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13 Aug 2021

International Arrivals Must Declare COVID-19 Vaccination Status

The Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) form and Travel Exemption request forms have been updated to ask applicants to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status.

It is yet another sign that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 could enable Australia to reopen international travel, in line with the Government’s Four-Phase Plan to emerge from the pandemic.

Here’s what you should know about:

Questions on the new forms

How the information will be used | Possibilities for alternative quarantine

The status of caps on international arrivals

Australia Travel Declaration Form | International Arrivals Vaccination Australia

This form applies to all international arrivals – including returning Australians and visitors, and should be completed at least 72 hours prior to departure. Persons that have been infected with COVID-19 will have to declare this.

Here’s the questions:

Before you travel to (or transit through) Australia, you must present a negative COVID-19 test when checking in for your flight, unless you are exempt. The COVID-19 Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) Test must be taken 72 hours or less before you depart for Australia. Confirm ‘Yes’ to acknowledge you understand this requirement. 

Has a doctor ever told you that you had COVID-19, or have you ever tested positive for COVID-19?

Have you ever received a COVID-19 vaccine?

Further questions apply if a person answers ‘Yes’ to having been infected with COVID-19.

Provide the month and year of diagnosis

What country were you in when you had COVID-19? 

Do you have any evidence to show your positive COVID-19 test result? (If yes, you must bring your evidence when you travel)

Australians can carry proof of their immunisations and COVID-19 vaccination history by logging into their myGov account on their phone.

International arrivals must also declare the date, location and type of COVID-19 vaccination they received.

How many individual COVID-19 doses have you received? 

First vaccination: Date / Country / Brand of vaccine? 

These details must be provided for each dose. In a sign that booster shots may be expected for international travel, further questions will apply for persons that have had three doses or more.

Travel Exemption Forms 

The Travel Exemption forms now ask applicants to confirm the date, location and type of the last COVID-19 vaccination they received.

This applies to Travel Exemption requests to leave and enter Australia.

How The Information Will Be Used

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison said States and Territories will receive the information on the Australia Travel Declaration Form to determine how arrivals will be managed in the future – for example, to explore different quarantine arrangements for vaccinated travellers.

The Government is planning to trial home quarantine for a limited number of fully vaccinated arrivals in South Australia. If successful, similar trials may be carried out in other States and Territories. Find out more here.

Currently, overseas arrivals must either spend 14 days at the Howard Springs facility in the Northern Territory or in hotel quarantine, except if travelling from New Zealand as part of the travel bubble.

The Travel Exemption form states that information about a person’s vaccination status will be used for statistical purposes.

The Status of International Arrivals

On 14 July 2021, international arrivals to Australia were cut by half, as previously announced by Mr Morrison.

The following international arrival caps apply.

Western Australia: 265 per week

New South Wales: 1,505 per week (215 per day)

Victoria: 500 per week

Queensland: 650 per week (including surge capacity)

South Australia: 265 per week

These arrangements will be reviewed by the National Cabinet at the end of August, however Mr Morrison indicated the caps may be in place until 2022.

29 repatriation flights for returning Australians have been arranged for July and August. The Government will also seek to maintain essential freight lines.

National Cabinet has agreed to the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee’s (AHPPC) advice to strongly encourage vaccination in sectors with high mobility, such as resources, aviation and freight.

The Government also plans to make vaccinations available for all outbound travellers as part of the Australian Vaccination Strategy.

Immigracious | Perth Migration Agents

The changes take Australia one step closer to resuming international travel. In the next stage of the Government’s COVID-19 Four-Phase Plan to reopen international travel, there will be more flexibility for quarantine-free travel once a certain proportion of the population have been vaccinated.

International Arrivals Vaccination Australia

Should you require advice on your Visa or Travel Exemption options, we encourage you to get in touch with Immigracious’ Migration Agents to arrange a consultation so we can consider your circumstances.

Source:
Immigracious’ Migration Agents
ABC News
Executive Traveller
Prime Minister, Scott Morrison – Media Statement


Sheila Woods

Posted by: Sheila Woods

A very experienced migration agent, Sheila has always been fascinated by this field. Her university degree thesis was on Australia’s post-war immigration history (and it earned her first-class honours).


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