Each arrival starts a new period of up to 3 months, so a trip to New Zealand or Bali and back does reset the per-visit clock while your visa is still valid.
But the visa is a visitor visa
The eVisitor is granted on the basis that you are visiting. Someone who spends nine of twelve months in Australia, leaving only briefly each time, is not visiting — they are living there on a visitor visa. Border officers look at the pattern across your passport, not just the current entry.
What you may be asked to show on re-entry
- An onward or return ticket
- Funds to support yourself for the stay
- Evidence that you are going home: work, study, a lease, family
- A reason for returning so soon
If entry is refused
A valid visa is permission to travel, not a guarantee of entry. If an officer is not satisfied that you are a genuine visitor, the visa can be cancelled at the border and you can be sent back on the next available flight. That record then follows you into future applications.
Source: Department of Home Affairs — eVisitor (subclass 651)
Your eVisitor stops working the moment it expires — 12 months after it was granted. Check the grant date before booking a return trip near the end of that window.
More on the eVisitor
What is the eVisitor
The eVisitor is a full visitor visa granted electronically to holders of eligible European passports. What it covers and how it differs from the ETA.
How to apply
Applications are made free of charge through ImmiAccount on the Department of Home Affairs website. The order of the steps and the mistakes that cause delays.
Cost
The Australian government charges AUD $0 for the eVisitor: no visa application charge and no service fee. The ETA for other passports costs AUD $20.
What you need
A valid European passport, an email address and about fifteen minutes. No photo, no payment, no documents to upload for most applicants.
Processing time
Most eVisitor applications are decided automatically within a day. What causes an application to take weeks instead.
Validity
An eVisitor lasts 12 months from the date of grant, or until your passport expires, and allows as many entries as you like within that period.