Here are some real life accounts of people with minor crimes getting an ETA for Australia.
#1 - They check criminal history when applying for an ETA. Thats why everyone needs an ETA or electronic visa now to enter australia. That way they have time to run your name through various searches to find details they need. If you don't declare it they will still probably find out. Australia though is no where near as bad as the US and it really depends on whether you declare your conviction, what the conviction was and when it was. eg DUI is considered bad in the USA. Its still bad here, but not necessarily grounds to deny entry.
#2 - I came to Oz two weeks ago and they let me through customs without asking for any of the required entry details. All of which I had. I had an x-ray with me as well as bank statements and visa details. They just stamped my passport and let me through. Took twenty minutes and was laughable. Such a shame I went to all the trouble of legitimacy to not even having to show these documents. That x-ray cost me nearly 75 dollars...
#3 - I'd just go ahead and apply for the ETA - I dont think that drink driving is considered a criminal offence - I maybe wrong, but I think "criminal"
involves offences along the lines of theft, assault, drug trafficking, beating us at rugby union. For offences committed as a minor you would have no problem about not disclosing them and other "old" convictions over about 9 years ago.
#4 - I have one on my record. ETA denied. Filed a regular tourist Visa Application - sent my FBI record with the application (already had it as it’s a work requirement). It came back Approved in a little over a week.
#5 - I did not want to wait for them to ask for the FBI paperwork (or God knows what else they might have asked for if I hadn’t sent it), I just attached it to the application and it sailed through.
#6 - Yes, my boyfriend had a conviction for breaking a window 10 years ago whilst drinking with mates!!! He had to apply for a visitor's visa on the form 48 which you can get from the dima website. Fill it in and send it off to London with £25, We also sent a police check. The visa came back in the passport within a week. No problems!
#7 - We went out to OZ in November on the ETA Tourist visa and was then told that we should have gone for the other tourist visa because my O/H had a criminal conviction, apparantly you do have to pay for this one but in hind sight had we known we would have paid to avoid all the worry. When we applied on-line for the ETA it asked if you had served time in prison for 12 months or more which my O/H had not so we thought it would be ok but 3 days before we were due to leave we found out that this could be a problem and was really worried. I called Australia House and asked them because we would not have had time to apply for the other tourist visa. They basically told me that they thought it would be ok but it really depended what they said at the other end so we had no choice but to take a chance. We filled out the landing card to say that he did have a conviction and he was pulled to one side when we went through. They asked him about his conviction which was over 20 years ago and said that they did not feel that he would be a threat to the Australians and that because we had been honest they would let him in.
#8 - I came in with a DUI on an ETA in OCT. Just be honest about it when you go thru customs, they'll have you fill out a form and then let you thru. I had another guy have to do the same thing at the same time in immigration so I think Oz is used to seeing this. And it's rather an issue here too, so I certainly wouldn't worry abou your ETA. Only caveat is I applied for my ETA before I got my DUI, but shouldn't matter.
#9 - I needed a Visa to visit Australia. I applied for an ETA Visa today and got it. The website said I could apply for it, if my criminal offense was less the 12 months jail time. I didn't have to serve any time but the maximum jail time I could have gotten was 6 months. I just did a normal ETA and filled it out. They give a form when entering the country that asks if you've been convicted of a crime so I checked it. When they see that you checked that on the form, they have another guy take you off to the side and ask you some questions. They asked me what it was, when it happened, and how much it cost for the ticket. He wrote it down and copied it and put in some file I'm guessing. So if I ever go back they'll probably ask the same question is my guess. Not really sure if they would have actually known if I never told them truthfully.
I hope this helps you.
