Travelling to Australia? Travel Restrictions and Requirements to Expect this 2022

06 January 2022

Australia relaxed its border restrictions after a 20-month closure on November 1. Australian citizens, residents and their families can now travel without quarantine restrictions on the way home — unless they are arriving from one of eight southern African countries.

However, those rules are at a national level — and not all regions are allowing international travel. The borders are still closed to all other arrivals. The Australian government had previously suggested that restrictions might ease visitors in 2022.

Who is Permitted to Travel?

Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family (including parents) may enter. From November 1, quarantine rules in some Australian regions have been relaxed. On December 15, the borders also reopened to overseas students and skilled migrant workers. A two-way “travel bubble” between Australia and New Zealand began April 19 but has now been paused until the end of the year as the Delta variant has hit Australia — which, previously, had been largely unaffected by the pandemic.

However, one-way quarantine-free travel from New Zealand to participating jurisdictions in Australia for fully vaccinated travellers resumed November 1. Australia also reopened quarantine-free entry to fully vaccinated arrivals from Singapore on November 21. Only Singaporean citizens are eligible — permanent residents who are third-country nationals are not.

Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members who have been to South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the Seychelles or Malawi in the last 14 days are allowed entry but must undergo enforced quarantine. No other travellers may arrive from those destinations, even if they qualify for a travel exemption. The internal border with the island of Tasmania reopened on December 14, and that of Queensland on December 13.

What are the Entry Requirements?

All arrivals to Australia must be fully vaccinated and present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival. The previous strict quarantine regulations have been dropped at a national level — other than for those coming from the countries below — meaning that individual states and territories must take their own decisions.

Arrivals who have been to South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the Seychelles or Malawi in the last 14 days are allowed entry but must undergo enforced quarantine in line with state requirements.

New South Wales and Victoria, for example, have dropped the quarantine for fully vaccinated arrivals and children under 12. Western Australia, however, requires 14 days of quarantine. Passengers from some destinations in the Pacific may present a test taken within 96 hours of departure.

Travellers to Tasmania from high-risk areas must present a negative test taken within 72 hours of arrival. They must also be vaccinated unless they hold a travel exemption. Queensland also requires visitors to be fully vaccinated.

What’s to Look Forward to in Australia?

Are you looking for wild open spaces? World-class beaches? A thrumming food and drinks scene? Australia has all of that in spades. From Uluru to the Sydney Opera House, its icons span the Outback to the cities, sacred spaces to cultural centres. Plus, of course, there’s that laidback, beach-driven lifestyle.

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