Your vaccination status will impact your options for travel to/from Australia.

If you are a fully vaccinated Australian citizen, permanent resident or immediate family member with a travel exemption, you may be eligible for reduced quarantine requirements on your return to Australia. However, this can vary depending on quarantine arrangements in the state or territory to which you are travelling.

  

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs: Preparing to travel to Australia from overseas

What You Need To Do

Check if you can access reduced quarantine requirements

From 1 November 2021 unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Australian children aged 12-17 years old entering Australia through New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory may be eligible for reduced quarantine requirements. They will only be eligible if their accompanying parents or guardians are all fully vaccinated.

If the child is travelling with unvaccinated adult family members, then the entire family group will be subject to managed quarantine. 

Travellers returning to Australia may only enter and travel between NSW, Victoria and the ACT without quarantining.

Before you book your flight, check the following link for the quarantine arrangements for each state or territory to which you are travelling. Make sure that you are prepared to comply with any requirements, including by providing any required information to the relevant state or territory.

If you are planning on traveling onwards, to or through a different state or territory when you arrive in Australia, you need to check the domestic travel restrictions link above. States and territories can apply their own travel restrictions. You can check restrictions in all states and territories using the COVID-19 Restriction Checker.

You are responsible for complying with travel restrictions and requirements that apply to you.

Obtain your foreign vaccination certificate

If you were vaccinated overseas and you do not have an International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate you must obtain a certificate from the country in which you received your vaccination.

For more information see Guidance on foreign vaccination certificates.

Keep a hard copy or an electronic copy of your vaccination certificate. Airlines will check this when you check-in to your flight.

If you are unable to meet the proof of vaccination requirements, you will not qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller.  You will need to follow the current border processes when leaving or coming to Australia.

Complete an Australia Travel Declaration (at least 72 hours before your flight)

Passengers travelling to Australia will be asked to complete an Australia Travel Declaration at least 72 hours before departure.

When filling out this declaration, you will need to upload your vaccination certificate. You will also need to:

1. Make a legally binding declaration in relation to your vaccination status
2. Acknowledge that when you check-in for your flight, you must present evidence of a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within 3 days of your flight’s scheduled departure to Australia (unless you are exempt)
3. Make a declaration that you:
3a. will comply with the quarantine requirements of the state/territory of first arrival and any other state/territory to which you intend to travel; and
3b. have made quarantine arrangements prior to travel where required.

Penalties will apply for giving false and misleading information, including potential criminal prosecution for providing false or misleading information.  This is set out in s 137.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.

Travellers may also have to undergo hotel quarantine at their own expense.

Undertake a Pre-Departure COVID-19 Test

A negative COVID-19 PCR test result is required for travelling to Australia. Evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 3 days before your flight’s scheduled departure must be provided to your airline when you check-in.

If your flight is delayed, you will still be considered to have met the pre-departure testing requirements. You will not need a new test.

However, if your flight is re-scheduled or cancelled, you will need to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no more than 3 days before the re-scheduled flight.

See the Australian Department of Health website for information about:

• PCR test requirements
• What to do if your PCR test result is positive when you have had and recovered from COVID-19
• Medical exemptions for pre-departure testing.  

If transiting, you are responsible for checking airline, departure, testing and proof of vaccination requirements in any countries you transit.

At the Airport

Present your foreign vaccination certificate, or International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate, negative COVID-19 test result and completed ATD to airline staff when you check in for your flight.

Enjoy a happy and safe return to Australia!

  

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs: Preparing to travel to Australia from overseas