various situations.

India has a rule - No tourist can return to India within 2 months after his/her departure. Why?? If I you go to India in July and then want to go there again in Aug - you cant..!!

Why ??

Because they fear that you might be spying for terror attacks etc... And their own agencies are not that capable to catch you... (I am telling this being an Indian).

If anyone comes to Aissie airport just to catch a plane in 2 hrs, why you need to give him a visa??

If anyone comes to Aissie airport just to catch a plane in 2 hrs, why you need to give him a visa??
Because, as I said above, the concern is that people with onward flights will, nevertheless, try to claim asylum on arrival in Australia. An asylum claim must, in general, be heard and can't be dismissed simply because the person doesn't have the correct papers to enter the country. Australia wishes, as far as is possible, to avoid that situation arising, and I suppose the thinking is that a person who has to make a visa application can be assessed, in some measure, before embarking on the flight that will take them to Australia. This reasoning doesn't make the visa policy right (or wrong), but I guess it has been developed in part on the basis of past experience.

Australia is not alone in requiring transit visas for some nationalities: the UK and at least some of the Schengen countries have a similar approach, for example.

Thanks guys for the reply... Unfortunately I have to go and apply a visa which takes 5 days... Free or not doesnt matter.. Time is more imp than money. It takes time and effort to collate all docs, go to high commission to apply and then collect for just transit..!

Is there a reason you can't apply by mail?