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One day out of the limited trans-Tasman bubble, Australia has published its requirements for kiwi travelers.
Starting Friday, New Zealand passengers will be able to travel to New South Wales and the Northern Territory without having to self-quarantine upon arrival, as the first stage of what has been called the “safe travel zone” between New Zealand and Australia.
Brook Mitchell / Getty Images
Starting Friday, Kiwis will be able to travel to Sydney without having to self-quarantine upon arrival.
Until now, Australia’s borders have been closed to everyone except Australian citizens, residents, and immediate family members of citizens and residents. Those who do not fit into one of these categories have had to apply for an exemption in order to enter the country.
Are you planning to fly to Australia on Friday 16th October? Email [email protected]
But on Thursday, the Australian Department of the Interior published an update on its website that confirmed that New Zealanders traveling under the safe travel zone agreement will automatically be exempted from Australia’s travel restrictions.
READ MORE:
* Covid-19: what we know, and what we still don’t know, about the Australian travel bubble
* ‘People will be turned away at the airport’: confusion around the limited rules of the trans-Tasmanian bubble
* ‘Not really a bubble’: few kiwis are willing to make limited use of trans-Tasmanian travel
The website states that people can travel from New Zealand to Australia, without quarantine, if they have been in New Zealand for 14 days or more and have not been to a designated “access point”.
A Covid-19 hotspot is defined as a location with a three-day average of three cases per day. There are currently no access points in New Zealand.
These passengers must travel to Australia on a “quarantine free flight”, which only carries passengers who meet these requirements.
“You do not need to be a New Zealand citizen to travel to Australia without quarantine if you meet the above criteria, but you will need a valid visa to enter Australia,” the website says.
“New Zealand citizens do not need to apply for a visa before coming to Australia.”
Currently, the agreement is limited to travel to New South Wales and the Northern Territory, but other states and territories may be added at a later date.
According to the website, before traveling to Australia, passengers must print and complete a Covid-19 declaration form and present it at check-in at the airport.
If passengers do not submit this form, they may not be able to board their flight, the website indicates.
Upon arrival in Australia, there will be green and red zones at the airport to separate passengers arriving on “quarantine-free” flights and those who must complete 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
“If you are traveling on a quarantine-free flight, you will be guided through the green zone to complete all border clearance processes at the airport of arrival in Australia,” the website says.
Currently, the safe travel zone is one-way, and passengers returning to New Zealand from Australia are still required to complete 14 days of administered isolation upon return.
