australia travel restrictions 2021

Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

COVID-19 and travel

Find out about travel requirements and steps you can take to stay safe.

Domestic travel within Australia

Domestic travel requirements are determined by state and territory governments. Check the websites of local health departments for information about travel to:

• Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• South Australia
• Western Australia .

Travelling overseas

The Australian Government does not currently have any COVID-19 requirements in place for travellers entering and departing Australia.

COVID-19 however continues to pose a health risk in Australia and overseas. We strongly encourage wearing masks and being vaccinated while travelling internationally. You should practice good cough and hand hygiene, and physically distance from others where possible.

Some countries, airlines and vessel operators may have COVID-19 travel requirements in place. Check the requirements of any:

• countries you are travelling to, or transiting through
• airlines or vessel operators.
• Smartraveller website
• Australian Government – international travel information .

Travel insurance

Travel insurance is important if you become sick with COVID-19 overseas. Make sure your insurance includes:

• transit destinations
• inclusions for COVID-19
• other add-ons like cruise specific insurance.

Some destinations also require travellers to hold travel insurance as a condition of entry.

Cruise travel

Check with your cruise provider or travel agent for up-to-date travel requirements for your ship and destination/s. You can also contact the relevant state or territory government to find out if any requirements apply for your destination.

Outbreaks onboard a cruise

Cruise ships carry a higher risk for spreading disease compared to other types of travel. COVID-19, influenza, and other infectious diseases spread easily between people living and socialising in close quarters.

If an outbreak of COVID-19 occurs on your cruise, you may need to:

• quarantine on the ship
• disembark and follow the local rules in the state or territory or country you are in.

Before you travel, check the  Smartraveller advice on cruises . Contact your travel agent or cruise operator for specific information on their COVID-19 safety protocols.

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What are the current travel restrictions by state and territory? Will I have to quarantine when I get there?

Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania are easing COVID-19 travel restrictions — particularly if you live in Greater Sydney.

It comes after extended periods of no community transmission after recent coronavirus outbreaks.

Here's a quick guide of the situation as it stands.

I want to go to...

Tap through to find out where you can travel to, depending on where you are travelling from:

• News South Wales

Western Australia

South australia, northern territory, new south wales.

NSW's borders are currently open to every state and territory.

From 1:00am on Monday, Queensland's NSW border checkpoints will be taken down and the state will be open to travel from across the country .

Border declarations won't be needed to enter the state because there are now no declared hot spots.

However, anyone who has been in the Greater Sydney region in the past 14 days will not be allowed into Queensland until 1:00am on Monday.

Interstate travellers in hotel quarantine will be free to leave as soon as the border opens, meaning some travellers won't have to complete a full 14 days.

All interstate travellers require a permit to enter Victoria under the state's travel permit system. It allows travel from "green zones" and "orange zones", but not "red zones".

From 6:00pm on Friday, the last "red zone" in New South Wales, Cumberland Council, will transition to an "orange zone" .

Travel from an "orange zone" requires people to self-isolate on arrival in Victoria, get tested within 72 hours of arrival and remain in quarantine until they receive a negative result.

Test results are usually sent within 24 hours.

Everywhere else in Australia is considered a "green zone", which means people must watch and get tested if they have any symptoms at all following their arrival in the state.

Australian Capital Territory

The ACT Government will lift all travel restrictions between Canberra and Sydney from 3:00pm on Friday.

Travel is currently open to the ACT from every state and territory.

Tasmania will remove the medium risk COVID-19 designation applying to 10 areas in Greater Sydney from Sunday, meaning there will be unrestricted travel again between Tasmania and the rest of the country.

The areas are Blacktown, Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Inner West, Liverpool, Parramatta and Strathfield.

Anyone who has spent time in these local government areas in the 14 days before their arrival in Tasmania will no longer be required to quarantine on arrival in Tasmania.

Travel to Western Australia from New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria is currently considered "low risk".

That means if you're travelling from these locations you will require a G2G pass and a health screen at Perth Airport.

You will also have to self-quarantine for 14 days if you have a suitable premises. It's not suitable, you will have to enter an approved quarantine facility at your own expense.

WA also requires travellers to have a COVID-19 test on day 11 of isolation.

The ACT, Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania are deemed "very low risk".

This means travellers still need to complete a G2G declaration, but you are not required to quarantine.

Sydneysiders will be allowed to travel into South Australia for the first time in 2021 from Sunday, provided there are no new coronavirus cases in New South Wales.

From 12:01am on Sunday morning, anyone who has been in the Greater Sydney area since restrictions were imposed will be able to travel to South Australia and not have to quarantine.

Sydney, Wollongong and Central Coast residents have been banned from entering SA since a hard border was imposed on New Year's Day, while South Australians returning home have had to do a 14-day quarantine on returning.

All travellers coming to South Australia need to complete a Cross Border Travel Registration.

Everyone travelling to the Northern Territory is required to fill in an exemption form.

Anyone travelling from or through a declared hotspot in the past 14 days must quarantine.

The current active hotspots declared by the Northern Territory are all in NSW.

The hotspots include Blacktown, Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Inner West, Parramatta and Strathfield.

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Australia to ease international border restrictions from November

• Australia to allow citizens to travel abroad from November
• Vaccinated citizens allowed to quarantine at home on return
• Unvaccinated must complete hotel quarantine
• Qantas to resume international flights on Nov. 14
• Plans for entry of foreign visitors still being discussed

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Continuing travel ban to protect Australians from the coronavirus

The protection and safety of Australians is our highest priority.

The National Security Committee of Cabinet has today decided that the continuing coronavirus infections in mainland China make it necessary to continue the travel restrictions on foreign nationals entering Australia for a further week to 29 February.

Media release: Continuing travel ban to protect Australians from the coronavirus

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Joint media release with The Hon Greg Hunt MP - Fully vaccinated Australians ready for take-off from 1 November 2021

Fully vaccinated Australians will not require an exemption to depart Australia from 1 November 2021.

With millions of Australians now fully vaccinated, and more joining them each and every day, the Morrison Government can safely welcome fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents across Australia’s international border in increasing numbers.

Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said the Morrison Government was committed to easing ​restrictions for fully vaccinated Australians, in line with soaring vaccination rates and the National Plan to transition Australia’s COVI​D-19 response.

“Our first priority is Australian citizens and permanent residents and today we are delivering on that by removing restrictions on fully-vaccinated Australians travelling out of Australia. The easing of these restrictions is possible thanks to our impressive national vaccination rates, and I thank all those who have done the right thing and rolled up their sleeve,” Minister Andrews said.

“I look forward to further easing restrictions over coming weeks and months as more and more Australians become fully vaccinated. Before the end of the year, we anticipate welcoming fully vaccinated skilled workers and international students.

“Our system of border exemptions has kept Australia free from widespread COVID transmission for more than 18 months, but as Australia’s vaccination rate continues to climb, and the end of the year approaches, the Morrison Government stands ready to once more welcome a significant number of fully vaccinated people across Australia’s international border.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said increases in COVID-19 vaccination meant changes to the Human Biosecurity Determination on outbound international travel could now safely be made. These changes have been made on medical advice regarding the protection provided by COVI D-19 vaccination for travelling Australians.

“Australian citizens and permanent residents who want to travel overseas, will need to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated with a TGA approved or recognised vaccine, with the second dose occurring at least seven days prior to travel. These changes will also facilitate travel by children under 12 years of age,” Minister Hunt said.

“We want Australians to be able to reunite with their loved ones, whether it’s for births, weddings or just to visit family. Vaccination is the most effective way to protect our community against COVI D -19 and I’d like to thank every single Australian who has come forward and received a COVID-19 vaccine, which has helped us get to this point.”

People who do not meet these eligibility requirements will continue to require a travel exemption to travel overseas, and will be subject to current passenger caps and quarantine arrangements (managed by states and territories) when returning to Australia.

More information can be found on the Department of Home Affairs website . Travellers should also familiarise themselves with state and territory quarantine arrangements.

New changes to the Human Biosecurity Determinations also clarify the arrangements for incoming international travel by creating clear exemptions for medical evacuation flights and people who are ‘persistent shedders’ of the COVID-19 virus.

They also simplify the pre-flight testing requirements to be three days (rather than 72 hours) and ensure that decisions on exemptions to testing are taken on the basis of recent medical advice.

The Australian Government is committed to protecting all Australians from COVID-19, and balancing the desire of international visitors to come to Australia.

Appropriate steps to mitigate the risk of existing or emerging strains of COVID -19 must be a part of our plan to reopen Australia to the world.

More information on pre-departure testing and requirements for masks during the flight is available on the Department of Health website .

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Australia accelerates its plans to allow international travel.

Travel bans will begin to lift in November for citizens and permanent residents, depending on vaccination rates.

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Australia Will Lift Ban on International Travel in November

Prime minister scott morrison of australia announced that the country would reopen its borders next month for fully vaccinated australian citizens and permanent residents to travel back and forth from overseas..

We will be able to open those international borders again, and that will enable Australians who are fully vaccinated, and Australians and residents of Australia who are overseas, who are fully vaccinated to be able to travel again and to be able to lift those caps on our airports in states where they have moved into Phase C of the program. And that is where Australia is now preparing to move. This will happen next month. Thirdly, Australians who want to travel overseas once restrictions are removed will be able to access an internationally recognized proof of vaccination document that will be in the coming weeks to prove their vaccination status abroad. And that proof of vaccination for international travel will include a QR code that is readable globally. It works in with the ICAO systems that are used all around the world. It’s time to give Australians their lives back — we’ve saved lives. We’ve saved livelihoods, but we must work together to ensure that Australians can reclaim the lives that they once had in this country.

By John Yoon

• Published Oct. 1, 2021 Updated Nov. 1, 2021

Australia will lift its bans on international travel in November under a plan that Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined on Friday. It is the second time in 10 days that officials have accelerated the country’s plans to ease travel restrictions.

Until last month , Australia was poised to keep its borders closed into 2022. The tourism minister, Dan Tehan, then said that they could reopen by Christmas.

Once the borders start to open, fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will still need to quarantine at home for seven days upon entry. Foreign tourists will not immediately be able to visit, but the government said it was working toward allowing them to come in.

“It’s time to give Australians their lives back,” Mr. Morrison said, announcing that he would begin to reverse a policy that since March 2020 has only allowed some Australians and others to enter the country and blocked all outbound trips except for essential work.

Australia’s tough Covid restrictions, including its strict border rules and local lockdowns, have been praised for helping to contain infections, but have also separated families.

As vaccinations speed up, Mr. Morrison is urging state leaders to ease lockdown measures that have challenged the economy and subjected over half the population to strict lockdown orders for months.

The moves come amid a recent surge of infections nationwide. In Victoria, the state that includes Melbourne , the authorities reported a record 1,438 daily cases on Thursday, a third of which were traced to illegal social gatherings, including parties for last weekend’s Grand Final, Australia’s Super Bowl.

Starting next month, various regions will reopen at different times according to their vaccination rates. States and territories will be able to reopen to international travel once they fully vaccinate 80 percent of their eligible residents.

New South Wales, which includes Sydney, is on track to be the first region to cross the 80-percent threshold and could become the first test for Mr. Morrison’s push to allow Australians to travel internationally. The state has fully vaccinated about 65.2 percent of its eligible residents, according to data released by the Australian officials.

About 44 percent of Australia’s population has been fully vaccinated, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford.

John Yoon reports from the Seoul newsroom of The New York Times. He joined The Times in 2020. More about John Yoon

clock This article was published more than  2 years ago

Australia rolls back travel restrictions for citizens and permanent residents after more than 18 months

Australia opened its borders for the first time in more than 18 months to permanent residents, citizens and their families, marking a softening of pandemic restrictions in a country that was once dubbed the “Hermit Kingdom” because of its strict coronavirus measures.

The states of Victoria and New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory opened their borders to Australian residents and citizens returning to the country. Fully vaccinated individuals won’t need to spend two weeks in quarantine in a hotel at their own expense, as was the case before Monday. Limits on the number of returning Australians will be lifted, although they will stay in place for unvaccinated individuals. Australians are also now free to travel overseas without the requirement of an exemption.

The easing of restrictions applies only to citizens and permanent residents. International travelers need an exemption to come into the country even if they are fully vaccinated, according to Australia’s health department website .

The softening of restrictions comes as close to 80 percent of the population older than 16 is fully vaccinated against the virus, a benchmark Prime Minister Scott Morrison had set a month ago as a requirement to ease coronavirus guidelines. The state of Victoria has a vaccination rate of 80.7 percent of adults with a second dose, New South Wales hit 87.8 percent, and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) 92.7 percent, according to official data released Monday .

Australia to ease covid travel ban, shedding ‘Hermit Kingdom’ tag

The first travelers to reenter the country under these new guidelines were welcomed with hugs of teary-eyed family members and smiling crowds at the Sydney airport. “It’s been pretty stressful, so just to be able to come home without having to go quarantine is huge,” Carlie Boyd told the Guardian as she left a Qantas flight and was welcomed with hugs from her siblings.

“There were a lot of people on that flight who have loved ones who are about to die or had people who died this week, so for them to be able to get off the plane and go and see them straight away is pretty amazing,” she said.

Australia instituted one of the world’s harshest coronavirus closures on March 20, 2020, which left many Australian nationals stranded abroad . The country was an early coronavirus success, managing to keep the number of cases low, but a slow vaccination rollout and the spread of the delta variant prompted Morrison’s government to tighten restrictions in July 2021.

“A big day for Australia! We’re ready for takeoff!” Morrison said in a Facebook post as he celebrated the easing of travel restrictions. “As vaccination rates continue to rise around the country, I look forward to seeing even more border restrictions easing so families can be reunited and Australians can continue to reclaim their lives.”

Monday also marks the easing of restrictions between Australia and New Zealand. One-way, quarantine-free travel to Australia from anywhere in New Zealand will also be allowed as of Monday for certain provinces and territories. Fully vaccinated Singaporeans will also be able to travel to Australia from Singapore quarantine-free starting Nov. 21, the Australian government announced .

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Coronavirus: What you need to know

Covid isolation guidelines: Americans who test positive for the coronavirus no longer need to routinely stay home from work and school for five days under new guidance planned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The change has raised concerns among medically vulnerable people .

New coronavirus variant: The United States is in the throes of another covid-19 uptick and coronavirus samples detected in wastewater suggests infections could be as rampant as they were last winter. JN.1, the new dominant variant , appears to be especially adept at infecting those who have been vaccinated or previously infected. Here’s how this covid surge compares with earlier spikes .

Latest coronavirus booster: The CDC recommends that anyone 6 months or older gets an updated coronavirus shot , but the vaccine rollout has seen some hiccups , especially for children . Here’s what you need to know about the latest coronavirus vaccines , including when you should get it.

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Australia Travel Restrictions

Traveler's COVID-19 vaccination status

Traveling from the United States to Australia

Open for vaccinated visitors

COVID-19 testing

Not required

Not required for vaccinated visitors

Restaurants

Not required in public spaces.

Ready to travel?

Find flights to australia, find stays in australia, explore more countries on travel restrictions map, destinations you can travel to now, dominican republic, netherlands, philippines, puerto rico, switzerland, united arab emirates, united kingdom, know when to go.

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Can I travel to Australia from the United States?

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Australia.

Can I travel to Australia if I am vaccinated?

Fully vaccinated visitors from the United States can enter Australia without restrictions.

Can I travel to Australia without being vaccinated?

Unvaccinated visitors from the United States can enter Australia without restrictions.

Do I need a COVID test to enter Australia?

Visitors from the United States are not required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test or antigen result upon entering Australia.

Can I travel to Australia without quarantine?

Travelers from the United States are not required to quarantine.

Do I need to wear a mask in Australia?

Mask usage in Australia is not required in public spaces.

Are the restaurants and bars open in Australia?

Restaurants in Australia are open. Bars in Australia are .

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Australia Travel Advisory

Travel advisory september 8, 2023, australia - level 1: exercise normal precautions.

Reissued with removal of major event information.

Exercise normal precautions in Australia. 

Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Australia.

If you decide to travel to Australia:

• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  ( STEP ) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
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• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

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Australian border reopening: A state-by-state breakdown for international students

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed today that international students are “on track” to return to Australia from Dec. 15, 2021, but not into every area or jurisdiction. International students, however, may be confused with Australian travel restriction as each state and territory have different travel and quarantine requirements, while students under pilot plans have been able to return to the country sooner than others. Here’s what we know so far on Australian travel restriction updates, based on reports.

Queensland announced that it would reopen its border today to domestic hotspots, and international students are still expected to return from Dec. 15. “This does not change the easing of Australian border restrictions for international students from Dec. 15, 2021,” said Study Queensland.

New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia

All these states welcome fully vaccinated student visa holders and other eligible visa holders can travel to and from Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption effective Dec. 15, 2021.

For New South Wales (NSW), the two existing flights scheduled to land in Sydney on December 6 and 24 are still proceeding. These flights are part of a separate travel exemption process, under the NSW International Student Arrivals Pilot Plan.

The Tasmanian government has also provided a nifty factsheet for your perusal.

We hope that there won’t be any more delays on the Australian travel restrictions and leave students in further agony. Source: Saeed Khan / AFP

Western Australia

On the same day that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the easing of Australian travel restrictions for international students from Dec. 15, WA Premier Mark McGowan announced that WA will reopen its borders to interstate and international travellers on Feb. 5.

Travellers must be fully vaccinated and will be required to return a negative PCR test result within 72 hours prior to departure; and return a negative PCR test within 48 hours of arrival to WA and on day six.

Northern Territory

Currently, only fully vaccinated people, Territory residents and people unable to be vaccinated (such as children under 12 years) can enter the Northern Territory .

According to nine.com.au, Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced that all interstate arrivals to the Northern Territory who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will not have to quarantine from Dec. 20.

Gunner was quoted saying that the territory was now preparing for “its biggest step” towards COVID-freedom so far — the opening of its borders on Dec. 20 . From then, all fully vaccinated arrivals — regardless of where they come from — will not have to quarantine. Travellers, however, are expected to be tested for the virus.

There was no mention of international students arriving in the territory in the report.

Stay tuned for updates regarding the Australian travel restrictions.

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Overseas Travel Statistics, Provisional

Provisional statistics on international travel based on initial border crossings, arriving in and departing from Australia, including tourism trips

• Overseas Travel Statistics, Provisional Reference Period May 2021
• Overseas Travel Statistics, Provisional Reference Period April 2021
• Overseas Travel Statistics, Provisional Reference Period March 2021
• View all releases

Key statistics

Provisional estimates of overseas trips in June 2021 show:

• A total of 103,500 arrivals
• 40,500 Australian citizens arrivals (39%), 9,100 permanent visa holders (9%), 43,800 New Zealand citizens (42%) and 10,900 temporary visa holders (11%)
• A total of 99,500 departures

Notice: Ceasing future releases

This temporary product was introduced in response to COVID-19 and the heightened interest in traveller data. In line with the ABS work program changes announced on 20 April 2021, this is the final release of this product.

For further information, see " Changes to the ABS statistical work program ". Provisional travel data for total overseas arrivals and total overseas departures will be added to the monthly  Overseas Arrivals and Departures  publication from the June issue scheduled for release on the 17 August 2021. 

Travel restrictions

These statistics are compiled using information from the Department of Home Affairs.

With the introduction of the New Zealand quarantine free travel bubble on 18 April 2021, there have been some recent increases in arrivals and departures. Travel numbers remain historically low compared with pre-COVID levels.

For information on travel restrictions see the Department of Home Affairs website.

Migration Statistics

This release presents statistics on, provisional monthly estimates of overseas travel, which is not the same as migration statistics.

If you are looking for migration statistics, please refer to:

• Migration, Australia
• National, state and territory population
• Information Paper: Improvements to the Estimation of Net Overseas Migration . 

Provisional statistics on international travel movements of persons arriving in Australia. It is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people.

Key findings

All overseas arrivals to Australia in June 2021 (provisional estimates):

• 103,500 estimated arrivals, a decrease of 12,200 compared with the previous month
• June 2021 arrivals decreased 93.4 per cent when compared to pre-COVID levels in June 2019
• 40,500 Australian citizens arrivals (39%), 9,100 permanent visa holders (9%), 43,800 New Zealand citizens (42%) and 10,900 temporary visa holders (11%).
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All arrivals - by citizenship

The five largest countries of citizenship (excluding Australian) for all arrivals to Australia in June 2021 were:

• New Zealand (43,800)
• China (1,900)
• India (1,800)
• USA (1,300).

(a) To confidentialise, estimates have been rounded to the nearest 10. (b) Includes the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. (c) Excludes SARs & Taiwan.  

All arrivals - by visa group

The three largest visa groups arriving in Australia in June 2021 were:

• Temporary other visas (5,400) 
• Permanent skilled visas (3,600) 
• Temporary visitor visas (3,400).

(a) To confidentialise, estimates have been rounded to the nearest 10.  

All arrivals - by state or territory of clearance

All international travellers must be processed and cleared by Australia's Border Force via specific seaports or airports around the country. This information provides the state or territory of clearance for each traveller.

For June 2021, the states receiving the largest number of arrivals were:

• NSW (40,600)
• Qld (38,700)
• Vic. (10,800).

(a) To confidentialise, estimates have been rounded to the nearest 10. n.a The percentage change could not be calculated because the denominator is zero  

Provisional statistics on international travel movements of persons departing Australia. It is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people.

All overseas departures from Australia in June 2021 (provisional estimates):

• 99,500 estimated departures, a decrease of 8,800 compared with the previous month
• June 2021 departures decreased 94.5 per cent when compared with pre-COVID levels in June 2019
• 40,100 Australian citizens departures (40%), 5,900 permanent visa holders (6%), 39,700 New Zealand citizens (40%) and 15,300 temporary visa holders (15%).

All departures - by citizenship

The five largest countries of citizenship (excluding Australian) for all departures from Australia in June 2021 were:

• New Zealand (39,700)
• China (4,200)
• USA (1,700)
• India (960).

(a) To confidentialise, estimates have been rounded to the nearest 10. (b) Excludes SARs & Taiwan. (c) Includes the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.  

All departures - by visa group

The three largest visa groups departing from Australia in June 2021 were:

• Temporary other visas (7,300) 
• Temporary student visas (3,100) 
• Temporary visitor visas (2,800).

All departures - by state and territory of clearance

For June 2021, the states receiving the largest number of departures were:

• NSW (41,100)
• Qld (34,000)
• Vic. (14,800).

Data downloads

1. total movement, arrivals and departures - country of citizenship, 2. total movement, arrivals and departures - visa group, 3. total movement, arrivals and departures - state of clearance, all data cubes.

This is a temporary monthly publication in response to COVID-19 and the heightened interest in traveller data. It provides information 4 weeks earlier than the regular monthly  Overseas Arrivals and Departures  (OAD)(cat. no. 3401.0) publication.

This publication contains provisional arrivals and departures information for the reference month based on initial border crossings into and out of Australia using the Department of Home Affairs Travel and Immigration Processing System (TRIPS). It contains early information on arrivals and departures, country of citizenship, major visa groups, and state or territory of clearance. Like Overseas Arrivals and Departures, it is the number of international border crossings rather than the number of people. Individuals who travel multiple times in a year are counted each time they cross Australia's borders.

More detailed information including important variables such as state of residence, duration of stay, country of residence and main reason for journey (which can only be sourced later from the passenger card) will be available in the subsequent release of Overseas Arrivals and Departures scheduled for release 6 weeks after the reference month.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) commenced daily situation reports of the COVID-19 outbreak on 21 January 2020 and identified it as an international health emergency on 30 January. This was less than a month after suspected cases were reported in Wuhan, China. The Australian Government placed travel restrictions on those travelling to Australia initially from mainland China commencing 1 February. Other restrictions from other countries soon followed as the crisis worsened around the globe. Currently, all overseas travel is banned, with few exceptions. For more information, see the Smartraveller page from the  Australian government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade  website or the News and Media page at the  Australian government Department of Home Affairs  website.

This temporary product was introduced to provide more timely travel data in response to COVID-19. In line with ABS work program changes announced on 20 April 2021, this is the final release of this product.

For further information see " Changes to the ABS statistical work program ".

Provisional travel data for total overseas arrivals and total overseas departures will be added to the monthly  Overseas Arrivals and Departures  publication from the June issue scheduled for release on the 17 August 2021. 

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 3401.0.55.004.

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Australia plans to open its borders for its own vaccinated citizens to travel

The Associated Press

A Qantas plane taxies on the runway at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia in 2015. Australia has outlined plans to lift its pandemic ban on its vaccinated citizens traveling overseas from November but no date has yet been set for welcoming international tourists back. Rick Rycroft/AP hide caption

A Qantas plane taxies on the runway at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia in 2015. Australia has outlined plans to lift its pandemic ban on its vaccinated citizens traveling overseas from November but no date has yet been set for welcoming international tourists back.

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia has outlined plans to lift a pandemic ban on its vaccinated citizens traveling overseas from November. But no date has yet been set for welcoming international tourists back.

Travel restrictions that have trapped most Australians and permanent residents at home over the past 18 months would be removed when 80% of the population aged 16 and older were fully vaccinated, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday.

Australia introduced some of the toughest travel restrictions of any democracy in the world on people entering and leaving the island nation on March 20 last year.

Most Australians have had to argue for rare exemptions from the travel ban to leave the country. There are a few exceptions from the ban including government employees and essential workers. Tourism is never accepted as a reason to cross the border.

Hundreds of thousands have failed to reach relatives' death beads, missed funerals or weddings and have yet to be introduced to grandchildren because of restrictions aimed at keeping COVID-19 out of Australia.

New South Wales would likely become the first state to reach the 80% vaccination benchmark and Sydney's airport the first to open to international travel, Morrison said.

"We've saved lives. We've saved livelihoods, but we must work together to ensure that Australians can reclaim the lives that they once had in this country," Morrison said.

Sydney-based Qantas Airways announced international flights would resume from Nov. 14 to London and Los Angeles.

Morrison offered no clue to when other nationalities would be welcome to visit Australia.

"We'll be working towards complete quarantine-free travel for certain countries, such as New Zealand, when it is safe to do so," he said.

Australia has its closest relationship with New Zealand, whose citizens are considered Australian permanent residents. The neighbors allowed quarantine-free travel across the Tasman Sea before the delta variant outbreak began in Sydney in June.

The Australian Tourism Export Council, which represents a sector that made 45 billion Australian dollars ($33 billion) a year from international tourists before the pandemic, said the end of the travel ban paved the way for visitors from around the world returning by March.

"It marks a shift in thinking within both the government and community sentiment to reengaging with the world," the council's managing director Peter Shelley said in a statement.

A cap on the number of Australian citizens and permanent residents allowed to return each week has left 45,000 people stranded overseas. It's aimed at reducing pressure on hotel quarantine, which the more contagious delta variant had made more difficult to manage.

The cap would only apply to the unvaccinated under the new regime. Fully vaccinated Australians would be able to quarantine at home and for only a week instead of the current two weeks in a hotel.

Australia on Friday added China's Sinovac and Indian-made AstraZeneca shots known as Covishield to a list of vaccines that Australians can take and be recognized as fully vaccinated.

Travel restrictions would not be lifted for Australians who chose not to be vaccinated. People who could not be vaccinated for medical reasons or children too young to get the jab would have the same privileges as those inoculated.

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Data reveals Australia’s new international arrivals cap is harshest yet

Scott Morrison says more repatriation flights will offset new travel limits but how many more will be left waiting?

• Planes to fly empty into Australia as international arrivals Covid cap bites
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Australia’s new limits on international travel appear to be the harshest since restrictions on incoming passengers were introduced, according to a Guardian Australia analysis.

The limit on the number of international arrivals coming into Australia via commercial flights, the so-called “passenger cap”, will be halved from 14 July over concerns from some state premiers around the Delta variant of Covid-19.

The reduced cap means the weekly state and territory intake is reduced from the previous cap of 6,370 (which included an extra 300 spots for vulnerable people to return via Brisbane) to 3,070. While the reduction is due to be reviewed by 31 August, Scott Morrison has indicated it will be in place until at least the end of the year .

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Even taking into account the number of places available for people to quarantine at the Howard Springs facility, which takes passengers from commonwealth-organised repatriation flights and domestic travellers to the NT, the limit on arrivals will be the strictest since the beginning of the pandemic with the exception of a few days in February when Victoria stopped accepting international flights while other states had their travel caps halved.

At least 35,000 Australians have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as being stuck overseas and wanting to return to Australia.

When announcing the cut in arrivals, Scott Morrison said the government planned to partly offset the cuts by increasing repatriation flights and people quarantining at Howard Springs, saying: “So where we will lose some capacity for inbound flights of those coming back through commercial flights, the commonwealth will directly seek to mitigate that by upping, wherever possible, those commercially facilitated flights that the commonwealth is pursuing.”

However, the analysis of travel restrictions also shows the government’s planned upgrade to the Howard Springs quarantine facility will do little to offset the cuts in arrivals from the states.

Morrison announced in March an agreement with the Northern Territory to increase the capacity of Howard Springs from 850 people a fortnight to 2,000 by April or May 2021.

Since then reports suggest that the NT government has not yet been able to recruit and train the staff needed to run the centre at its full capacity. A spokesperson for the NT health department said there were currently 1,344 people quarantining there, with just 623 of those being international arrivals.

Increasing the centre to its full capacity will only result in an extra 328 quarantine spots a week, compared with the loss of 3,185 quarantine spots from the states (this number varies depending on how Queensland’s “surge” amount is handled).

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A comparison of international arrival figures with the passenger caps also suggests that Australia’s quarantine program may have had places to spare at various points, despite the number of Australians stranded overseas.

Some important caveats with this data: because arrivals are reported as monthly totals, and the passenger caps can change from day to day, I’ve averaged the monthly arrivals figure to give a daily value. This also excludes people travelling from New Zealand from October onwards, as quarantine-free travel was allowed from October.

The analysis suggests that arrivals were likely under the caps from October to December 2020, and again in March and April of this year.

However, concrete data on Australia’s actual quarantine capacity and usage remains hard to come by, with both state and federal governments refusing to provide numbers.

Guardian Australia has requested figures from NSW, Victoria and the Queensland governments, but the data has not been provided. A freedom of information request to the federal government requesting the numbers for Australia’s quarantine capacity and usage was denied.

• Coronavirus
• Scott Morrison
• Australian politics

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