Australia is among the ten countries with the largest territory. So, at the moment, Australia is the sixth largest country among all countries of the world. The Australian Union includes the mainland Australia (the only state in the world covering an entire continent) and several large islands. The largest of the Australian Union Islands is Tasmania.
The main language used for communication is English, which explains the fact that residents of countries where the main language is the same, as well as residents of countries who know English as a second and additional language, prefer to choose a visa to Australia. At the same time, Australian culture is different from other English-speaking countries. Uniqueness begins with the position of a single country on the mainland and is supplemented by thinking and a mentality different from, for example, the mentality of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom. If the thought of a typical gentleman awaits us with the image of a strict and restrained person, then a typical Australian is more characteristic of friendly communication, avoiding strict formalities, but at the same time attentiveness to personal property and behavior in public places.
Culture: local people
The country's culture was most fully formed in the 19th century, when a strong influx of emigrants from Germany, Canada, Greece and the USA began. Gold deposits were found in the southeast of the country, and most newcomers were interested in their development.
Around the same time, Australian English was formed, different from British and American. Although knowledge of both of them greatly facilitates the process of obtaining a visa to Australia to visit. However, one must take into account the fact that more than 80% of the population have British ethnic roots, which means that the influence of British English in the country is more noticeable. Since 1770, the country was a British colony, and in the Australian Union the colonies merged in 1901. Thanks to the proximity of indigenous Aborigines and emigrants, the basic principle of the country's culture was laid - equality. And in 1993, Aboriginal land rights were legally recognized through the activities of Edward Mabo. It is worth clarifying that the recognition was legalized in relation to the lands that the natives owned before the arrival of the Europeans.
It is worth noting that the process of obtaining a visa to Australia, applying for a visa and simply tourist interest is often associated with the culture of local residents, or, in other words, Aboriginal people. So, they are characterized by characteristic dance customs, and the didgeridoo instrument has become known to the whole world precisely due to the fact that many melodies of local residents are played on it. Today, the tourism business is one of the ways of earning the population of indigenous Aborigines. Excursions to sacred places and villages located in nature are considered exotic and are in increasing demand from year to year.
Urban trends
The culture of modern Australia is for the most part urbanistic. All the most important events take place in the capital - Melbourne. Art festivals, Formula 1 races, Grand Slam tournaments - these are just the most famous of the events held here. And Melbourne bears the title of "the most liveable city on the planet." What is not another reason to apply for a visa to Australia?
Many interesting events take place on the south coast of the country. Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide - in all these cities tourists find something interesting for themselves, and films are made about the culture of diving and surfing in these places. Warm weather and water for a long time of the year provide a constant flow of people who want to relax and have a good time.
Getting a visa and its types
Many domestic tourists wonder: "Do you need a visa to Australia for Russians?" Let's deal with this issue.
It is not surprising that due to this climate and natural features, the mainland is very popular among tourists. Therefore, many of the Russian and foreign travelers traveling on the road for work or for entertainment, wonder: how to get a visa to Australia on your own?
First you need to decide what type of visa you need. Documents for various types of this document can be submitted to the Embassy of the country, and depending on the type of visa, the package of documents will change.
In general, visas to Australia are divided into two large groups:
- For a temporary stay.
- Immigration.
And already each of the subgroups includes various categories, from which you will need to choose the most suitable. It will become really easier to get a visa to Australia if you clearly determine the purpose of the trip, and already proceeding from it, take the following steps. If your goal is to visit a country for a limited period of time without staying in it for permanent residence, consider a group of visas for temporary stay, which are divided into two types:
- Guest Visa to Australia (Division 600).
- Tourist for up to three months. The purpose of visiting the country with this visa: vacation, vacation, visit to family or friends, study in the country for up to three months.
To apply for a tourist visa to Australia, you will need to provide the following list of documents:
- Permission to provide information to inspectors (a choice of two forms to fill out).
- Copy of a valid passport.
- Documents confirming the availability of a visa.
- Documents confirming the availability of financial resources.
- CV summary.
- Proof of source of income.
- For students: a letter from a school or university confirming student status.
- A number of additional documents are provided for students visiting relatives and friends in Australia. Also a separate package of documents for minor applicants.
For more information on visa applications for Australia, visit the Consulate's official website.
Business trip
What does a business trip mean? It is expected to attend conferences, meetings and other events. Cannot be used to carry out work or provide services to an Australian organization.
You can apply for a visa to Australia for short-term business trips by presenting the following documents:
- Permission to provide information in writing.
- Copy of valid passport.
- Copies of visas for previous business trips.
- Invitation from an organization in the country of destination.
- CV summary.
- Confirmation of sources of income and cash availability.
- A number of documents are also required to be submitted if applicants are under the age of 18.
Visa for temporary work and professional activities in the short term and a visa for invited participants. In order to get a work visa to Australia, you will need to provide the following package of documents:
- Documentary evidence of qualifications and work experience relevant to the purpose of the trip.
- Invitation from an Australian organization.
You will also need to pay attention that such a visa is not suitable for a trip about studying in the country.
In addition, each subclass of work visa is granted for the respective categories of applicants.
Subclass 400:
- Short-term specialists.
- Journalists for short-term coverage of one event.
- Sports teams of national level.
- Nannies to accompany minor children during a trip of the employer's family.
Division 408:
- Athletes traveling to competitions and persons from their official escort.
- Participants in contests, competitions and similar events.
- Teachers and lecturers.
- National teams.
A visa to Australia in Moscow can also be obtained for a transit stay in the country. It will be valid for no more than seventy-two hours. A transit visa to Australia also requires a specific set of documents. If you plan to go to any destination other than Australia, but you need to stop on its territory for a period of not more than seventy-two hours, the following documents must be submitted to the embassy:
- Permission to access third-party information.
- Transit application in form 876.
- 1 photograph 35 x 45 mm in color.
- Copy of certain pages of the passport.
There are rules for persons who are and are not members of the crew of the vessel. They can be found on the website of the country's embassy in Russia.
Visas to Australia for Russians planning to study in the country are called student visas. In order to get them, you need to come up with a number of criteria, in particular, future students will need to fill out an online health declaration on the Department’s website. Upon completion, its system will issue a referral for examination by an accredited doctor to obtain a student visa to Australia. A copy of this direction will need to be attached when applying for a package of visa documents. These will include:
- visa questionnaire;
- photo 35 x 45 mm in color;
- international passport;
- confirmation of previous trips;
- proof of source of income;
- confirmation of the purpose of the trip;
- certificate of marriage and the birth of children (if any);
- notarized copies of some documents.
To obtain an Australian visa, the embassy is also classified as temporary, but in fact necessary for undergoing treatment in the country, you will need to provide the following documents.
- Confirmation of the purpose of the visit to the country.
- Copy of passport.
- Two photographs 35 x 45 mm.
- A set of documents for minor applicants.
Permanent Visas
Visas for permanent residence, as well as guest visas, are divided into several groups, their common name is immigration visas.
Partner Visa and Expected Marriage:
- Bride / groom (subclass 300 - prospective marriage) .;
- Spouse (subclass 309).
The applicant must stay outside Australia at the time of application and decision on visas of subclass 300 or 309. To receive the document you will need to provide:
- Permission to use information (form 956).
- Application for immigration to the country (form 47SP).
- Confirmation of payment of visa fees.
- Three photos 35 x 45 of the applicant and two photos 35 x 45 of his partner.
- A separate package of documents for minor applicants.
- Evidence of a relationship with an applicant residing in the country may also be required.
A full list of documents can always be found on the website of the country's embassy of the place of residence.
You can also apply for an Australian visa for children and other family members who need to travel to live in a country where relatives are located.
Obtaining a visa to Australia is always associated with the payment of visa fees. This is a collection of a certain amount of money from organizations or individuals when applying for a document to an institution (in this case, referring to an embassy). In the case of issuing any visas at the time of filing the documents, the corresponding visa fees should already be paid and certificates of payment should be on hand. Documents submitted without payment are considered invalid.
Quick Visa Tips
How to get a visa to Australia if the fee has already been paid? There are a number of tips for everyone planning to travel abroad, you can follow them and facilitate the process of obtaining the necessary papers. If you follow them, then you will not have to submit all the packages again due to the rejection by the employees of non-standard documents.
- All copies of documents submitted during execution must be certified by a notary.
- All documents not in English must be accompanied by a translation from an accredited translator.
- Prior to obtaining approval for a visa, it is better not to redeem tickets for the flight.
- In the application form, it is better to indicate the departure date earlier than planned.
- A visa to Australia for Russians can be difficult to obtain if you submit part of the documents, and not the entire package.
- Upon receipt of the documents, all data must be checked for correctness, as there are errors in filling out passport data on the receiving side.
- A visa to Australia, which takes more than a month to get, is also a common occurrence, and the reason is always inattention to the requirements for a package of documents.
- One person can submit documents for the entire group of those leaving.
After figuring out what type of visa you need and what you need to do to get it, you can focus on the benefits of staying in the country. So, what awaits you if you came to the country out of work and want to relax with your family or on your own? Firstly, of course, a variety of sightseeing tours.
Many people mistakenly think that the people of Australia can travel the world completely unhindered. Of course not! For example, a visa for citizens of Australia at the entrance to the territory of our country will also be required in the same way as we are Australian at crossing the border.
Famous sights
With the help of tour operators, after obtaining a visa, you can visit such rare places as the Prince Regent National Park, Montgomery Reef, the famous Australian horizontal waterfalls, the Sydney Aquarium or the Australian animal park.
Prince Regent Park is one of the most exotic and beautiful places in the country. It is located in the northwest of the continent, in the district of Kimberley. Surrounded by red rocks, the Prince Regent River, which gave the name to the reserve, flows through almost its entire territory. The most popular activities here are cruises and fishing. The park has collected more than half of all the animals and birds living in the area, and five hundred species of plants located here are further confirmation that Australia is a great place to relax. It is after visiting the reserve’s website and viewing all the admired reviews about it that planning tours begin to think about how much a visa to Australia costs. Because to see this with my own eyes is really something that is lacking for a modern person living in stone cities.
In Prince Regent, you can admire not only rare animals and birds, but also the famous Royal Cascades - a special kind of vertical waterfalls. And it is also here that in coastal waters you can see with your own eyes combed crocodiles - the largest reptiles on Earth. Their length can reach as much as seven meters!
There is no land access to the park; you can only get here by water. Cruise ships from nearby districts of the country call without fail.
Montgomery Reef is located in Kimberley County, on the coast of Western Australia. At a distance of twenty kilometers from the coast, the reef covers an area of several hundred square meters of land. At low tide, the total surface of the reef is two hundred and seventy square kilometers.
Here you can see tens of thousands of rare fish, turtles, dolphins and even crocodiles.
What is special and interesting to see in the Sydney aquarium? Firstly, of course, the size of the structure - a normal walk around the aquarium without stopping to view everything that happens behind its glass can take more than three and a half hours. In the aquarium you can see more than six hundred and fifty species of representatives of the marine fauna of Australia. In terms of numbers, it is more than six thousand individuals of fish and marine animals.
All that you can see in the aquarium is divided into four zones:
- Southern rivers.
- Northern rivers.
- Southern oceans.
- Great Barrier Reef.
The most memorable place of the exposition is, of course, a large glass tunnel passing inside the building. On three sides, the tunnel is surrounded by water, the inhabitants of which swim right above the heads of admiring spectators.
Australian Animal Park is a forty-five-minute drive from Sydney to the world famous Blue Mountains. The date of the first discovery was 1953, and the land on which everything was located turned out to be the property of Charles and Mergory Vig. Initially, the zoo was closed, but then thousands of tourists got access to it, and the park became famous far beyond the borders of the country.
Today, the park exhibits more than five thousand species of diverse animals and birds, among which you can find both rare and most common.
The living conditions in the zoo are as close to natural as possible, so the harm that animals can get from staying here is really minimized. And besides, there are several cafes, picnic areas and souvenir shops in the park.
What other attractions can Australia boast of in order to attract tourists?
Unusual story of famous landmark
It may be interesting both the history and the form of embodiment of the famous cave paintings in Bradshaw.
Ancient painting in the northwestern region of the Australian Kimberley County was first described and discovered in 1891. Most often, the drawings found on the rocks are human figures with elements of clothing, utensils and tools. Aboriginal rock art gives an idea of their economy, life style, myths and, of course, way of thinking.
Over the past century, more than a thousand paintings of this kind have been discovered in Australia. The researchers of Bradshaw's drawings in the 50s of the last century estimated the number of such drawings at several tens of thousands. Most often, drawings of this style appeared on the walls of grottoes or next to overhanging ledges of rocks. Some of the samples of famous drawings turn out to be collected even on the domes of caves, they were created lying on their backs on specially constructed wooden forests. According to a similar method, artists of the Renaissance painted their paintings, painting temples.
At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the semantic content of Bradshaw's frescoes. Here you can often see the figures of people - living, with the right proportions and excellent detail. And the most noticeable are those images and figures that are captured in motion. Material used by unknown artists is red ocher. The people in the figures dance, run, contact with each other and participate in ritual sacrifices.
In their style, the described drawings are fundamentally different from everything that was created earlier, both in prehistoric and in our times.
In an attempt to systematize such works, the researchers came to the conclusion that Kimberly's painting, to complete coincidence, may be similar to the Mesolithic cave painting of eastern Spain.
Entry Rules
Once you find out the most interesting places you can visit, it's time to clarify the details of how a visa and entry rules to Australia are related in their complexity and whether they are related at all. After all, as you know, to obtain a visa, you will have to wait from several weeks to a month, while the rules of entry are also not the simplest.
The most memorable and simple rules include the following provisions:
- Free import of foreign and national currency, despite the fact that amounts of more than ten thousand Australian dollars are subject to declaration.
- The following goods can be imported into the country without paying customs duties: personal items (totaling up to Australian $ 900 for adults and $ 450 for minors); alcoholic beverages at the rate of not more than two and a quarter liters per person; tobacco products for up to fifty cigarettes or fifty grams of cigars per person, regardless of place of purchase.
- Food, drugs, and certain medications are prohibited for import (if you must use them in Australia, a special supporting certificate must be presented).
- Pets are allowed only with the permission of the country's quarantine service.
- Plants, wildlife, and things of artistic and historical value are not allowed to be exported.
Conclusion
By and large, obtaining permission to enter the territory of a country is always a laborious process. But if you study all the basic rules and nuances, then travelers will never have problems. The main thing is desire and determination!
So, having received a visa and having decided on the place and purpose of the trip, you can really spend an unforgettable time in one of the most interesting countries in the world. Good luck and bon voyage!