VISA required for visiting Australia?

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Forums › Finance and wealth management › VISA required for visiting Australia?

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590 posts

Ultimate Geek

#237563 21-Jul-2009 16:07

getting off topic :) and my memory is getting a tad foggy but I think passports came in around the early 80's.

Asmodeus

1015 posts

Uber Geek

#237565 21-Jul-2009 16:12

On a slightly related note...

Im going to Aus next month. Will I need to replace my old Visa (credit card here guys) with one of the newer ones that has the chip on it before I go?

I guess I may as well, but do I actually need to?

GeekGuy

590 posts

Ultimate Geek

#237567 21-Jul-2009 16:18

I think passports came in the early 80's.... I went over without a passport but needed one to get back into NZ and to return to Australia.
All my passports were issued from Sydney and a little different from the ones issued here.
Anyway... getting off topic now :) !
No visas needed if you have a NZ passport and enjoy your trip/holiday over in the 'West Island' !!

NZCoderGuy

513 posts

Ultimate Geek

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Kiwi Dev Studios

#237568 21-Jul-2009 16:21

Thanks. yeah i found my Mastercards magnetic strip isnt working last time i scanned it, so will need to get it replaced before i go over there..

--
Stephen
twitter/ NZCoderGuy / KiwiDevStudios

meesham

973 posts

Ultimate Geek

#237570 21-Jul-2009 16:38

You don't need to organise a visa beforehand unless you have a criminal record. If you're a New Zealand citizen you're issued a special category visa when you arrive which pretty much gives you the same rights as an Australian citizen (except voting and non-urgent healthcare which takes a couple of years).

All the details are here:

http://www.australia.org.nz/wltn/VisaFAQ.html

paulspain

417 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#237573 21-Jul-2009 16:50

If you try to get in on other passports (like when I tried to get in with my UK one) then you'll need a visa.

Also, at some Australian airports (well at least Melbourne) you can whiz through customs if you have a 'chipped' passport (different self service queues).

Paul Spain
Founder: Gorilla Technology, NZ Tech Podcast

timestyles

424 posts

Ultimate Geek

#237577 21-Jul-2009 17:03

johnr:
GeekGuy: I remember going over there to live when no passport was required !

Was this before planes were invented?

They changed the rules about 1975-1980.

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paulspain

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Ultimate Geek

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#237580 21-Jul-2009 17:10

I guess Australians used to be so desperate for people to come and live with them they'd take anyone ... hence why they just had open borders and no passports required! I wonder what changed?

Paul Spain
Founder: Gorilla Technology, NZ Tech Podcast

meesham

973 posts

Ultimate Geek

#237588 21-Jul-2009 17:23

It wasn't just Australia :) There was pretty much a free movement of people between the Commonwealth countries, it was in the late 70s/early 80s that everyone started cracking down on it.

NickiB

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#237612 21-Jul-2009 18:04

Meesham already filled you in, but I just wanted to add that they give you a form on the plane, which is your 'visa application' - or so I've been told, I never left the country before, going to Melbourne in September, so will find out then!

Asmodeus: On a slightly related note...

Im going to Aus next month. Will I need to replace my old Visa (credit card here guys) with one of the newer ones that has the chip on it before I go?

I guess I may as well, but do I actually need to?

I wasn't planning on updating my credit card... shouldn't need to I would have thought, my credit card is only a year old and they didn't give me one with a chip, even though I said I would be using it overseas to my bank manager when I applied.

nOOb alert

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
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Geekzone

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#237619 21-Jul-2009 18:38

NickiB: Meesham already filled you in, but I just wanted to add that they give you a form on the plane, which is your 'visa application' - or so I've been told, I never left the country before, going to Melbourne in September, so will find out then!

It depends on the country. If you are going to the U.S. with a valid New Zealand passport you don't need a visa, providing you want to enter using the Visa Waiver program. In this case you fill special customs form (green). If you are going to work, study, or long stay then you will need a visa, in which case you fill the other customs form.

Going to Australia does not require a visa at all. In that case you only fill the customs form.

Those forms are not a visa application. Is just a customs declaration of your intentions of stay, where you are going next and where you are planning to spend most of the time there.

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#237620 21-Jul-2009 18:38

Asmodeus: On a slightly related note...

Im going to Aus next month. Will I need to replace my old Visa (credit card here guys) with one of the newer ones that has the chip on it before I go?

I guess I may as well, but do I actually need to?

No you don't need to change your credit card.

gehenna

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#237624 21-Jul-2009 18:51

I'm in Australia now. A few things to take note of:

Don't rely on EFTPOS - a LOT of shops either require a minimum spend OR don't take EFTPOS at ALL! So always keep some cash handy especially if you're ducking into a smaller shop for a coke or the like.

On another note, all the Taxi's take EFTPOS as well as Credit Cards - very handy!

The card readers over here have facility to read both Chipped cards and magstripped cards, so either way you're fine.

If you have a phone that you want to use data on, and you're thinking of getting a prepay SIM while you're here go with Three. They have the best prepaid capped data plans available. When you're not in a Three coverage area they roam to Telstra so you're voice/sms/mms coverage should be fine wherever you go.

If you have a chipped passport you get to go in the "special" aisle which gets you through customs quicksmart. If not then you'll have to go through the normal customs queue. Don't joke with the customs officials, they have no soul.

If you're flying to Melbourne and you want to get from the airport to the city grab yourself the Skybus. It costs about $17 one way and goes from the international and national terminals every 20 mins or so. A taxi from the airport to the CBD will run you about $50.

And if you're going to be in Melbourne for a few days grab yourself a weekly Metcard - you can use this on trams, trains and busses so you only need to buy the one ticket - once. A weekly card is about $35. There are 3 zones - zone 1 is cbd and inner suburbs, zone 2 outer suburbs and zone 3 is waaaaaaaay out. If you think you'll only be in a zone 2 or 3 area once or twice then just get the weekly zone 1 and when you are going out to zone 2 or 3 get yourself either a daily zone 2/3 or a 2hourly zone 2/3 at the time.

Sydney/Brisbane/Adelaide/Perth I have no idea about :P