Can I get an Australia 601 ETA with a criminal conviction or health issue in 2026?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

If you have a criminal conviction in any country, the Australian Department of Home Affairs directs you away from the Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) and toward a Visitor visa (subclass 600), where you can submit evidence about those convictions. The same redirection applies to several health situations. This follows the Department of Home Affairs' official Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) page, as of July 2026, which states that instruction under the character requirement and repeats it in its processing-times guidance, while separately directing several health cases to the 600 visa.

The 601 ETA is built for fast, automated decisions. It is not built to weigh a conviction record or a health history, so the official guidance routes those cases to the 600 stream instead.

What does the 601 page actually say about criminal convictions?

The ETA requires you to meet the character requirement. The official page adds a specific instruction: if you have a criminal conviction in any country, you should apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) and provide evidence about your criminal convictions. The processing times section repeats this and gives the reason — with a conviction in any country, the Department will need more information from you.

The wording is broad. It says "any country" and "a criminal conviction"; it does not limit itself to recent convictions, serious offences, or convictions that resulted in jail time.

Is there a conviction threshold written into the rules?

The Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department's PAM3 procedures link the ETA to public interest criteria and to visa condition 8528, which excludes applicants with cumulative criminal convictions of 12 months or more in any country. Where that threshold and the published visa page differ, the Department's Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) page is the operative guidance: it directs conviction cases to the Visitor visa (subclass 600).

Practically, this means you should not rely on a threshold argument to justify using the ETA. The published instruction is to choose 600 and supply evidence.

Which health situations push you to the 600 visa?

Three health-related cases appear on the official page.

Situation	What the official page directs
You have previously failed to meet the health requirement	A Visitor (subclass 600) visa is the most appropriate visa
You will enter health care or hospital environments	Apply for a 600 visa
You will train at a childcare centre, or study to be a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic	Apply for a 600 visa and complete the relevant health checks

The underlying requirement is the same in each case: you must meet the health requirement. The 600 route is where health checks and supporting evidence are handled.

Separately, the page recommends health insurance for all ETA holders, noting that visitors are personally liable for their healthcare costs in Australia.

What happens if I answer "no" and the ETA is granted anyway?

The ETA app asks directly whether you have any criminal convictions, along with prior names and other passports you hold. The official page requires truthful answers covering other passports, other names, and any criminal conviction or domestic violence history.

If an ETA is granted and the Department later finds you provided incorrect information, the ETA may be cancelled. There is also a practical risk short of cancellation: if your ETA details do not exactly match your passport details, you may face delays boarding your aircraft or be refused entry. Details on an ETA cannot be changed once it is issued.

What changes if I apply for the 600 visa instead?

The main change is that your case is assessed in a stream designed to receive evidence. The ETA is lodged through the Australian ETA app with an AUD 20 application service fee and no visa application charge; when you are ineligible for or unable to use the app, the official page says you can apply online for another visa that suits your needs through ImmiAccount.

European passport holders may be eligible for an eVisitor (subclass 651) visa, which the page notes carries no charge to apply. Other passport holders may be eligible for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa.

What if the ETA app already asked me for more information?

If your ETA application cannot be processed without further information, the Department sends a letter explaining how to provide it. You submit an online form through the link in that letter, answer all questions, attach the required supporting documentation, and attach Form 1554: ETA Request for further processing.

The page is explicit that lodging further ETA applications through the app will produce the same result, so the useful step is supplying the requested information or moving to a visa that fits your circumstances.

When is the 601 ETA still the right visa?

The ETA remains the simplest option if you hold a passport from an eligible country or jurisdiction — including Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (SAR of China), Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Republic of San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (excluding official or diplomatic passports), The Netherlands, United Kingdom—British Citizen, United Kingdom—British National (Overseas), the United States of America and Vatican City — and you are a genuine visitor with no conviction or health-history issue to declare.

You must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the visa is granted. The visa is valid for travel for 12 months or for the period your passport is valid, whichever is shorter, allows multiple entry, and permits a stay of 3 months after each entry. Study or training is allowed for up to 3 months in total.

This article is general information for early-stage planning only and is not personalised advice about your record or your circumstances; conviction and health cases turn on individual facts, so rely on the Department's published requirements and, where your situation is complicated, on a qualified professional's assessment rather than on any single summary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a 601 ETA if I have a criminal conviction?

The Department of Home Affairs states that if you have a criminal conviction in any country, you should apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) and provide evidence about your convictions. The ETA is not the stream for submitting or assessing that evidence.

Does the conviction have to be from Australia?

No. The official instruction covers a criminal conviction in any country, without limiting it to Australian offences. The same wording appears under both the character requirement and the processing times section of the 601 page.

I only need to visit a hospital or clinic during my trip — do I still need the 600 visa?

Yes, on the published wording. If you will be entering health care or hospital environments, the page directs you to apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa, and the same applies to training at a childcare centre or studying to be a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic.

What if I have previously failed the health requirement for another Australian visa?

The page says that where an applicant has previously failed to meet the health requirement, the most appropriate visa is a Visitor (subclass 600) visa. That is stated as a suitability judgement about the visa class, not as a guarantee of a grant.

Will an ETA be cancelled if I did not disclose a conviction?

The page states that if you are granted an ETA and the Department finds you provided incorrect information, your ETA may be cancelled. It also warns that mismatched details can cause boarding delays or refusal of entry, and that ETA details cannot be corrected after issue.

Does the ETA cost anything if I decide to try it anyway?

There is no visa application charge, but the Australian ETA app carries an AUD 20 application service fee. The page does not describe that fee as refundable, and it advises against making travel arrangements until the ETA is granted.

Is there a free alternative for European passport holders?

The page notes that European passport holders may be eligible for an eVisitor (subclass 651) visa, and that there is no charge to make an eVisitor application. Eligibility depends on your passport, and the 600 visa is the option named for other passport holders.