In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian government has put several travel restrictions and guidelines in place. Here is a 2-minute overview of the current international travel status for Australian citizens.
Exemptions
Only exempted travelers are currently allowed entry into Australia. Nonetheless, automatic exemptions are given to the following categories of individuals:
- Australian citizens.
- Permanent residents of Australia.
- Any immediate family member of an Australian citizens or permanent resident.
- Children under 12 years of age.
- A New Zealand citizen who usually resides in Australia.
- A diplomat accredited to Australia and their immediate family.
- Airline crew and maritime crew.
- A transiting traveller spending less than 72 hours in Australia.
- An individual with a Business Innovation and Investment visa(subclass 188).
If the above categories don’t apply to you, the Commissioner of the Australian Border Force can grant an individual exemption if you meet specific requirements. You only need to make an application two weeks before your travel date but not more than two months prior.
A rejected application will deny you entry into Australia. If the exemption is granted, you have to present the proof of exemption at the airport.
Vaccination
To travel into and out of Australia, you must show evidence of vaccination at least one week before your international travel.
It is required that your vaccine has been approved or recognized by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Australian citizens consider one to be fully vaccinated if they have completed a course or mixed dose of the approved vaccines.
One is required to take two doses of the following vaccines at least two weeks apart for international travels:
- AstraZeneca Covishield.
- AstraZeneca Vaxzevria.
- Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV.
- Pfizer/ BioNTech Comirnaty.
- Sinovac Coronavac.
- Moderna Spikevax.
- Bharat Biotech Covaxin.
One dose of Johnson & Johnson/ Janssen-Cilag COVID Vaccine is also sufficient to acquire full vaccination status.
Australian citizens arriving or departing from the country must provide proof of vaccination, the International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC). When you check-in, you will be required to present the ICVC to the airline staff for departure to or from Australia.
If you have received your vaccination outside of Australia, you must provide a vaccination certificate issued by the country of vaccination. Moreover, the certificate must indicate the complete dose schedule of the approved vaccine for eligibility.
Medical exemption
Individuals with medical contraindications for the approved COVID -19 vaccines in Australia can use their immunization history or a COVID-19 digital certificate as proof.
However, an eligible health practitioner must report the medical contraindication review to the Australian citizens Immunisation Register for recognition. Furthermore, the onus is on you to demonstrate receipt of the report.
Testing
There are no pre-departure requirements for individuals leaving Australia. However, your country of destination may have entry requirements that include COVID-19 testing. Therefore, it’s essential to check in with the embassy of your country of destination for clear guidelines on the entry requirements.
Individuals traveling into Australian citizens need a negative COVID-19 PCR test. In addition, you must present proof of the test taken within three days of the day of your departure. Rapid antigen tests and serology tests are not accepted for travel purposes in Australia.
If your flight is delayed beyond the three-day window, you have still met the pre-departure requirements. Nonetheless, flight cancellation or rescheduling will require new evidence of a negative COVID -19 PCR test.
Your PCR results must display the following information.
- Your name, date of birth and passport number
- The result: negative (not detected) or positive (detected)
- Test method: COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 PCR
- Date of sample collection and testing
If you have a positive or inconclusive PCR test, you will not be allowed to check in or board the plane. It is recommended not to go to the airport in order to prevent the spread of the disease.
More travel restrictions apply to individuals traveling in and out of Australia. Check out the guidelines on the Australian government department of health website. You can also consult the Australian embassy in your country.
If a trip to Australia is on the cards, thorough planning is essential as there are plenty of restrictions for leaving and entering the country.
Also read:
Importance Of Travel Even In A Post-COVID World?
