Australia is one of the few countries that has digitized their entire visa process, entry and exit processes. They use some of the advanced facial recognition software for verifying users at entry and exit to the country at any airport /seaport.
Australia Entry Requirements
You need to meet the below requirements to enter Australia.
- Have valid Australian visa related to the purpose of travel for the entire duration of travel
- Valid Passport for your entire duration of travel.
- If any of your details have changed after issuance of your Australian visa like name, passport info, contact info, address or family members info, you are required to update the changes in writing to the Australian government before your travel.
Documents Required for Entry at Australia Airport / Seaport / Port of Entry
- Valid Passport
- Completed Incoming Passenger Arrival Card
- Copy of Visa Grant Letter
- Copy of your Hotel stay details.
- Copy of your conference / business purpose details
Australia Entry Process for Foreigners at Airport / Seaport
Below are the typical process steps for entering Australia as foreigner.
- Step 1 – Airline Verification : Once you are ready to fly to Australia and arrive at your airline desk for getting boarding pass, you would be asked to show the visa for verification purposes. You can also download the VEVO App by Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection and have your visa information verified from the online system and show the same to the airline.
- Step 2 – Fill Australia Incoming Passenger Card : After the security check and you enter the boarding gate, you will be given a card called “Incoming Passenger Card”. You will need to fill it out with your details such as purpose of visit, duration, passport info, address in Australia, etc. Read How to fill Australia Incoming Passenger Card
- Step 3 – Arrival at Airport / Seaport : Once you land from the airplane at airport or vessel at seaport, depending on the passport you carry, you will either need to go to ePassport Self Service Kiosk or go to the general line that is for all passports and wait in line for your turn to be called by the border control/ immigration officer.
- Step 4 – Immigration/ Border control Officer Interview : The immigration officer will call you, once your turn comes in. Do not directly go, when your previous person in line leaves, wait for the signal from officer to let you come in. The immigration officer will take your passport, boarding pass, scan your passport and verify the details on it with the visa information in their systems. If required, they will ask you to provide a copy of the visa, but most of the times, it may not be required as their systems are good and will pick the details easily. You will asked to look at camera for taking photo. You may be asked questions around your purpose of travel and how many days you plan to stay, etc. Be prepared with all the documentation such as travel plans, to show, if needed. Once the verification is done and the officer is convinced, then they will give the passport back. Important thing is, they will NOT stamp anything on your passport, they will just enter in their system and give the passport back without stamping it. They will write a letter on the passenger arrival card and circle it and give it back. Do not get worried, if you do not find any stamp on the passport.
- Step 5 – Customs Clearance : You need to go through customs clearance after you exit from visa officer and have picked up your luggage. Depending on what you have filled in passenger arrival card, you will go through one of the below. The Customs officer will verify and take your incoming passenger card.
- Declare: If you declared anything by checking ‘Yes’ in your incoming passenger card, you need to go through the red channel for verification. You will see a red color board or TV that says ‘DECLARE’ around the baggage claim areas, you will need to take all your luggage and go through that place where you see the board with ‘DECLARE. The customs officer will ask you to open luggage and show the items that you declared, they will allow you carry or throw them away based on their discretion.
- Nothing to Declare : If you have not checked anything to ‘YES’ in the incoming passenger card, you have nothing to declare and you need to go through the green channel. You will need to look for board that says “NOTHING TO DECLARE” in green color or on TV and go through that channel. that is in the list to be declared, then you will go to the green channel.
- Step 6 – Exit Airport / Seaport : That’s it, you are done with the port of entry process and you are free to go to your destination.
Australia Entry Exit Stamp on Passport at Airport / Seaport or Port of Entry
There will not be any Australia Entry or Exit stamp put on your passport by the immigration officer at Airport or any other port of entry. They scan your passport, verify the details in their system and give it back. The same thing happens at the exit, there is no stamp, you will go through security scanner and then exit, nothing is stamped on your passport.