Quarantine Free Travel - Australia

From 18 April 2022, travellers no longer need to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result prior to boarding a flight to Australia. Travellers will continue to be required to provide evidence of their vaccination status prior to entering Australia.

The Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) has replaced the Australia Travel Declaration. Travellers do not have to pay for the DPD - it is free.

You must complete the DPD before you check in to your flight. You must show (either electronically or printed) to airline staff before you board your flight. You will also need to show this when you enter Australia.

All passengers arriving by air into Australia should complete the DPD. You can start your DPD seven days before your flight and submit it within 72 hours before your departure for Australia. This is because you must provide your health information and declaration (vaccination status and COVID-19 test result) within 72 hours before your flight.

Starting your declaration

For New South Wales requirements see here.

Upon arrival into NSW, all passengers who are fully vaccinated must:

• Travel directly from the airport to their home or accommodation.
• Self-isolate until they receive a negative result from a COVID-19 rapid antigen test taken within the first 24 hours of arrival.
• Not enter high risk settings (aged care, disability care, healthcare and correctional facilities) for at least 7 days after arrival in NSW, or 7 days after leaving quarantine if not fully vaccinated.  This does not include accessing personal care.

Unvaccinated international travellers must enter a managed (hotel) quarantine facility for at least 7 days. They will be asked to undertake testing for COVID-19 during their quarantine.

For Queensland requirements see here.

Upon arrival into Queensland, all passengers who are fully vaccinated must:

• Get a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of their arrival in Queensland and quarantine at their residence, accommodation or boat  until they get a negative result.

Unvaccinated international travellers will need to quarantine on arrival to Queensland in government-nominated accommodation for 14 days.

Vaccination exemptions and arrangements for children

Children do not need to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination if they meet these conditions:

• All children aged under 12 years and 3 months, as demonstrated by their passport, count as fully vaccinated for inbound travel purposes (i.e. coming to Australia)
• Australians aged 12-17, who are travelling with fully vaccinated parents/guardians, arriving in New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory who do not meet the criteria for fully vaccinated are exempt from quarantine (subject to state and territory requirements).

Pre-departure testing for travel into Australia

People travelling to Australia need to provide a negative COVID-19 RAT test result no more than 24 hours before the scheduled departure time of their flight (or their first flight, if they have one or more connecting flights booked for their travel to Australia).

Mandatory completion of DPD 3 days prior to flight departure

Travelers to Australia should complete the Digital Passenger Declaration at least 72 hours before departure. Digital completion of the ATD is now mandatory, except in exceptional circumstances. The DPD contains a declaration regarding your vaccination status that is considered to be critical health information. You must be able to provide evidence that you made this declaration before boarding the aircraft.

The DPD collects your contact details in Australia, flight details, travel history, vaccination information, quarantine requirements and your health status.

When filling out the DPD, you will need to:

• provide your contact details, including a contact phone number in Australia
• make a legally binding declaration in relation to your vaccination status
• make a declaration regarding your last 14 days travel history
• make a declaration that you are aware of the quarantine and testing requirements that apply in the State or Territory you are landing, and the penalties for non-compliance.

You can also complete your Digital Passenger Declaration online.

This information helps the Australian Government determine your quarantine arrangements (if required) and also allows the relevant health departments to contact you if someone you travelled with tests positive for COVID-19. 

Approved and recognised vaccines

People who cannot be vaccinated need to have a medical certificate which indicates that they have a medical contraindication to COVID-19 vaccines, that is, they cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

Australia considers you to be fully vaccinated if you have completed a course, including a mixed dose, of a TGA approved or recognized vaccine. Current accepted vaccines and dosages for the purposes of travel are:

Two doses at least 14 days apart of:

• Comirnaty (Pfizer)
• Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)
• Spikevax or Takeda (Moderna)
• COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (Janssen)
• Nuvaxovid (Biocelect on behalf of Novavax).
• Coronavac (Sinovac)
• Covishield (AstraZeneca - Serum Institute of India)
• BBIBP-CorV for people under 60 years of age on arrival in Australia (Sinopharm China)
• Covaxin (Bharat Biotech)
• Sputnik V (Gamaleya Research Institute)

Seven days must have passed since the final dose of vaccine in a course of immunisation for you to be considered fully vaccinated. Mixed doses count towards being fully vaccinated as long as all vaccines are approved or recognised by the TGA. Doses of Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV only count towards being fully vaccinated for people under 60 years of age on arrival in Australia.

If you have not been vaccinated with the above doses or schedule, you do not meet Australia's definition of 'fully vaccinated.' This includes instances where the dosing schedule or vaccine eligibility differs in your country of origin.

Proof of vaccination in Australia

Australians departing and returning to Australia must provide an international COVID-19 vaccination certificate (ICVC) as evidence of vaccination.

You must present your IVCV to airline staff at check-in for departure to and from Australia.

Proof of vaccination overseas

This includes:

• Australian citizens and permanent residents
• their immediate family members aged 12 years and over.

Your vaccination certificate must confirm you have been vaccinated with a vaccine approved or recognized by the TGA.

You must also confirm your vaccination status in a Digital Passenger Declaration.

Australia is taking an inclusive approach to accepting foreign vaccination certificates. Any foreign certificate – paper or digital – is acceptable as long as:

1. it was issued by a national or state/provincial-level authority or an accredited vaccination
   provider (for example a pharmacy, or a doctor/nurse signing an entry in a WHO yellow book)
2. it is in English, or accompanied by a certified translation
3. it shows:

• the traveler's name as it appears in the passport*
• the traveler's date of birth or passport number or national identity number**
• the vaccine brand name, and
• either the date of each dose or the date on which the traveler completed a full course of immunisation.

Paper and digital certificates are equally acceptable.

*If the name on the vaccination certificate differs from the name on the passport, including a name on an Australian passport, the traveller will need to show some evidence of being the certificate’s rightful holder, such as a driver license or marriage certificate.

**If a certificate shows only a national identity number, and if that number does not appear in the traveler's passport, then the traveler needs to show evidence of the national identity number that matches the number and name on the vaccination certificate. The presumption is always that a vaccination certificate is acceptable unless there’s a clear reason for doubt.

Anyone vaccinated overseas who wants to travel into Australia must present a vaccination certificate issued by the country they were vaccinated in.