The Australian market offers interesting opportunities for Dutch companies in the agricultural (technology) sector. For a work-related travel to Australia you usually don't need a work visa but you can simply apply for the eVisitor visa online.
Agricultural sector in Australia
Australia is the second largest agricultural area in the world. There are approximately 85 farms in the country occupying more than 372 million hectares of land for agricultural production. These agricultural businesses occupy 48% of Australia's land area. In 2019, the total turnover of the agricultural industry was about AUD 282,2 billion. Thanks to the variety of climates that the country has, there is an enormous diversity of products. The most important of these are livestock, meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruit and grains.
Opportunities for Dutch companies
The National Farmers Federation (NFF) aims to grow the Australian agricultural industry to AUD 100 billion by 2030. This creates many opportunities for Dutch companies that supply agricultural machinery, processing technology, water management technology or alternative energy. If you want to explore these opportunities further by traveling to Australia, you will have to take a number of things into account.
Exploring opportunities in Australia: do you need a work visa or not?
Contrary to popular belief, a work visa is not always required to work in Australia. In most cases, you can simply travel with the easy-to-apply online eVisitor visa, e.g. to attend a trade show/seminar/conference, attend meetings/tours/meetings, negotiate and sign business agreements, and track of a study or training (except medical studies). Also the sold of services or products to companies or organizations is allowed with an eVisitor visa for Australia.
However, it is not allowed to supply these services or products consumers in Australia or to provide services to deliver to companies if you only have an eVisitor visa. To be allowed to perform this work in Australia you need a special work visa. Also, with an eVisitor visa, you may not be employed by an Australian employer and neither you nor your employer may receive any compensation, salary or other type of payment from an Australian company/consumer for your work.
eVisitor visa Australia
The program eVisitor visa for Australia is valid for a whole year from the date of grant. During these twelve months, you can travel to Australia an unlimited number of times, as long as each stay lasts a maximum of three months. Only the arrival date has to fall within the validity period.