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Visas for Australia and New Zealand


Markanddonna
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Just off a TP to Australia and a side visit to New Zealand. A supposedly very experienced fellow cruiser (not a Cruise Critic) asked me if I knew that we needed a VISA to get into Australia. I had ordered mine months before our trip.

 

He said that 800 of the Americans onboard (3,300 passengers from various countries in all) didn't know this and had to submit their applications using the ship's internet. The RCL compass mentioned this several times so perhaps he was correct. I was surprised that so many people did NOT know they needed a VISA. It is easy and almost automatic if you do it at home. It is electronically attached to your USA passport.

 

https://easyeta.com/

 

New Zealand is different as no VISA is needed for stays less than three months.

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If you are a U.S. citizen traveling to Australia for tourism purposes, you must obtain an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority). The ETA is electronically linked to your passport and in most cases can be obtained immediately upon your online application.

 

Apply for the ETA online using the official Australian government website, https://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ETAS3/etas If you use this website, you can be assured that the ETA you obtain is actually legitimate and you can also be assured that your personal information is protected. Many people go to 3rd party websites to obtain their ETAs. In some cases, they are charged more than the Australian government charges. In other cases, they are charged less. But in ALL cases, if you don’t use the official Australian government website, you can’t be sure of what you are buying nor can you be sure that your personal information and credit card information won’t be compromised.

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Princess does make you aware as a you can't open your booking until you acknowledge that you must have an ETA to enter Australia. They even supply the government link to obtain. Unfortunately many people just agree to all the windows without reading them. Even then the requirement is listed on your Travel Summary in your booking.

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If you are a U.S. citizen traveling to Australia for tourism purposes, you must obtain an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority). The ETA is electronically linked to your passport and in most cases can be obtained immediately upon your online application.

 

Apply for the ETA online using the official Australian government website, https://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ETAS3/etas If you use this website, you can be assured that the ETA you obtain is actually legitimate and you can also be assured that your personal information is protected. Many people go to 3rd party websites to obtain their ETAs. In some cases, they are charged more than the Australian government charges. In other cases, they are charged less. But in ALL cases, if you don’t use the official Australian government website, you can’t be sure of what you are buying nor can you be sure that your personal information and credit card information won’t be compromised.

 

Good point! We only paid a little over $5 US more on each ETA going through the government website than the one quoted by OP. It's worth more than that for security reasons.

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I flew on American Airlines and that was one of the questions the attendant asked along with my passport before I went through TSA. She told me that so many people didn't know that they needed it. I am surprised airlines don't ask this before they process them. I did mine online and within minutes, I received my confirmation number.

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  • 1 month later...

Quite interesting: with flights to Australia airlines won’t check you in without the visa, and in fact on trying to check in from Auckland to Sydney one time Qantas wanted a $5000 credit card guarantee before checking DH in with a U.K. passport with valid visa because his passport was in poor condition. Airlines get fined by the Australian government if passengers arrive in Australia without the correct documents, evidently this doesn’t apply to cruise lines.

 

 

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Airlines get fined by the Australian government if passengers arrive in Australia without the correct documents, evidently this doesn’t apply to cruise lines.
I would be surprised if the same does not apply to cruise lines.

 

The difference may simply be that cruise lines have the time and facilities to put it right en route.

 

This thread's also been useful to prompt me to check the current validity of our eVisitors, and work out when we next need to apply for new ones.

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Since it’s only electronically attached to your passport with no paper, how would it be validated by a cruiseline?
Electronically, I expect - in the same way that airlines do it, including at airports where you don't go through immigration before you board the flight.
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I wonder how the cruise line can make a passenger get an Australian visa once onboard and what do they do if the passenger doesn’t (or is refused) ? Presumably immigration won’t allow them in in Sydney?

 

 

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I wonder how the cruise line can make a passenger get an Australian visa once onboard and what do they do if the passenger doesn’t (or is refused) ? Presumably immigration won’t allow them in in Sydney?
Pure speculation: The ship might keep a log of all the passengers who had not done this before boarding, and require each of them to provide proof that they have got one. And given that the ship may be subject to a rule that they are not allowed to embark anyone at the last port before Australia who doesn't have a visa etc, those who refuse or neglect to get one might be compulsorily disembarked at that port, so that they never get as far as Australian immigration.
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Since it’s only electronically attached to your passport with no paper, how would it be validated by a cruiseline? I don’t think you have to go through

Customs to get on the ship.

 

 

 

On an international cruise you do go through Customs/immigration where passports and relevant visas are checked. This is after cruise check in so presumably any problems are picked up by cruise check in.

 

 

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On an international cruise you do go through Customs/immigration where passports and relevant visas are checked. This is after cruise check in so presumably any problems are picked up by cruise check in.
Even when departing from the US? Wouldn't that be US immigration? (Which I have never seen when departing the US on an international cruise.) And what interest would US immigration have in checking Australian visas, even if US immigration officers know anything at all about other countries' visa rules (which I doubt)?
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  • 8 months later...

This is the current information taken from Timatic:-

 

Visa, Health & Passport:

 

Information as of 10SEP18 / 1636 UTC

National USA (US) /Embarkation USA (US)

Destination Australia (AU)

Australia (AU)

 

Passport required.

- Passports and other documents accepted for entry must be valid on arrival.

Passport Exemptions:

- Nationals of USA with an emergency passport.

 

Visa required, except for Nationals of USA with an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) obtained before departure. Passengers must travel as tourists or on business for a maximum stay of 3 months.

 

...

Visa, Health & Passport:

 

Information as of 10SEP18 / 1635 UTC

National USA (US) /Embarkation USA (US)

Destination New Zealand (NZ)

New Zealand (NZ)

 

Passport required.

- Passports and other documents accepted for entry issued to nationals of USA must be valid for a minimum of 1 month beyond the period of intended stay.

Passport Exemptions:

- Nationals of USA with an emergency passport.

 

Visa required, except for Nationals of USA for a maximum stay of 3 months.

 

...

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  • 2 weeks later...
You would think the cruise line would have let the passengers know ahead of time or the TA(s) would have done so as well.

 

Keith

 

Indeed....you'd THINK so...but when we went to Argentina the cruise line didn't seem to know that the reciprocity fees had been waived. Before the trip we got a form indicating to pay the fee. Nothing like staying on top of things.

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Quite interesting: with flights to Australia airlines won’t check you in without the visa, and in fact on trying to check in from Auckland to Sydney one time Qantas wanted a $5000 credit card guarantee before checking DH in with a U.K. passport with valid visa because his passport was in poor condition. Airlines get fined by the Australian government if passengers arrive in Australia without the correct documents, evidently this doesn’t apply to cruise lines.

 

 

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Correct...I was in Vancouver BC getting on Air Canada flight to Sydney…….The agent was having a hard time getting me cleared. She uses phone and then realized problem. I had transposed two numbers on by ETA and she called Sydney to verify the application before getting on plane.

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On an international cruise you do go through Customs/immigration where passports and relevant visas are checked. This is after cruise check in so presumably any problems are picked up by cruise check in.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Correct......If at Circular Quay in Sydney , once you clear customs and on ship, you are not longer allowed off the ship.

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