Almost two years after Australia closed to the world, its international border will reopen to those who are fully vaccinated. The new border rules will come into place on 21 February. Below we will fill you in on when Australia is reopening to fully vaccinated travellers.
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Reopening to tourists and other international travelers to secure Australia’s economic recovery
In a media release, Minister of Home Affairs Karen Andrews announced that Australia is reopening to fully vaccinated visa holders, welcoming the return of tourists, business travellers, and other visitors from 21 February.
Unvaccinated visa holders will still have to apply for a travel exemption to travel to Australia. Those who get permission to enter Australia will have to undergo hotel quarantine.
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Minister Andrews said that reopening to tourists and other international travellers is necessary to secure Australia’s economic recovery.
The NSCC (National Security Committee Cabinet) agreed to reopen the borders in response to improving health conditions in Australia, including a recent 23 per cent decline in hospitalisations due to COVID.
Great news and much-needed clarity for Australia’s tourism industry
Minister Andrews said that the announcement of the border reopening would give certainty to Australia’s tourism industry, and allow them to start planning, hiring, and preparing for visitors.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said to ABC News that the announcement is “fantastic news for our people and our customers.”
He continued, “We will be looking at our schedules to see if we can restart flights from more international destinations sooner or add capacity to those routes we are already flying. We have the flexibility to ramp up flights in response to demand.”
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Western Australia still closed to most of the world
Western Australia has implemented hard border settings in response to Omicron, the latest COVID-19 variant.
Under these border settings, Westeran Australia only allows approved travellers meeting strict requirements into the state. That includes travellers arriving from other parts of Australia!
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Please keep these border settings in mind when making travel arrangements to Australia. If you need advice or assistance with visa or exemption applications, get in touch with our team. Our licensed advisors are happy to help.
What To Know About Traveling to Australia
From 21 February 2022, visa holders who are fully vaccinated with two doses of a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved Covid-19 vaccine can travel to Australia quarantine-free, without the need to apply for a travel exemption.
To be eligible to enter Australia, international travellers must:
- hold a valid Australian visa.
- be fully vaccinated with two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and provide proof of vaccination status.
- Present a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) or Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Covid-19 test taken within 24 hours of departure (unless a medical exemption applies).
- As of 7 February 2022, fully vaccinated visa holders can enter all states and territories quarantine-free from 21 February 2022, except for Western Australia.
- Travellers will need to comply with requirements in the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territories that they plan to travel to. Information on entry requirements is updated regularly so it is important to check the latest requirements before travelling. Travellers are also encouraged to check any requirements for stopover destinations that they are transitioning through.