Good news from “Down Under:” Quarantine-free international travel into Queensland begins from this Saturday, January 22—although limited to "Working Holiday Makers" and students in addition to fully vaccinated Australians, permanent residents, and their families.
The Queensland Government this week announced fully vaccinated international travelers will no longer need to quarantine on arrival to the state; however, travelers must meet the following Australian Government entry requirements:
- Fully vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members can travel from all international locations to Australia without the requirement to quarantine on arrival.
- Australia has “Safe Travel Zones” declared for Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Singapore; these allow quarantine-free leisure travel for fully vaccinated visitors coming into Australia from these countries.
- Once meeting Australian arrival requirements, fully vaccinated international travelers won’t need to quarantine on arrival in Queensland.
- Consistent with requirements in other states, fully vaccinated international arrivals will need to complete a COVID-19 test (a rapid antigen test is accepted) within 24 hours of their arrival in Queensland.
- Unvaccinated international travelers arriving in Queensland will continue to be required to quarantine.
The requirements for international travelers to enter Australia are on the Department of Home Affairs COVID-19 website. They must then meet the Queensland requirements (the Queensland Health website will detail this information more specifically when the Public Health Direction is published on January 22). Once in Queensland, visitors must abide by all Public Health Directions currently in place including mask wearing and showing proof of vaccination to enter venues. (View all Queensland restrictions at www.covid19.qld.gov.au.)
Some states and territories in Australia have domestic border requirements for travelers moving between states while visiting. Travelers should check the requirements for each state they plan to visit.
Tourism and Events Queensland Chief Executive Officer Leanne Coddington said this was an important first step towards welcoming back travelers to one of the world’s highly sought-after tourism destinations. In 2019 more than 2.7 million international visitors arrived on Queensland’s shores, with the state’s capital Brisbane, as well as the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsundays among the most visited regions.
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