Australia 601 ETA 2026: criminal conviction, TB and healthcare-environment cases

If you have a criminal conviction in any country, the answer published on the Department of Home Affairs Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) page as at July 2026 is not "declare it and hope" — it is to skip the ETA app and apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa with evidence about your criminal convictions. The same page routes three other groups away from the ETA: anyone who has previously failed to meet the health requirement, anyone entering health care or hospital environments, and anyone training at a childcare centre or studying to become a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic. The ETA is built for automated, near-instant decisions on clean cases; once character or health needs a human look, the 600 is the pathway Home Affairs points to.

What does the ETA app actually ask you to declare?

The Australian ETA app asks a short set of yes/no-style questions, and Home Affairs states on the same official page that you must answer them truthfully, including declarations about:

any other passports you hold
any other name you have been known by
any criminal conviction or domestic violence history

That domestic violence declaration sits alongside criminal convictions in the "provide accurate information" section of the official page — it is not a separate visa category or a separate test, it is part of the accuracy obligation. The consequence of getting it wrong is spelled out plainly: if an ETA is granted and Home Affairs later finds you provided incorrect information, the ETA may be cancelled. Details on an issued ETA cannot be changed, and if your ETA details do not exactly match your passport you may be delayed at boarding or refused entry.

Does any criminal conviction really push you to subclass 600?

Per the official eligibility criteria, yes — the wording is country-agnostic and threshold-free. The character requirement is one of the mandatory criteria for an ETA, and the page adds: "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 section repeats the same point from the operational side: a conviction in any country means Home Affairs will need more information from you, and the ETA's automated flow is not designed to carry that.

Subclass 601 of the Migration Regulations 1994 explains the mechanics behind this: clause 601.213 requires the applicant to satisfy public interest criteria including 4002 (character) and 4020 (false or misleading information), and visa condition 8528 relates to criminal convictions totalling 12 months or more. The Home Affairs criterion is the broader one: it sends any conviction to the 600 stream, without reference to sentence length. Consider this article general information about published requirements rather than advice on your own record — a conviction's age, jurisdiction and sentence all affect how it is weighed, and that assessment belongs to the decision-maker or a registered practitioner.

Where does tuberculosis fit into the health requirement?

TB is handled as part of the health requirement rather than as a named ETA exclusion on the official page. Two official statements matter:

You must meet the health requirement to be eligible for an ETA.
Where an applicant has previously failed to meet the health requirement, "the most appropriate visa for these applicants is a Visitor (subclass 600) visa."

The Migration Regulations 1994 add the specific condition: condition 8527 requires the holder to be free from active tuberculosis (TB), and an answer of "yes" to the TB question on the incoming passenger card can lead to referral and possible cancellation action. Because that detail comes from the Migration Regulations 1994 rather than the Home Affairs page, confirm the clause numbers and condition text against the Migration Regulations 1994 as compiled by the Federal Register of Legislation before you rely on them. The practical reading of the official page is simple: if you know you have previously failed a health requirement, the ETA is the wrong instrument and the 600 is the one Home Affairs names; active tuberculosis is instead dealt with through the health requirement and condition 8527, which the official page does not translate into a named visa switch.

When do healthcare, hospital or childcare environments force a 600?

Not because of your own medical history — because of what you will be doing in Australia. The official page lists three activities that require a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and the relevant health checks:

Planned activity in Australia	Visa route per Home Affairs
Training at a childcare centre	Visitor (600) + relevant health checks
Studying to be a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic	Visitor (600) + relevant health checks
Entering health care or hospital environments	Visitor (600) + relevant health checks

Whether you are a nurse joining an observership, a medical student on placement, or a visitor whose itinerary includes time inside a hospital ward, the trigger is the environment, not a diagnosis. This is also why an ETA is a poor fit even for applicants with no health issue at all: the ETA is granted for tourism, visiting family or friends, and business visitor activities, and Home Affairs explicitly sends clinical and childcare settings to the 600 stream where health checks can be required and recorded.

What changes in the paperwork when you switch to 600?

The shift is from a declaration-only app to an evidence-bearing application.

	ETA (subclass 601)	Visitor (subclass 600)
How you apply	Australian ETA app, outside Australia	Online through ImmiAccount
Government charge	No Visa Application Charge; AUD20 app service fee	Charges are set out on the Visitor (subclass 600) page
Character material	Declare convictions; a conviction means you should not use this route	Provide evidence about your criminal convictions
Health material	No routine health checks unless requested	Relevant health checks where the activity or history requires them
Typical speed	Result notified immediately in most cases	Designed for cases needing further information

One ETA-specific document is worth knowing: if Home Affairs cannot process your ETA application without further information, you receive a letter with a link to an online form in ImmiAccount, and you must complete and attach Form 1554: ETA Request for further processing. The official page also warns against simply lodging another ETA application through the app after such a request — you will get the same result.

What if you already hold an ETA and the answer was wrong?

Do not treat the grant as settled. Home Affairs states that an ETA may be cancelled if incorrect information was provided, and separately that ETAs may be cancelled if you work on an ETA or are found not to be a genuine visitor. Because ETA details cannot be amended once issued, the realistic options are to travel only if your disclosure was accurate, or to apply for a visa that matches your circumstances — including a 600 where a conviction or health issue is in play — rather than boarding on an ETA that does not reflect your history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to declare an old or minor criminal conviction on the ETA app?

The official page does not distinguish by age, seriousness or country: it says that if you have a criminal conviction in any country, you should apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and provide evidence about those convictions. The ETA app's declaration questions cover criminal conviction history, and answering incorrectly risks cancellation.

Does the ETA app ask about domestic violence history?

Yes. Home Affairs lists domestic violence history alongside criminal convictions in the information you must declare truthfully when applying, together with any other passports and any prior names. Providing incorrect information can lead to the ETA being cancelled.

Is tuberculosis an automatic ETA refusal?

TB is dealt with through the health requirement rather than as a listed ETA ban. If you have previously failed to meet the health requirement, Home Affairs says the most appropriate visa is the Visitor (subclass 600); the Migration Regulations 1994 set out condition 8527, which requires the holder to be free from active TB.

I am a nurse visiting a hospital for a short placement — can I use an ETA?

Home Affairs directs anyone entering health care or hospital environments, and anyone studying to be a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic, to apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and complete the relevant health checks. The purpose of the visit, not the length, is what moves you out of the ETA stream.

Can my spouse and children be included in my ETA application?

No. Each family member, including those listed on your passport, must submit a separate application. Multiple applications can be submitted and paid for from the same mobile device at the same time, but each person is assessed individually.

How much does an ETA cost and how fast is it decided?

There is no Visa Application Charge, but there is an AUD20 application service fee to use the Australian ETA app. Home Affairs says you will be notified of the result immediately in most cases, with delays possible where questions were answered incorrectly, more information is needed, or your information is hard to verify.