Australians can now prepare for safe overseas travel when borders progressively re-open from 1 November, with the Australian Government reinstating country-specific travel advice levels for 177 destinations.
The updated country-specific travel advice will allow Australians planning to travel overseas to assess risks, understand requirements, and prepare to travel safely. It will also help Australians to access travel insurance more readily.
While fully vaccinated Australians will be able to depart Australia without an exemption from
1 November, all travellers will need to be aware of risks and take care, regardless of where they travel, while COVID-19 remains an ongoing global health risk.
Smartraveller’s ‘Do not travel’ global advisory has been removed. This advisory was put in place for all destinations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 health risks and significant disruption to global travel.
Under the travel advice framework announced today, no destination will be set lower than level 2 ‘Exercise a high degree of caution’, given the ongoing COVID-19 health risks and the continuing complexities of international travel.
Border settings and quarantine requirements in other countries continue to change. We strongly encourage Australians to closely monitor the Australian Government’s travel advice available on smartraveller.gov.au.
Australians will also need to consider the requirements of airlines, transit and destination countries, as well as return arrangements to Australia in making decisions on when and where to travel abroad. Many of these requirements are subject to change at short notice given COVID-19 situations.
Fully vaccinated Australians who want to travel overseas can download the International COVID Vaccine Certificate via MyGov to provide internationally recognised proof of their COVID-19 vaccinations.
We know it has been a difficult 18 months for Australians overseas trying to return, and for Australians with family and friends overseas.
The changes announced today are a vital next step in re-uniting Australian families and safely re-opening Australia to the world.
