Australia immigration (incl ETA visa) & customs
 

Dual citizen (of US and AUstralia) wanting to travel to Australia.

Can the travel be made with one passport, ie US Passport? If so what do u say on arrival in AU? Should u get a visa before leaving? Have AU citizenship certificate.

Anyone traveled on one passport?

Should u apply for an ETA - is ETA or renewing an AU passport is cheaper:
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/visa-...lia-21082.html

As an Australian you must use your Australian passport to enter and leave the country (as you cannot be issued a visa as an Australian citizen). You're going to need your US passport to enter the US as well. One of the "burdens" of dual citizenship.

Departing USA:
Check in with your Australian Passport

Arriving Australia:
Arrival immigration check using your Australian passport

Departing Australia:
Check in with your US passport.
Departure immigration check using your Australian passport

Arriving USA:
Arrival immigration check using your US passport.

if you don't have your Australian passport:
Get an ETA on your US passport so the airline will let you check in.
Show your citizenship certificate to Immigration when you enter Australia.

You could then renew your Australian passport while in Australia.

Strictly speaking I don't think they can deny you entry (you're an Australian citizen after all) but they can make it more trouble than it's worth. Direct quote from citizenship.gov.au:

> People trying to enter Australia as an Australian citizen but without an Australian passport face difficulties and delays

Given what the government considers "normal", I'd hate to see what they consider "difficulties and delays".

Thanks all - I am seeking practical tips here.

A friend of mine holding UK passport and Canadian citizenship travels on one passport, UK one. So I am wondering what would be practical? Renewing AU passport is - $218 in fees.

Curious, is Canada more lenient than AU?

Yes, Canada doesn't have a no visa to citizens requirement plus the British passport helps in that you don't need a visa to enter Canada on a British passport.

The Australian issue is that the ETA can't technically be issued to the US passport, however, most issuers don't pass through this protocol.

Despite my advice to the contrary, a friend who is dual recently got an ETA in her US passport and had no issues in/out.

I always do what wallaby suggested.

Thanks @stevenshev - great tip.

ETA is $20 for a 12 month period
10yr passport is $218 = $21.8/yr

I have 4 people at home with dual => 4 x $218 => I can buy 4 Samsung S4 mini! Australian politicians are like US CEOs - they give themselves surprise pay rises, occasionally ended up in backtracking.

Mine is expired - I am not going to renew it but try the ETA, which is mostly instant.

Thanks @stevenshev - great tip.

ETA is $20 for a 12 month period
10yr passport is $218 = $21.8/yr

I have 4 people at home with dual => 4 x $218 (twice as much as US passport) => I can buy 4 Samsung S4 mini! Australian politicians are like US CEOs - they give themselves surprise pay rises, occasionally ended up in backtracking.

Mine is expired - I am not going to renew it but try the ETA, which is mostly instant.

The problem wouldn't be entering Australia, but getting checked in in the first place, before you leave USA.

I've entered Australia as a citizen without passport (Immigration confiscated it but told me they could not deny me entry)
That is OK as long as you don't want to stay more than 90 days at any time. It's also possible that they can change the fee at any time - quite possible given the current volatile security environment.

ETA did I get scammed?
 

I feel so stupid.

Before I found this site I applied for an ETA to visit Australia in July. I am a US citizen and applied at Visa Travel Australia (visatravelaustralia.com) which I presumed was the Australian government website. I obviously was not paying attention. I received an approval letter but cannot find an ETA number. Plus I was charged double the correct rate. I feel really stupid...did I get scammed or just overcharged?

I guess I should apply through the official government channels?

Without addressing the rest of your question, why would you assume that a website which did not have a .gov.au address was an official Australian government website?

Dave

Sorry...too much coffee. I will deal with this on my own since I'm the one who created the mess.

thadocta: Did you not read the part where I said "I feel stupid"? Actually, it should have read "I am stupid". You are absolutely correct about looking at the address before proceeding...which I didn't do. Lesson learned.

Try here mate
https://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ETAS3/etas

I would be more concerned about who you've given your passport and travel details to.....

I can't even find the fake website on a google search.....