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Citizens of Bahrain, Oman and Qatar wanting to visit Australia can now apply for a tourist visa using the online eVisa system, the Australian government reported on 21 April.
Since 2 April, citizens of these Gulf countries have been able to lodge a tourist visa application from the Internet or through an approved travel agent. It will not be necessary for these people to wait in line at an Australian immigration office or mail their passport to an embassy, since in the eVisa system labels are no longer placed in their passport. Australian officials say it takes about 20 minutes to complete the electronic application which is processed between seven to 10 business days.
Citizens of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, have been applying online for their Tourist visas since 2003 and 2004, respectively, while nine EU countries have access to the eVisa system.
