Guidance for travellers arriving from overseas and who wish to enter the ACT
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Guidance for travellers arriving from
overseas and who wish to enter the ACT
Last updated 7 January 2022
Guidance for fully vaccinated returned overseas travellers
arriving in Australia
There are currently no direct international flights arriving into the ACT. The majority
of travellers who wish to travel to the ACT arrive in Sydney, New South Wales.
Fully vaccinated travellers who are returning from overseas and wish to enter
the ACT must first follow the requirements of the jurisdiction of their port of
entry.
If travellers are permitted to onward travel to the ACT, they must:
• complete an online declaration form within 24 hours of arrival into the ACT
o travellers aged under 12 years and 2 months will not need a separate
form and should instead be added to the form of their accompanying
parent or guardian.
• undergo a COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) within 24 hours of arrival in
Australia and quarantine until a negative result is received.
o if unable to access a RAT, travellers must undergo a Polymerase Chain
Reaction (PCR) test and quarantine until a negative result is received
• not enter a high-risk setting until 14 days have passed following arrival in
Australia.
• not enter a childcare or certain education setting until 7 days have passed
following arrival in Australia.
For the first 7 days following arrival in Australia, ACT Health strongly recommends
returned travellers to:
• stay at home wherever possible and minimise their movement in public
spaces to essential reasons only.
• keep good records of where they have been, including dates and times and
use the Check in CBR app wherever it is required.
• avoid use of public transport, and if essential, ensure a face mask is worn.
• practise good hand and respiratory hygiene and wear a face mask whenever
in a public space.
If at any time a returned traveller experiences COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how
mild, they must get tested immediately and quarantine until a negative result is
received.
1Quarantine Requirements for unvaccinated travellers aged
12 years and 2 months to 17 years who are unaccompanied
or travelling with fully vaccinated parents, guardians or
carers
Unvaccinated travellers aged 12 years and 2 months to 17 years who are travelling
with a parent, guardian or carer who is regarded as fully vaccinated, or who are
travelling unaccompanied, will be required to seek an exemption to travel to the
ACT. Travellers should:
• complete the International notification of arrival form and submit the
form by email to COVID.Exemptions@act.gov.au.
Modified quarantine conditions (7 day quarantine period ending at 11.59pm on the
seventh day) will be applied to the young traveller. The same testing requirements
that apply to fully vaccinated travellers will also be applied.
ACT Health will provide additional conditions and advice to travellers in the
exemption documentation that is issued.
Unvaccinated travellers aged 12 years and 2 months to 17 years who are
travelling with unvaccinated adults will be subject to quarantine requirements
for unvaccinated adults and must quarantine at port of entry.
Unvaccinated dependants who are aged over 18 years and who are travelling with
their vaccinated parents, guardians or carers will be required to comply with
conditions for unvaccinated travellers.
Exemptions may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
Persons arriving into the ACT with a medical contraindication
to COVID-19 vaccination
Persons who are arriving into the ACT with a valid medical contraindication to
COVID-19 vaccination will be treated as a fully vaccinated traveller.
A medical contraindication certificate is defined in the Public Health Direction as a
certificate issued by a medical practitioner:
• provided in a form approved by the ACT Chief Health Officer certifying that
because of a specified medical contraindication, the person to whom the
certificate has been issued cannot have any available COVID -19 vaccination,
or
• provided in a form approved by another State or Territory Government
certifying that because of a specified medical contraindication, the person to
whom the certificate has been issued cannot have any available COVID -19
vaccination.
In addition, the ACT will accept evidence from an overseas medical practitioner or
other authority, which has been accepted at point of departure.
2Requirements for travellers aged 18 years or over who are
NOT fully vaccinated
Persons aged 18 years or over who are not fully vaccinated must complete a
mandatory 14 day quarantine period at their port of entry prior to being permitted
entry into the ACT.
Any unvaccinated travellers seeking to enter the ACT without completing this
mandatory quarantine period will be required to seek an exemption prior to their
travel to the ACT by emailing COVID.Exemptions@act.gov.au.
Please note that exemptions for unvaccinated travellers aged 18 years or over will
only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
Further detail on applying for exemptions is outlined later in this document.
Flight crew, air ambulance and medevac crew
Fully vaccinated flight crew, air ambulance and medevac crew who enter the ACT
following a flight that originated from a place outside of Australia
must undergo a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) within 24 hours of arrival in Australia and
quarantine until a negative result is received, or until the crew member departs on a
flight, or a series of flights, leaving Australia.
Crew members must undertake a PCR test within 24 hours of their arrival if unable
to access a RAT.
If a flight crew member is not fully vaccinated, they must comply with the following
requirements, as outlined in the Public Health Direction:
• on arrival into the ACT, travel immediately to an approved quarantine
premises to complete a quarantine period until the sooner of the following
occurs:
o 14 days have passed, and all testing requirements have been fulfilled, or
o the flight crew member departs on another flight, or a series of flights,
that leave Australia.
The employer of an unvaccinated flight crew member must:
• arrange approved transportation for the flight crew member to the approved
quarantine premises
• arrange for appropriate quarantine premises if the flight crew member does
not have appropriate accommodation
• arrange approved transportation for the flight crew member to travel to the
airport, where the member is departing the ACT during the quarantine
period.
3Public Health Directions
The Public Health (Returned Travellers) Emergency Direction 2021 (the Direction)
sets out requirements for all travellers who are seeking to enter the ACT on their
return from overseas. The Public Health Direction is available on the ACT
Government’s COVID-19 website.
Who is considered to be fully vaccinated for the travellers
arriving from overseas?
To be considered fully vaccinated, travellers arriving from overseas must:
• have received the number of doses required for a complete course of a
COVID-19 vaccine that is approved or recognised by the Australian
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), at least 7 days prior to
departure from overseas; or
• have a medical contraindication certificate, or
• be aged under 12 years and 2 months at the time of departure to
Australia, travelling with a fully vaccinated adult.
Current (as of 15 December 2021) TGA approved vaccines are:
Two doses at least 14 days apart of:
Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) Comirnaty (Pfizer) Spikevax (Moderna)
One dose of:
Janssen Cilag (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines
Current TGA recognised vaccines, for the purposes of inbound international travel to
Australia are:
Two doses at least 14 days apart of:
Coronavac (Sinovac) Covishield (AstraZeneca/ Serum Institute
of India)
Covaxin (Bharat Biotech, India) BBIBP-CorV (for 18 to 60 year olds)
(Sinopharm, China)
This includes two doses of the same recognised or approved vaccine, or two doses of
two different approved or recognised vaccines. At least 7 days must have passed
since the final dose of vaccination in a course, prior to scheduled departure from the
overseas location. Further information on approved vaccines is available on the TGA
website.
Individuals who have received a non-TGA approved or recognised vaccine are not
able to receive a medical exemption (medical contraindication certificate) and
cannot be treated as vaccinated for the purposes of travel to Australia.
4General Requirements for all travellers
Before your travel
All travellers will be required to undertake a COVID-19 PCR test no earlier than three
days prior to their scheduled departure to Australia. Fully vaccinated travellers are
required to have an international COVID-19 vaccination certificate, obtain a foreign
vaccination certificate from the country they were vaccinated in, or provide proof of
a medical exemption. The Australian Government has developed guidance on
obtaining acceptable form of proof of vaccination.
Travellers must not travel to the ACT if they:
• have any COVID-19 symptoms, even if your symptoms are mild.
• have been in contact with a COVID-19 case in the last 14 days, or
• if you have been directed to quarantine or isolate by a Health Authority or
another authorised person.
Travelling to the ACT – movement through Airports
When moving through Australian airports travellers should comply with the
following.
• face masks must be worn in all Australian airports and on domestic flights
• travellers must follow the face mask rules while in an airport and in the
community
• while moving around the airport and in the community, travellers should
make sure to maintain physical distancing of 1.5 metres from people who are
not known to them
• travellers should ensure they maintain excellent hand and respiratory hygiene
• maintaining good hygiene is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk
of COVID-19 transmission
Information on how to safely travel to the ACT, quarantine arrangements and
seeking testing can be found on the ACT COVID-19 website.
What else is required of me on my arrival into the ACT?
During the 14 days after arrival into Australia (day of arrival is day ‘zero’), travellers
must be extra vigilant in monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms. Should travellers and /
or their dependants develop any symptoms, no matter how mild, they must get
tested immediately.
Should travellers return a positive test result following their entry or day 6 testing,
ACT Health will be in contact, and travellers will be required to isolate for 14 days.
5Should another jurisdiction declare you as a close contact of a COVID-19 case, you
will be asked to quarantine for 7days (all unvaccinated children under 12 years and 2
months will be required to quarantine for 14 days) and follow the instructions for
people exposed to COVID-19.
COVID-19 testing requirements
Travellers will be required to undergo a COVID-19 RAT or PCR test within 24 hours of
arrival into Australia. ACT Health strongly recommends that travellers undergo an
additional test on day 12 or 13 following arrival to Australia.
If travellers have undergone a RAT or PCR test for COVID-19 whilst in another
jurisdiction within the abovementioned timeframes, they are not required to
undergo another test upon entry into the ACT. Travellers are required to arrange
their own COVID-19 testing in the ACT. RATs are available from many supermarkets
or chemists, and there are several PCR COVID-19 testing centres accessible in the
ACT.
Seek help if you develop symptoms
Travellers should monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 on an ongoing basis.
Any person who is experiencing symptoms, no matter how mild, should get tested
immediately.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include:
• fever (37.5 degrees or higher) or chills
• cough
• sore throat
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• new loss of smell or taste
• runny or blocked nose
• other reported symptoms include muscle pain, joint pain, diarrhoea, nausea
and vomiting, headache, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Restrictions on Entry into high-risk and other settings
Returning overseas travellers are not permitted to enter a high-risk setting until 14
days have passed since their arrival into Australia. This includes a hospital, residential
aged care facility, correction and detention facilities, and residential accommodation
facilities that support people who require frequent, close personal care and who are
vulnerable to disease.
If travellers need to enter a high-risk setting within 14 days of their arrival, they must
receive approval from the facility prior to entry.
6Travellers will also not be permitted entry into the following settings until after 7
days have passed since arriving to Australia:
• childcare or early childhood service
• a primary school or school attended by children under 12 years of age, or a
specialist school or flexible education program.
This does not include accessing urgent medical care, or aged or disability care
services.
Evidence
Travellers should carry evidence for 14 days and be able to provide to relevant
authorities if requested the following:
• your vaccination status or medical exemption, and
• evidence of COVID-19 RAT or PCR tests taken within 24 hours of arrival and on
day 6 after arrival.
Applying for exemptions from the Public Health Directions or
requirements in this guidance
To apply for an exemption from the current travel requirements outlined in this
guidance, please email COVID.Exemptions@act.gov.au.
The email should include details of all travellers and the reasons for requesting an
exemption, details of proposed quarantine accommodation and proposed travel
arrangements. Vaccination status of parents, guardians or carers must also be
provided.
Unvaccinated travellers aged 12 years and 2 months to 17 years who are travelling
with a parent, guardian or carer who is regarded as fully vaccinated, or who are
travelling unaccompanied, should complete the International notification of arrival
form and submit the form by email to COVID.Exemptions@act.gov.au.
Questions can also be directed to the abovementioned email.
7Further Information
Further information can be accessed on the following websites:
• ACT Government – www.covid19.act.gov.au
o Declaration forms
o www.covid19.act.gov.au/declaration-form
o Advice on entering the ACT from overseas
www.covid19.act.gov.au/travel/overseas-travel
o Symptoms of COVID-19
www.covid19.act.gov.au/covid-symptoms
o Advice for people exposed to COVID-19
o www.covid19.act.gov.au/people-exposed-to-covid-19
o Where to get tested
www.covid19.act.gov.au/about-testing
o COVID safe behaviours
www.covid19.act.gov.au/covid-safe
• Australian Government – Smart Traveller COVID-19 and Travel
www.smartraveller.gov.au
• Australian Government (Home Affairs) – Coming to Australia
https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/coming-australia
• Therapeutic Goods Administration: International COVID-19 vaccines
recognised by Australia
• www.tga.gov.au/international-covid-19-vaccines-recognised-australia
If you have any questions or need assistance, you can contact ACT Health on
(02) 5124 6500.
You can also visit the ACT Government COVID-19 website www.covid19.act.gov.au
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