Powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
australian aviation logo

New requirements revealed for overseas arrivals to Australia

written by Hannah Dowling | January 24, 2022

Qantas A380 VH-OQB departing Sydney Airport, January 2011. (Wikicommons/berichard)

Overseas travellers will no longer be required to provide a negative pre-departure PCR COVID-19 test in order to enter Australia.

Instead, as of 1am on Sunday, 23 January, travellers into the country will only need to provide a negative rapid antigen test (RAT), within the 24 hours before their departure.

According to the Department of Health, the rapid antigen test must be undertaken by, or under the supervision of, a medical practitioner, such as a pharmacist, GP, nurse or trained personnel at an airport-based testing station.

RAT results will also need to be formalised in paper or electronic form, with the details of the test result, the information of the travellers, the test method, the brand of RAT used, as well as the date and location where the test was conducted.

Additionally, the government has also moved to halve the time between returning a positive COVID-19 result and being cleared for travel into Australia from 14 days to seven.

==
==

The move essentially brings requirements for those who contract COVID-19 overseas in line with current domestic isolation requirements, reducing excessive accommodation costs.

Individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and completed their seven-day isolation period will be exempt from providing a pre-departure negative COVID result, however, will need to provide a medical certificate, specifying that it has been at least seven days since the person first tested positive to the virus, and they are no longer symptomatic or deemed infectious.

The news is likely a welcome relief to Australian travellers, who might have previously been reluctant to travel overseas given the risk of contracting COVID while away.

Federal health minister Greg Hunt said pre-departure testing requirements will “continue to be reviewed regularly” and address current domestic and international epidemiology.

Travellers coming into Australia must continue to wear a mask throughout their flight and follow the directions of state and territory governments regarding quarantine and on-arrival testing.

Currently, only Australian citizens and residents, their immediate family, as well as certain student and skilled migrant visa-holders are allowed to enter Australia from overseas. All arrivals into Australia must prove that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Tourists continue to be blocked from travelling to Australia, except under existing travel bubble arrangements.

You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member today!

Comments (7)

  • TamirMel

    says:

    What’s the logic behind banning tourists visa holders from entering under the same conditions as other visa holders?

  • Toby

    says:

    Hi Hannah

    Can the media focus on the insane Qantas requirement of 7 days to accept their medical clearance form, It is adding 7 days on top of the Government’s 7 day requirement. Making it 14 days stuck overseas for Australians who test positive and continue to! Insane. It was 21 days before Sunday’s change! If clients know they would never fly Qantas and many of our travellers have already been impacted by this insane beauractic regulations

  • Dee

    says:

    I returned to Austealia from overseas on Sunday and the queue for foreign arrivals was huge. Hundreds of people. Guess just about anyone can get a visa can’t they? Wonder where the next variant of covid will arrive from and how quick it will spread with no pcr tests and only unreliable RAT’S.

  • CM NORVAL

    says:

    All my children stays overseas, are their mother and father immediate family. We are so looking forward to see our children and grandchildren again??

  • Joao Mira

    says:

    Hi Hannah,
    From my perspective as an Australian Citizen presently in Europe and who continues to refuse accepting the infusion into my body of this hastily produced & improperly tested potion (“vaccine” is a clinic misnomer), nothing much appears to have changed..
    According to the text in your report, unvaccinated travellers are not allowed to enter Australia at present…
    So be it.
    So much for my Civil Rights.
    Regards,
    JM

  • Joylyn Tuazon

    says:

    Whyy they hold the tourist visa ?

  • Josh Le

    says:

    We should allow travelling freely if passengers have 2 or 3 jabs already? If you feel unwell or have Covid-19 symptoms then PCR test applied/required. NO VACCINATED no travel!

Comments are closed.

You don't have credit card details available. You will be redirected to update payment method page. Click OK to continue.