The Australian government has scrapped the need for incoming international travellers to declare their Covid-19 vaccination status.Health Minister Mark Butler said the change would come into effect from 12.01am on Wednesday morning.

The Health Minister said the change to the Biosecurity Act was based on advice from the Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil also announced travellers will no longer have to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration.

However, they must still comply with the requirements of airlines and states and territories, including the wearing of masks on flights.

Key points:

• Health Minister Mark Butler says the decision is being made on medical advice
• In May, just over 1,000 applications from unvaccinated travellers were received, with 158 approved
• Incoming arrivals will still need to comply with other restrictions, including wearing masks on flights

Foreign travellers arriving in Australia will no longer need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 from Wednesday morning.

It marks the end of significant COVID-based restrictions on travel into Australia, more than two years after the pandemic began. Currently, anyone arriving in Australia needs to declare their vaccination status before arriving. While Australian citizens can arrive unvaccinated, most foreign travellers need to seek an exemption on limited grounds. From 12:01am on Wednesday morning, those requirements will be scrapped altogether — opening the international border in full to unvaccinated travellers.
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Relatively few requests were being made from unvaccinated travellers looking to enter Australia. In May, just over 1,000 applications were received and only 158 were approved — largely on compassionate grounds.

Incoming arrivals still need to comply with other COVID-19 restrictions, like wearing masks on flights bound for Australia.

All COVID-19 border restrictions to be lifted​
People travelling to Australia will no longer have to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status, following changes to the Biosecurity Act, which come into effect from midnight AEST on Wednesday 6 July 2022.

“This is great news for families coming home from school holidays who now don’t need to use the DPD,” Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O’Neil, said.

The Biosecurity Act changes, which were made following health advice from the Chief Medical Officer, also mean that all visa holders can travel to Australia without needing a travel exemption.

“As more and more of us travel internationally and we get more confident in managing our risk of COVID, our airports are getting busier,” Minister O’Neil said.

“Removing these requirements will not only reduce delays in our airports but will encourage more visitors and skilled workers to choose Australia as a destination.

“And for Australian citizens, with the removal of these requirements, returning home will be much easier.

“I know anyone who has travelled internationally since the borders have opened will find this as one less thing to worry about – especially as more Australians get back to travelling overseas.

“We’ve also listened to feedback about the DPD. While in time it will replace the paper based incoming passenger card, it needs a lot more work to make it user friendly”

Those arriving by sea will also benefit, and no longer need to complete a Maritime Travel Declaration. Airlines, cruise ship operators and other countries may still have specific requirements that travellers need to comply with.

Most states and territories require you to take a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of arriving in Australia. You should check this, and additional post-arrival testing requirements for the state or territory you arrive in and subsequently travel to.

An international arrival must...submit to a COVID-19 Rapid Antigen test or COVID-19 PCR test immediately on their arrival in South Australia...

COVID-19 Rapid Antigen test means a self-collected antigen based test (upper respiratory tract or oropharyngeal specimen test) to test for COVID-19...