Since the surge of the Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant this January, the Australian Government has laid out its latest travel guidelines for those who are to study in Australia this 2022.

With Australia’s recent opening of its borders to international students last December 15, 2021, had there been any changes on travel restrictions for students wanting to travel to Australia this 2022? Since the surge of the Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant this January, the Australian Government has laid out its latest travel guidelines for those who are to study in Australia this 2022.

Fully vaccinated international students who intend to travel to Australia for on-campus learning are no longer required to secure travel exemption. The following are the Australian Government border requirements that students need to prepare and comply with to study in Australia this year:

• Passport – make sure that your passport is valid for at least six months
• Visa – ensure that you have secured a valid visa before traveling to Australia. To know more about the Student Visa Requirements, click on this link.
• Proof of vaccination – Below are the recognized vaccines for travel by the Australian Government:Pfizer
• Moderna Spikevax
• AstraZeneca
• Sinovac
• Covishield (by AstraZeneca)
• Jannsen
• Covaxin
• BBIBP-Corv
• Note that “Fully Vaccinated” individuals are defined as those who have received two doses of the recognized COVID-19 vaccines. The second dose should have been administered after 14 days from the initial dose.Flight date – Travel must be done after the seventh day of the student’s complete vaccine dosage.
• Pre-departure COVID-19 test – Students who will travel to Australia will need to present a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test result within three days of your departure date unless exempted (i.e. medical exemption).
• Travel Declaration – Students and other individuals who wish to travel to Australia are required to fill out the Australian Travel Declaration (ATD) at least 72 hours of travel date where travelers will provide proof of vaccination, 14-day travel history before the departure date for Australia, contact details in case contact tracing will be needed, phone number and address in Australia.
• Travel insurance – additional insurance covering additional medical costs and canceled flights is highly recommended
• Territory-specific Requirements- students are required to follow the respective COVID-19 guidelines implemented by different states and territories. See below for specific information per state and territory.

Territory-specific Guidelines

Aside from the Australian Government’s border requirements, the Australian Government has implemented International Student Arrival Plans that are specific for its territories which include quarantine mandates and post-arrival tests. Those who intend to study in Australia need to comply with both border requirements and the arrival plan of their destination territory.

Victoria

• Required to have a valid proof of vaccination: international COVID-19 vaccination certificate or foreign vaccination certificate
• Negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of the departure date (Rapid Antigen Test is NOT accepted)
• Complete the Australian Travel Declaration 72 hours before the flight where critical information such as your health, vaccination status, and travel history.

New South Wales (NSW)

For fully vaccinated students arriving from outside of Australia:

• Required to take COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test within 24 hours of arrival in NSW
• Head straight to accommodation
• Self-isolation until a NEGATIVE result is received.
• On the sixth day: Required to take COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test again
• You are advised to not visit high-risk places for seven days after your date of arrival and have a negative test result.

For unvaccinated students arriving from outside of Australia:

• Unvaccinated and individuals who are not fully vaccinated who arrive in NSW will need to do the 14-day mandatory quarantine.  

 Queensland

• Fill out both the Australian Travel Declaration and Queensland International Arrivals Registration prior to arrival to Queensland. The latter will show the requirements you need to comply with upon arriving in Queensland.
• If arriving DIRECT to Queensland from another country - international students will be required to do a 14-day mandatory quarantine unless coming from New Zealand or a “safe travel zone on a quarantine-free flight” or are exempted by the Chief Health Officer.
• No quarantine is required for international students coming from a “safe travel zone on a quarantine-free flight” but is required to be fully vaccinated and to present proof of negative COVID-19 PCR Test result within 72 hours of departure.

South Australia

• Should be fully vaccinated and present proof of vaccination
• Present a negative COVID-19 PCR Test before the departure date
• Required to take COVID-19 test within 24 hours upon arrival and should observe quarantine guidelines until a negative result is received
• Restricted to going to high-risk places for seven days upon date of arrival.

For unvaccinated travelers:

• Mandatory quarantine for 14 days upon arrival
• Required to take COVID-19 test within 24 hours upon arrival, on the sixth day, and on the 13th day from date of arrival.
• Monitoring for symptoms after 14 days is recommended.

West Australia

• Fully vaccinated travelers with proof of negative COVID-19 test result on day 1 and day 6 of their hotel quarantine for them to be allowed to leave the hotel quarantine on day 8 to continue the remainder of the 14-day quarantine at home (self-quarantine).
• During self-quarantine: Negative PCR Tests are required on day 9 and day 12. If living with other people in the household, they will also be required to do PCR Tests on day 12.
• In case of a positive result on day 9 of self-quarantine: all members of the household will be required to undertake PCR Tests on day 10.
• The quarantine will only end on day 14 if all household members return a negative test on day 12.
• Self-quarantine updates need to be entered in the G2G Now app until the end of quarantine.

Tasmania

• Register at Tas e-Travel system prior to arrival. Your QR code will be scanned when you arrive in Tasmania.
• Proof of full vaccination is required: vaccination certificate
• A negative result of the COVID-19 test before departure flight to Tasmania.
• Quarantine is not required if you are fully vaccinated, have been exempted due to medical reasons, or are under the age of 12 years and two months. In addition, you need to have not visited any high-risk areas 14 days prior to your arrival in Tasmania.
• Test and quarantine are not required for fully vaccinated and exempted travelers who are returning to Tasmania within seven days.

For unvaccinated students, unable to present negative COVID-19 Test results, or if you are unable to prove your vaccination status:

• Required to undergo mandatory quarantine until a negative COVID-19 test is provided
• Approval from Deputy State Controller will be required for individuals who are unable to prove the vaccination status.

Northern Territory

• Fully vaccinated international students and other travelers with recognized vaccines will be allowed to enter without quarantine. Proof of vaccination will be required.
• Unvaccinated visitors will not be allowed to enter the state.
• Negative Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) is required for travelers coming via international flights within two hours of arriving in the Northern Territory. Traveling by road will require the travelers to take the RAT within two hours of reaching the nearest Rapid Antigen Test Distribution Center.
• Complete the online declaration where you will declare that you have undergone the RAT.
• Additional RAT tests are to be conducted on days 3 and 6 after arrival. Photos of the test result and packaging with the batch number and an identification document are required to be uploaded in the online declaration not later than day 8 of arrival.
• If in case your test returns to be positive – you will be required to self-isolate and keep updating the online declaration. Read more on the testing protocol in Northern Territory here.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Fully vaccinated international students and travelers arriving in ACT within seven days are mandated to comply with the following:

• Fill out the online declaration form within 24 hours of arrival
• Required to return a negative Rapid Antigen Test within 24 hours of arrival in Australia
• Observe quarantine until a negative result is received. The quarantine will end once a negative result is received.

For unvaccinated students and travelers:

• Required to undergo the 14-day mandatory quarantine
• Exemptions such as travel due to compassionate or exceptional reasons will be allowed if permitted by ACT Health.
• For other exemptions and special cases in traveling to ACT, click here.