Australia Visas
 

Are US citizens still given electronic visas over the phone as they were in the late 1990s or has the visa restriction for US citizens visiting Australia been done away with? Basically after you've purchased your ticket, what do you do? AA did not advise them.

On United, they process the Visa electronically when you buy your ticket.

Not sure if AA does that.

William

Well, I have not been back there since spring/summer 2003. When I was ticketed by American Airlines in the spring of 2003, AA applied for an ETA/Visa electronically and its results come back by the next day. It was included for free and required that the airline submit your passport number and some bio-data (name, date of birth, etc.). If it was for purposes of tourism, it is good for a year from its issue date (even if you cancel your airline ticket).

Same for AA.

Well 4 of us purchased tickets almost 2 months ago through AA and I was never advised, the others weren't advised either, fortunately we have til August. Just called Qantas, and they say you must apply online BEFORE your day of departure, to apply online tourist visa is $20. Before we used to just call Qantas and give them the passport #'s and I think it was free, not this time.

You need to call your airline that you are flying to Australia, make sure you apply for the VISA on the phone, also a few days before departure check again to see if the VISA went through. UA muffed up on the first time I called but I was smart and called a few days before departure and everything went well.

The process of getting a visa electronically is very simple. If you buy your ticket from a travel agent, the agent can do it for you in about 5 minutes. The approval comes back instantly and one can just printout the screen for documentation.

If you buy your tickets directly from the airline, the airline should and will do it for you. However, they probably won't send you a paper confirmation.

Last year, AA, over the phone, said I was okay. When time came to get the boarding pass, 45 minutes before departure, I find out I had no visa. AA got it in 5 minutes by calling. No charge.

Australia should dump that foolish visa program and just issue it on the spot upon arrival to the country. If it is electronic, issue it in Australia.

Ah yes, but we like to pay you back for the fingerprinting thing that starts later this year! ;)

Don't you know that Australians are a global threat to security? For example, Kylie Minogue might bump her arse against some passenger in the aisle of a Qantas flight to LAX, thus causing an in air confrontation (with the fellow's significant other). :D

Which would make the whole system absolutely useless. Australian immigration officers check who is flying in each day, run interpol checks, etc and then pull them up at immigration if they need to speak to them some more. A much better system than making people queue up for hours at an embassy somewhere, don't you think ?

As ozzie says, it makes it pointless. The idea is to identify the people who shouldn't be getting on the aircraft to start off with - they should never get as far as the immigration desk in the Australian airport.

At least this system is quick, easy and cheap. Have you any idea what it's like trying to apply for a US visa to come for a tourist visit?

I find the Australian ETA/e-visa process to be amongst the least cumbersome and most convenient options around (save passport-free travel destinations).

LOL! :D

A 5min phonecall and no-fee visa? I wholeheartedly agree :) Anything that saves a trip to the Embassy with a pile of papers and a bad photograph of yourself - as well as the week-long waits and exorbitant fees some of these countries charge for their entry visas - is definitely a breath of fresh air.

I think Americans are used to going to lots of places visa-free so the Australian visa process may seem cumbersome to a lot of people (and begs the question: why do they impose a visa on US citizens in the first place?). But belieeeeve me, it's one of the easiest ^

Where do you get it for free?
 

Why do people keep saying its free. I don't consider it free. Tell me where you can get it for free? You have to pay Qantas $25 to do it over the phone! OR you have to go to a website and pay $20----www.immi.gov.au

I posted about getting misleading advice on flyertalk over a week ago and I was asked to give examples, well this is an example. I do however get lots of good info from this board but more and more bad info is creeping in. What's happening?