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Australia will finally reopen its international border to vaccinated tourists and anyone with an eligible visa to enter the country on 21 February 2022, almost two years since the border was closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement was made today by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews after days of speculation that the reopening of the international border would be imminent.
The reopening of Australia’s border has been a long time coming
For much of the past two years, since March 2020, Australian residents were banned from leaving the country while strict caps applied to the number of returning Australians, who needed to enter 14 days of mandatory hotel quarantine on arrival at their own expense.
The outbound travel ban for was removed for vaccinated Australians on 1 November 2021. From this date, vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members were also once again able to fly into NSW, Victoria or the ACT without having to enter quarantine. Quarantine-free travel to all other states & territories except Western Australia has also since resumed for those eligible to enter the country.
But until now, the criteria for being allowed to enter Australia has been quite limited. The travel ban on Singaporean citizens was removed in late November, while Japanese citizens, Korean citizens and certain eligible visa holders were allowed into Australia from 15 December 2021.
Now, finally, anyone else who is vaccinated and normally able to enter Australia will be allowed to do so as well from 21 February 2022.
This is great news for the many people who didn’t previously qualify to enter Australia under the previous rules, such as friends of Australians or people coming for a holiday. The announcement will also come as a relief to the many thousands of temporary visa holders in Australia who’ve been stuck in limbo, unable to leave the country as they would not be able to get back in.
Airlines and struggling tourism operators have also welcomed the news.
What’s required to enter Australia from 21 February 2022
Anyone entering Australia from 21 February 2022 will need to meet the same entry requirements that currently apply to Australian citizens, permanent residents and visa holders. These include:
- Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19
- Completion of an Australia Travel Declaration before departure
- A negative pre-departure COVID-19 test. This can be either:
- A PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure, or
- A rapid antigen/lateral flow taken taken within 24 hours before departure.
The full requirements are listed on the Department of Health website.
Arriving international passengers will also be subject to the entry requirements of the Australian state or territory they are travelling to. Generally, this just involves getting a COVID-19 test/s after arrival and may involve filling out a form. Check the entry requirements for each state & territory for details.
People who are not considered to be fully vaccinated with a vaccine recognised by the TGA will still need to apply for an exemption to enter Australia and undergo hotel quarantine if approved.
Western Australia is still closed
Unfortunately for anyone wishing to travel to Western Australia, that state is still banning travel from all other states without an exemption. Only approved travellers who qualify for an exemption to enter WA based on a range of strict criteria can travel to the state, and must quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted
