Urgent Australia Visa Question (already missed one flight!)

[badger2005]

So we are flying from the UK to Sydney, via the USA. Turned out, we needed an 'ESTA' just to transfer in the USA (without leaving the airport). We desperately tried to fill one in at checkout but ended up missing our flight! Luckily got given one 24 hours later. Then our flight from the USA has also been rescheduled for 24 hours later (not our fault), so will arrive 48 hours later than planned (if all goes to plan from here). But now panicking as we talked to someone about needing an 'ETA' to get into Australia - do we? We have an 'evisitor651' visa - but do we need an ETA as well? Please help - not sure how much more airport time we can take! Have tried googling but just can't get clear on it. Does anyone know? Is an ETA instead of another visa, or as well?

Nope, if you have an Evisitor 651 you don't need an ETA - They are both just types of visa.

PatriciaHolm thank you so much for replying - so relieved to hear that.

Once we have arrived, I will add our story to the 'dumbest travel mistakes ever' thread...

uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/IMMI_holiday_info_eng.html

An ETA is for non European passport holders, as only passport holders from specific European countries are eligible for eVisitor 651. US citizens need an ETA, so whomever you spoke to was probably going off that basis, but your eVisitor visa is valid and all that you need (as long as you are travelling on a passport from one of the countries in the link below?)

immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/evisitor-651#Eligibility

No, Peach - Europeans can get ETAs now. They couldn't originally, but now there is a large overlap in countries that can get both Visas and there is little difference between them. Though US citizens need an ETA as you say.

@PatriciaHolm yes I didn't mean to imply Europeans can't get ETAs, just that non Europeans have to get one, but the eVisitor is preferable since it's free, so I think most people would choose that? Anyway, sounds like she's all sorted

Ah! I think we are essentially saying the same thing ;-) just in different roundabout ways! Yes hopefully the OP is well on her way now...

Hi PeachMoon and PatriciaHolm - thank you so much for your help. Yes - we are all sorted now, and loving Canberra!

The journey was a bit fraught. First we messed up by not having the visa for the USA, which we thought we wouldn't need (as only transferring and staying in the airport for a few hours). That ended up delaying us 24 hours, but we were lucky that there were spaces on the next flight, and that this mistake only cost us the price of a hotel at Heathrow ('Easy Hotel'!). Then the airline messed up and our flight from Houston was cancelled, which cost us another 24 hours. This time the airline paid for our hotel, and we made the best of having some unexpected time in Houston (albeit without clean clothes by this point...).

Still, I think this is the journey of a lifetime, so good that it was epic really!