The reopening of Australia’s international borders is just days away, with the travel ban set to be repealed on 1 November. The change will mean that fully vaccinated Australians can now fly out of the country without needing written permission from the government.
The federal government’s official travel website, Smartraveller, has removed its blanket “do not travel” warning on international destinations in preparation for the changes. The advice has been updated for 177 destinations based on the latest risk assessments for COVID-19.
No destinations are however set to be ranked lower than a level two, “exercise a high degree of caution,” due to the ongoing pandemic across the world.
While borders are opening up, it’s not going to be a super smooth transition back to pre-pandemic era of international travel. The Department of Foreign Affairs has said that just seven countries have so far given Australian’s the green light to travel without the need for quarantine when borders open.
Those countries are: The UK, the US, Canada, Italy, Greece, Germany, and South Africa.
Thailand has also said that its borders will reopen for Australian tourists from 1 November but travellers will need to spend one night in a government-approved quarantine hotel.
Singapore is also opening up quarantine-free travel for Aussies and 10 other nations from 8 November which is useful as a fly-through route from Australia.
Fiji is also opening up for tourists from 1 December, although arrivals will have to spend two days in self-isolation upon arrival.
Of course, all countries will require proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test taken up to 72 hours before arrival.
Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra will be the first cities to allow travellers to come and go while other cities and states may take longer to open up.
Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania have indicated that they will follow suit with NSW and VIC in allowing quarantine free travel when their states hit the requisite vaccine milestones.
However, Western Australia and the Northern Territory have both indicated that they will not be opening up any time soon, and returning travellers to those states will have to undertake mandatory quarantine upon arrival.
The rules for leaving the country only require proof of double vaccination. Entering the country however can only be done by Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate families. International students, tourists, temporary visa holders, and business people will have to wait until restrictions lift further before they can freely enter the country.
That being said, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has recently stated that he expects more open travel into the country to be allowed by the end of 2021.
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