Online Services - Browser Requirements
On this page
Because of the importance of keeping your data secure, these online visa services requires your browser to support 128 bit encryption.
This provides the highest level of encryption generally available today. To check that your browser is compatible follow the instructions below.
Supported browsers
Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer version 6.0 or higher is required.
To ensure the security and privacy of your information, this site uses a secure protocol (HTTPS) for all transmissions of personal data between your browser and the site. This means that your browser must be able to support HTTPS. The site will attempt to establish a secure connection using 128-bit encryption. If the browser does not support this level of encryption, then the connection will not be established and you will not be able to access our online services.
You can check the version and encryption strength of your copy of Internet Explorer by opening the application, choosing the Help Menu from the toolbar, then About Internet Explorer.
If the version you are using is incorrect or the Cipher Strength shows anything smaller than 128 bit,
then you need to upgrade your browser.
See: Microsoft Help and Support
Other known issues
Internet Explorer 7 – Connection timed out
Internet Explorer 7 users may experience the Internet Explorer error message ‘connection timed
out’. The common reason for this error relates to a website page that is not displayed within a few
minutes. Internet Explorer imposes a time-out limit for a page to load.
See: Microsoft Help and Support
Internet Explorer 8 – Page navigation errors
Internet Explorer 8 users may receive the following page navigation error message:
'The system has detected unexpected page navigation. This can occur if you use your browser's Back button or a bookmark to move between pages. While using this system, please use only the buttons and links displayed on the page to move between pages. Click OK to return to the current working page.'
To avoid this problem you are encouraged to use only the buttons and links displayed on the page to navigate between pages or reinstall Internet Explorer 7.
Root certificate expired
If your browser version is less then the recommended browser
versions, you may receive a message indicating that 'the root
certificate has expired'.
If you receive this message, you can do one of the following:
- select the option to continue - this will provide an encrypted session to protect your data in the same way as if you had not received this message, however your browser will not be able to to verify that it is guaranteed to be connected with this department's web server; or
- upgrade your browser to a recommended version; or
- download the new Global server certificate root to your browser by following the instructions at the Verisign website.
See: www.verisign.com.au
To continue with online visa services, use your browser's 'Back' button.