Originally Posted by
TomYoungSoup
Hi Melyssa, thanks for your input. I'll be traveling to Aus for 3 months this fall for work. I have a DUI and was sentenced to 90 days which was suspended in place of probation, so the only time I served was the night of the arrest for a couple of hours (drunk tank). Just to be sure, is it your understanding that I don't need to do any prior paperwork/special visa applications, but just go through customs normally, check the box that says I've been convicted of a crime, then be honest with the customs agent? Thanks again.
The wording regarding 12 months or more was the 976 ETA Visa wording. It changed when the Visitor Visa (600) became available in 2013, and the ETA class 601 replaced the ETA 976. Now the website says:
"If you have had any criminal convictions in any country, you should apply for a
Visitor visa (subclass 600), rather than an ETA. If you arrive on an ETA with criminal convictions, you could be refused entry to Australia."
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/...#tab-content-1
If you have three months until your trip, I would recommend applying for the 600 Visitor Visa as the rules require. First get an EBI background check. If your conviction is there, you want to make sure that your visitor visa application states the conviction in the same terms (because Australia probably has this info). If it isn't there, you can send it with your application as proof that you have no serious offenses, and you are only applying for the 600 visa due to a minor conviction.