Australia to Recommence Quarantine-free Travel from New Zealand
As a response to the increasing vaccination rate, the Australian government has decided to take the next major step aiming at the gradual reopening of the borders to the rest of the world. From November 1st, 2021, Australians can travel around the world, obeying the entry rules of a visited country. Under the recently introduced regulations, vaccinated citizens or residents of Australia, as well as their families, are also allowed to return to Australia quarantine-free provided that they have been in New Zealand or Australia for 14 days before the planned departure.
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Australian quarantine-free entry rules
Travelers departing from New Zealand who can enter Australia quarantine-free must meet specific requirements, which are as follows:
- to have been in either New Zealand or Australia in the 2 weeks preceding their departure
- to provide a COVID-19 PCR test proving the negative result (the test must be taken within 72 hours prior to departure)
- to fill out the Australia Travel Declaration at least 3 days before departure
- to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (with one of the TGA approved vaccines)
Important note: Please do remember that individual states in Australia may have established their own entry rules and may not allow travelers arriving from New Zealand to enter their territories quarantine-free. In order to make sure what the restrictions are for a particular state, check the government website.
COVID-19 vaccines approved in Australia
Australia recognizes people to be fully vaccinated if they have received a course of TGA-approved vaccine, including mixed doses. Currently, the approved list includes:
- AstraZeneca Covishield
- AstraZeneca Vaxzevria
- Johnson & Johnson/ Janssen-Cilag
- Sinovac Coronavac
- Bharat Biotech Covaxin
- Moderna Spikevax
- Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty
- Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV (for 18-60-year-olds)
7 days is a minimum period that must elapse from the date of receiving the final vaccination dose in order to be recognized as fully vaccinated. Mixed doses are allowed as long as they are ones from the abovementioned list.
Australia e-Visa
Citizens of particular countries who plan to travel to Australia from New Zealand should check if they can obtain a visa online to save plenty of time. Australia offers two types of electronic visas: ETA and eVisitor. Both visas serve the purpose of tourism or business trips and are issued for 1 year. Functioning also as multiple-entry permits, they enable numerous entries to the country. A traveler can stay each time for up to 3 months. ETA is dedicated to 8 specified countries, while eVisitor is granted to travelers from European countries.
