BA15 to Sydney travel requirements
 

We have a trip coming up to SYD in early May and have checked the travel requirements but a bit confused and would just like some advice in case I have missed anything. If anyone who has recently done this could advise I would be really grateful.

We are both fully vaccinated but we need to do our own lateral flows on arrival and another one 6 days later.

We have Electronic visitor visas and therefore don't need Electronic travel authorizations?

We take our proof of vaccinations with us

We complete our Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) in the week before we go. (The text on the BA website refers to providing "COVID-19 test result" but hasn't that been superceded?)

Just don't want to get this wrong and get sent back on the next flight!

This is the section of the BA website I am referring to https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...y-requirements

You don't need to any antigen tests for Australia. Just download the digital passenger declaration mobile application and complete the details within 72 hours of departure

If you were to get it wrong, you wouldn't be sent back from Australia - you just wouldn't be able to get on the flight in the 1st place

So what's currently on the BA website is just out of date? Can't see what we have to do in the DPD as it has to be done in week before we go and not sure if it allows a dummy run to see what it does.

And we only need electronic visitor visas and not Electronic travel authorizations?

I think I'm correct in that but brain is full!

For best current overview look at the IATA site - https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/world.php as well as the Australian government sites .. I wouldn't be relying on BA ( or any other airline ) to keep their own site up to date I'm afraid

If you are vaccinated and can prove it then Australia is easy now (finally!) .. bring the Vax cert and 'sign' the digital form and that's basically it ( check the individual states too as there may be additional forms, but no additional rules any more I don't believe )

On the 'eVisitor Visa' vs. 'Electronic Travel Authorisation' .. far as I know you need one or the other not both- they are functionally the same ( it depends on your passport which ones you can apply for , some nationalities can apply for both )

If you are going anywhere beyond NSW check to see if there are any remaining State travel requirements or tests needed.

AU govt COVID-19 and the border
AU govt Inbound international travel
FT--- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocea...ol-thread.html

Also NSW & VIC states are reducing the CV19 requirements from the weekend. But they will not be on line until they come into effect.

I have arrived internationally at SYD a few times this year, latest on Monday just after the pre-departure test requirement removed. As of last weekend, the online DPD form hadn't been updated to remove the pre-departure test requirement, so I just ticked "exempt" as I was arriving just after the 18Apr/00.01 rule change and form was approved. Hopefully updated now.
Downloads confirming completed DPD and Vaccination Certs were verified at overseas check-in and that was it - no health docs requested on arrival in SYD other than the standard orange customs & health form distributed on-board before landing.
As above, states may have their own entry requirements - for NSW it was to do a self-admin RAT test within 24 hrs and to keep away from certain high-risk environments, but assuming arrival into SYD you can find details online as below or you'll get usually get an announcement re the latest from cabin crew or a local health official just before you disembark.
Usual advice to carry hard copy prints of your documents rather than just electronic.

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/arrivals-guidelines.aspx

Others have already provided a steer on the key points plus links to the authoritative federal govt guidance. I’ll add a couple of DPD-related things from my own experience of flying LHR-SYD in Feb, a few days after the DPD replaced the previous Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) but while pre-flight testing was still mandatory.

DPD completion was quite time-consuming and clunky and I’d recommend starting soon after the earliest point allowed (7 days pre-flight) when most of the required steps can be completed. You’ll first need to create a DHA login. I used the web form accessed via a PC and some have reported this to be easier than the phone app. You will need to have a photo (JPEG or PNG) of the ID page of your passport to upload, plus 14 day pre-flight travel history etc. The health section of the DPD is locked until 72 hrs pre-flight, when you will upload a digital copy of your vax certificate or fill in the details manually, and then finalise/submit the DPD. I did mine <24 hrs pre-flight, because a pre-flight test (rapid antigen/LF) was required in that timeframe and the associated certificate also had to be uploaded to complete the DPD: as noted in previous posts that requirement stopped from 18 April though websites (not only BA but also the Australian DHA!) still contain outdated refs to the test. The completed form can be downloaded as a 2 page PDF: I showed a print-out at check-in.

Note that the DPD is intended to make the hard copy Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) redundant, but that step doesn’t seem to have happened yet, so you will receive an IPC to complete onboard and present to a Border Force officer after immigration and checked bag collection on arrival at SYD, before going through Customs/biosecurity.

Lastly, re the post-arrival LF tests, as you are aware you need to supply your own tests. There is no NHS-style reporting of negative results in Australia.

It's a requirement for NSW though, within 24 hours of arrival. Isn't that what the OP is referring to?

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/trav...l-travel-rules

Yes , though the airlines have no role in enforcing this as it's not a requirement for travel - they'll only be checking your vaccine cert and declaration ... Post arrival tests are an honour system really I think .. Don't know when the OP is travelling, but given the speed that Australia is removing rules it's likely this one will go soon enough too - can't imagine it's remotely effective for anything in its current form!

Many thanks everyone - that pretty much matches what I thought but just wanted confirmation that I hadn't missed something

That is indeed currently a requirement if staying in NSW, but is not something that impacts travel to Australia. Prior to 18th April there were requirements, but now it is just the DPD

Kind of - you can be prosecuted for failing to report a positive antigen test. PCR tests are automatically recorded

I think that fortunately a lot of people in NSW are honest and will act correctly if they get a postive Covid test result

If arriving in NSW and don't have an antigen test with you, can just go to Histopath at the airport and it will perform an antigen test for $59. Will get results within 15 minutes and can be on your way. If it tests positive then it will perform a PCR test