Australia Announces Reopening Of Travel Borders To All
Following positive announcements of vaccinated travel lanes between Malaysia and countries such as Singapore and Thailand, Australia has also announced that it will be reopening its international travel borders after close to two years of tourism ban.
Australia is known for having one of the strictest border controls, travel restrictions, and COVID-19 precautionary measures globally since the very beginning of the pandemic. It's also why Australians have been able to go out mask-free for months at long while nationwide lockdowns were implemented in Malaysia last year.
As of now, nearly 80% of the Australian population is fully vaccinated and the country has already established travel bubbles with select countries such as New Zealand and Japan in recent months. With the announcement of the border reopening, people can soon travel to Australia from anywhere in the world, as long as they're fully vaccinated.
[Update] Australia To Scrap Pre-Departure Test Requirement From 18 April
In the latest announcement, Australia announced that international arrivals from 17 April onwards will no longer need to take a pre-departure COVID-19 test before travelling to Australia.
Rules & Requirements For Malaysians Travelling To Australia
Who can travel to Australia?
- Australia has reopened its borders to travellers of all nationalities as of 21 February 2022.
- To enter, travellers have to possess a visa and be fully vaccinated (all vaccines available in Malaysia such as Pfizer, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca are approved in Australia). The federal government has not made a booster shot mandatory so two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine will suffice for now.
- Unvaccinated travellers (e.g: children under 12, individuals that are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons) may apply for an exemption. If no medical exemption can be provided, travel may still be allowed with a 7 - 14 days' hotel quarantine.
Checklist of documents & tests required for travel:
- Proof of vaccination: both paper and digital proof are acceptable and have to be written in English or with a certified translation.
- Digital Passenger Declaration: can be completed online here and has to be submitted within 72 hours before your departure to Australia.
- G2G Pass: required for travellers aged 16+ who wish to travel to Western Australia (e.g: Perth) and can be filled up online here.
- Australia ETA Visa: Malaysian passport holders are required to obtain an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) [also known as an electronic visa] in order to enter Australia. An Australia ETA is easy to apply online and will typically be received within 24 hours of applying!
Note: a pre-departure COVID-19 test is no longer required to travel to Australia from 18 April 2022 onwards.
Will I need to quarantine or take any tests upon arrival in Australia?
Quarantine and travel restrictions in Australia depend largely on the state or territory of your arrival. Thankfully with the recent easing of travel restrictions, most states in Australia now accept Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) for on-arrival testing, so you can simply bring along your self-test kits and easily test yourself instead of having to visit a health facility to get it done!
Here are some quarantine and testing rules as of early April 2022 (we've linked the official websites in the name of the state/territory so you can click in for more information!):
State/Territory | Test Requirements |
|---|---|
New South Wales (e.g: Sydney) | [Upon Arrival] Take a rapid antigen test within 24 hours upon arrival and self-isolate until results turn out negative (you can pack your own test kits & self-test easily on your own!) [Other Test Requirements] Take antigen test on or after day 6 |
Victoria, Queensland, and Australian Capital Territory (e.g: Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast) | [Upon Arrival] Strongly recommended to take a PCR or rapid antigen test 24 hours upon arrival. |
South Australia (e.g: Adelaide) | [Upon Arrival] Take a rapid antigen test 24 hours upon arrival & self-isolate until results turn out negative. |
Western Australia (e.g: Perth) | No quarantine or on-arrival tests required. |
No quarantine or on-arrival tests required. |
Important: Do note that these are unprecedented times and travel restrictions may change from time to time - check out the Australian government's official website for the latest information on travel rules.
Will I need to quarantine after coming back to Malaysia?
Malaysians who travel overseas from 1 April 2022 will no longer need to quarantine upon entry/return to Malaysia. However, you will have to take a PCR swab test 2 days before departure, and an RTK test 24 hours upon arrival in Malaysia.
If you're travelling before 1 April 2022, you are subject to a self-quarantine upon return to Malaysia (5 days for boosted travellers, 7 days for double-vaccinated, and 10 days for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers).
Other Countries Malaysians Can Now Travel To
Not Ready To Travel Overseas Just Yet?
Photo Credit: @wawaa.zubir_ || 📍 Colmar Tropicale
Still skeptical about hopping on an international flight? Go on a local Cuti-Cuti Malaysia adventure first before making bigger plans! Besides, there's more to explore close to home than you think. Click here to start planning your getaway within Malaysia with exclusive packages available on Klook.
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