The following is some important information on obtaining an Australian visa. All international participants who are not Australians are required to obtain a visa before travelling to Australia. Please read the following information carefully:

There are two possible visa options for event participants if they wish to enter Australia and the appropriate visa for event participants will depend on their country of passport:

(1) The Electronic Travel Authority ( a short stay validity Business visa-subclass 977 )

Some participants may be eligible for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)
visa. The ETA is an electronic or invisible visa and can be applied for online
and issued the same day, but this visa is not available for all travellers.
Unless conference participants will be travelling on a passport from one of
the following countries or locations, they will be unable to apply for an
Electronic Travel Authority (ETA):- Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei,
Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta,
Monaco,The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal , Republic of San Marino,
Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland Taiwan*, USA, United
Kingdom - British Citizen, United Kingdom - British National (Overseas)**

*  Taiwan passport holders can be processed for an ETA only if resident in,
and applying from, Taiwan.
** UK passport holders whose nationality is British National (Overseas) can
be processed for an ETA only if resident in, and applying from, Hong Kong
SAR.
***Please be aware that Taiwanese passport holders and BNO passport holders
cannot apply for an ETA online.  Such passport holders must contact their
closest visa office for information about how to obtain their ETA.

The Department's website for ETA applications is: www.eta.immi.gov.au

Event delegates from the ETA eligible countries/locations should apply for
a short stay validity Business ETA online, or via their travel agent.

Following, is a guide for the ETA-eligible visa applicants on how to apply
for a short stay Business visa online:

When the website  www.eta.immi.gov.au  is accessed, the visa applicant will see the following heading:  "Welcome to the Australian Government's Electronic Travel Authority System". At the top left hand side of that screen, the visa applicant will see a tab suggesting that they "Apply for ETA".   The visa applicant should click on that tab and then proceed to lodge their visa application online.  When asked to choose the kind of ETA for their needs, they should indicate that they are applying for a short stay validity Business ETA.  Once processing is complete, the visa applicant will be provided with a personalized reference number to keep. There will be no visible visa in their passport but their visa will exist electronically and will be visible when read at passport control, on their arrival in Australia.

(2) The paper short stay validity Business visa (subclass 456):
If event participants do not hold a passport from one of the ETA eligible countries or locations listed above, they will NOT be eligible for an ETA and will need to apply for a short stay Business visa (456) at the closest Australian visa office to their current place of residence.  There is a fee of AUST$70 for  456 visa processing, to be paid at the time of lodgment of the visa application.  Contact details for the appropriate visa office closest to the applicant's place of residence can be found at:

 www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas.htm

The application for for the subclass 456 visa can be downloaded from the
DIMIA website at: 

www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/456.pdf
 

All event participants should note that event registration does not
guarantee visa grant.  In order to be granted a visa to visit  Australia,
applicants must demonstrate that they meet all the legislative requirements
for visa grant, including meeting the bona fide and character checks.  Visa
processing is stringent and applicants are advised to apply for a visa well
in advance (4 - 6 weeks) of their intended date of travel, if possible.
 

Further information on "visitor visa processing and requirements" is on the website of the Dept. of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs at www.immi.gov.au.

 
Two important pages on the above website are:

   Information about attending an event in Australia can be found at the
   following website:  

   www.immi.gov.au/business/iecn.htm   ("persons wishing to attend events").

   Details for contacting the appropriate visa office closest to the
   applicant's place of residence can be found at:

   www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas.htm

If you have any further queries regarding visas, please do not hesitate to contact the ISSNIP 2005 Events Officer at l.brindle@ee.mu.oz.au