Visas & Immigration is a popular topic at the Australian Frequent Flyer. When travelling overseas, you certainly need to have a good understanding of immigration procedures, including getting the required visas to the countries you are planning on visiting.
The Australian government is yet again increasing the Passenger Movement Charge that must be paid when departing Australia. This comes into effect on 1 January 2027.
It's 2026. We can send astronauts into space. And yet, international travel still relies completely on a single, physical paper booklet - causing big problems for travellers whose passports are lost are stolen. Surely there's a better digital solution.
The UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a departure tax that now adds up to £253 (AU$477) to the cost of international flights departing the UK.
The Australia Travel Declaration worked well when I recently arrived on an international flight in Brisbane. But there are still some teething issues with Australia's new digital arrival card.
In-town check-in can be super convenient - letting you drop off your luggage and collect boarding passes in the city any time on the day of your flight.
Europe's Schengen countries will soon stop stamping the passports of foreign visitors, ahead of ETIAS coming into effect in 2026.
The Australian government mandates secondary bag checks for Liquids, Aerosols & Gels (LAGs) at the boarding gate for inbound flights. This ridiculous policy achieves nothing and should end.
Despite many anecdotal reports, the real-world data tells us that Australians are still flying to the USA. In fact, Australia-USA passenger numbers are up 4% compared to 2024. But that doesn't tell the whole story, and there's one particularly surprising trend.
Since 17 September 2025, Australian citizens no longer need to apply for a visa to enter Chile for up to 90 days.
Qantas Points Club members are earning fewer status credits on flights to/from Norfolk Island because Qantas treats the Australian territory as an international destination. It hasn't disclosed this anywhere.
Although you can book Emirates and British Airways flights on a single Qantas ticket, neither airline will check your baggage through or issue a boarding pass for the other carrier.
Australians, as well as citizens of many other countries, will require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK from 8 January 2025. You must apply and pay online for this before travelling to the United Kingdom.