Australia to reopen international borders to remaining visa holders on 21 February 2022

The Federal Government has just announced that Australia will reopen our borders to all remaining visa holders on 21 February 2022. Travellers must be double vaccinated to come to Australia.

This means that all temporary visa holders that meet the vaccination requirements, will be able to enter the country from that date without needing a travel waiver exemption. This includes all business visitors and tourists as well.

PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests
All inbound passengers must still provide a negative accepted COVID-19 test result. These tests can be either:

• A nucleic acid amplification (NAA) test, such as:
  • polymerase chain reaction (PCR, or RT-PCR) test
  • Transcription mediated amplification
  • Loop-mediated isothermal amplification; or a
• A rapid antigen test (RAT) (also described in some countries as a lateral flow antigen detection test or similar). This must not be confused with a lateral flow antibody detection test. For the purposes of pre-departure testing it must be an antigen test.

Serology tests are not accepted.

The NAA test must be done within 3 days before the day of the flight’s scheduled departure.

The RAT must be done within 24 hours of the flight’s scheduled departure time.

The tests must be presented in an approved format with more details found here.

What if the tests are still showing positive?
Those travellers who return a positive test after they have recovered are able to provide a certificate from a medical practitioner at check-in which includes ALL the information set out in the guidelines.

Australia Travel Declaration
All inbound passengers must complete an Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) at least 72 hours before travel. This must be completed prior to departure as it requires a declaration on the vaccination status.

The rules for isolation and testing remain the same and are managed by the States.

We can only reiterate that these rules change constantly and should be checked carefully before travel.

DISCLAIMER This information is current as of date of publication and subject to change. The information contained in this publication is of a general nature only. It should not be used as legal advice. To the extent permissible by law, Ajuria Lawyers and its associated entities shall not be liable for any errors, omissions, defects or misrepresentations in the information or for any loss or damage suffered by persons who use or rely on such information. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.