COVID-19 – MUST READ INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUSTRALIA AND FRENCH POLYNESIA

Since 22 January 2021, all travellers aged five years or older, departing on flights to Australia need to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result undertaken 72 hours or less prior to boarding a flight (some exemptions apply). Passengers transiting Australia on onward international flights will also be required to present a negative test result prior to boarding their plane for Australia. Passengers who have had a COVID-19 vaccine will also be required to present a negative test result prior their departure for Australia and will also need to carry their vaccination certificate.

Most international travellers to Australia must be tested 72 hours or less prior to departure and present a negative result when checking in prior to boarding their flight, though travellers from French Polynesia can be tested up to 96 hours prior to departure (see below). If flights to Australia are delayed by more than 96 hours past the scheduled departure time, passengers will require new tests results. Travellers should contact their airline about the requirements for their specific flight. Local authorities may also have additional requirements in place for international departures from their country. Locations for COVID-19 pre-departure tests in French Polynesia are available under the country travel information below.

Masks are mandatory on all international and domestic flights, including within airports.

Anyone who has a negative test result and enters Australia, will still need to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine on a user-pay basis for quarantine fees at a designated facility at their port of arrival.

There are international arrival caps on the daily number of passengers coming into Australian airports from overseas. This could affect your flight into Australia. If you’re scheduled to fly to Australia in the coming weeks, confirm your itinerary and travel plans with your airline or travel agent.

Please note the Australian Department of Home Affairs manages entry and travel restrictions to and from Australia, including visas and travel exemptions. The Health Departments of each Australian State and Territory manage health regulations, including quarantine exemptions and fees. All Australian States and Territories have travel restrictions relevant to their jurisdiction that must be adhered to.

Travellers needing assistance with Home Affairs (e.g. visa or travel exemption) or health (e.g. quarantine advice and exemptions) enquiries must contact the relevant competent authorities in Australia directly. Non-Australian travellers (e.g. dual nationals or third country nationals seeking to transit Australia) should contact the relevant Australian authorities directly, seek consular assistance from their own country's nearest diplomatic or consular mission in Australia or contact their airline, cruise line, port agent, travel provider or employer as appropriate.

Australian authorities recommend submitting applications as early as possible. The earliest applications can be submitted is 3 months prior to the intended departure date, and no later than two weeks prior to departure. The Australian Consulate-General is unable to escalate Home Affairs or State and Territory related enquiries or applications, including those relating to exemptions.

If you need to travel in Australia or overseas, make sure you know the facts about COVID-19. Travellers to Australia should contact their airline regarding any current requirements relating to COVID-19 measures and testing.

All travellers should regularly check all the website links provided for the most up-to-date information regarding their situation and contact relevant authorities in Australia and overseas for assistance applicable to their circumstances. Travellers should also keep up to date with all travel restrictions and regulations both in Australia and overseas and should follow the advice of local authorities, including in French Polynesia, as measures and regulations can be subject to change at short notice.

Travelling to/from Australia

Please refer to:

Smartraveller information on Coronavirus (COVID-19) for Australian citizens and permanent residents of Australia, including on the ban on overseas travel from Australia which requires an Australian Border Force exemption if you do not meet the criteria for automatic exemptions. Supporting documentation may be required, including a statement from foreign authorities confirming you are also a citizen of or a resident in the foreign country you intend travelling to.

Department of Home Affairs updates on immigration and entry requirements for those coming to Australia, including for the immediate family of Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia and foreign nationals needing to come to Australia or transit Australia.  Please also refer to COVID-19 – Your visa and travel questions answered to understand the visa and travel options available to you.

COVID-19: Overseas financial assistance for Australians and permanent residents of Australia who are unable to return to Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions and who are experiencing financial distress, including eligibility criteria and application process.

All travellers must check the website of the Australian Department of Health for COVID-19 advice for international travellers and COVID-19 FAQs for international travellers, as well as information on getting ready for quarantine, including on recommendations before you depart and what to expect on arrival as well as recommendations for when you’re in quarantine and how to look after your health and wellbeing.

Smartraveller information on new measures for return to Australia and the requirement for all travellers aged 5 years or older, including transit passengers, to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 (PCR) test to airlines at the departure point prior to boarding a flight to Australia, which also includes FAQs for International Passengers. Travellers should contact their airline for advice on requirements for their specific flight.

Masks are mandatory for all international and domestic flights, including within airports. All travellers must read the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) statement on safe air travel – enhancing end-to-end mitigations – international.

All travellers must also check the information on the new Australian Travel Declaration (ATD) requirement and fill out their online ATD declaration no later than 72 hours prior to departure and no earlier than one week before departure. Your declaration will help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Australia and assist Australian authorities in their contact tracing and quarantine planning. The ATD declaration is not mandatory, however, failure to complete it may cause delays at check-in and on arrival in Australia. Airlines will prompt you to complete your ATD declaration prior to boarding. Once an ATD application is submitted, applicants should receive a response within hours detailing their COVID-19 risk rating which will range from Green (eligibility for a quarantine-free flight), Blue (requiring to undertake mandatory quarantine on arrival) to Red (travellers who will have answered yes to either having COVID-19 symptoms or being in contact with someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days). For more information for travellers arriving in the green and red travel zone, please see the advice for international travellers available on the website of the Australian Department of Health.

Foreign nationals currently in French Polynesia and who are seeking to travel to or transit through Australia must also check the website of the Department of Home Affairs for the most up-to-date information regarding their situation and apply for a visa where required and an exemption to come to Australia or transit Australia. All travellers arriving in or transiting through Australia also need to check the website of the relevant State or Territory government and apply for an exemption to the 14-day mandatory quarantine to facilitate their onward travel. Australian States and territories can apply their own travel restrictions and you should check the latest information on the websites of relevant State and Territory authorities before travelling.

Travelling to/from French Polynesia

Australian citizens and permanent residents of Australia, as well as Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada, who are still in French Polynesia and seeking to return to Australia or Canada, are encouraged to examine commercial flight options. If you are in need of specific consular assistance in order to depart French Polynesia, you can contact us at [email protected]. Stay up to date with and follow the advice of local authorities. Stay also up to date with the Australian travel advice for French Polynesia on Smartraveller and the Canadian travel advice for French Polynesia and monitor news on our Facebook page at L'Australie en Polynesie Francaise.

Travel to French Polynesia is only allowed from certain countries and if you have the relevant documents from local authorities prior to travel. Strict pre-departure processes and measures on arrival and in country apply and may be subject to change at short notice. Masks are mandatory on planes and at airports. All unvaccinated travellers arriving in French Polynesia must undertake a mandatory 10-day self-funded quarantine at facilities designated by the Government of French Polynesia. Fines apply for non-compliance to these regulations. Further information is available on the website of the Health Department of French Polynesia and of the French High Commission in French Polynesia.

All travellers (including minors), residents and non-residents, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status, have to complete a form on the Electronic Travel Information System (ETIS) website. Registration must be filled between 30 to 6 days at the latest, prior to departure. Travelers who have not obtained their ETIS receipt will not receive their boarding authorisation. Vaccinated travellers are required to bring proof of their vaccination status. Unvaccinated travellers and travellers who have not been in one of the Green list countries for a minimum of 15 days prior to departure must apply for a boarding authorisation from the French High Commission on the basis of a compelling reason/purpose for their travel and their planned quarantine arrangements ("déclaration de motif impérieux" accessible through the ETIS platform or the Mes Demarches website).

Since 20 July 2021, upon obtaining the ETIS receipt, travellers are required to pay a flat fee to cover costs associated with COVID-19 health measures. This fee covers the processing of administrative and sanitary requests, ETIS procedures, arrival tests and tracing of passengers disembarking in French Polynesia. The fee is tiered according to the type of traveller:

All unvaccinated travellers or travellers who have tested postitive for COVID-19 arriving in French Polynesia must undertake a mandatory 10-day self-funded quarantine at home or at a facility designated by the Government of French Polynesia. Fines apply for non-compliance.

Sailboats and other vessels seeking to come to French Polynesia must contact the Joint Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in French Polynesia (JRCC PF) (email: [email protected] – phone: +689 40 54 16 16) and the Maritime Affairs Directorate of French Polynesia (email: [email protected] – phone: +689 40 54 45 00) for advice on entry conditions to French Polynesia by sea, noting additional quarantine or health measures may apply.

For further information on requirements to enter French Polynesia, including departure processes and timeframes, please check the websites of the French High Commission in French Polynesia, the Department of Health of French Polynesia and of the French Ministry for the Interior. Please also contact the nearest French diplomatic or consular mission in Australia or the French diplomatic or consular mission in your country of residence for further advice. Please also contact your airline, cruise line, port agent, travel provider or employer as appropriate.

For returning to Australia from French Polynesia, note that all travellers aged five years or older travelling to or transiting through Australia will need to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 (PCR) test result undertaken 96 hours or less prior to boarding a flight at the departure point. COVID-19 pre-departure tests can be undertaken in French Polynesia at the Institut Malarde – Fare COVID (location: corner of Rue des Poilus Tahitiens and Rue du 5 Mars 1797, email: [email protected], phone: +689 40 41 64 72 or +689 40 41 64 16). The Fare-COVID is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 3pm, and on Saturday from 7.30am to 12 noon (closed Sundays except for quarantine related matters). Local authorities advise tests do not require an appointment and travellers should present at the Fare-COVID, with their passport and itinerary (e-ticket), 3 days prior to their departure for a RT-PCR test or the day prior to their departure (or on the morning of their departure if their flight is scheduled on the same evening) for an antigenic test. Test results will be made available to travellers through internet with login details provided by Institut Malarde personnel. Local authorities also advise tests are currently priced at XPF 17,100 per person for RT-PCR tests and at XPF 5,700 per person for antigenic tests (prices subject to change). Further information is available on the website of the Institut Malarde. For other COVID-19 PCR testing centres in French Polynesia, including prices and processes, please check the COVID-19 testing information for travellers returning from the Islands of Tahiti on the website of Tahiti Tourisme. Travellers should check with their airline and the authorities of the other countries they are travelling to which type of test they require.

Information on COVID-19 vaccinations in Australia and French Polynesia

Australia – Up-to-date information about Australia’s national roll-out of COVID-19 Vaccination Program is available on the website of the Australian Department of Health. The COVID-19 vaccine will be voluntary and free and, if you choose not to have a COVID-19 vaccine, your eligibility for Government payments won’t be affected. Information on vaccines approved for use in Australia is available on the website of the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program will prioritise the rollout of vaccines in Australia and will not extend to Australian citizens while overseas. The Australian Government cannot provide advice on vaccines that have been approved for use outside of Australia’s regulatory process. Australians overseas should consult their local health professional or local health authorities for advice on vaccine options that may be available locally. The Government’s Australia.gov.au website has been launched with details of Australia’s approach to COVID-19 vaccination, including FAQs on COVID-19 vaccines for Australians overseas. Information is also available on Smartraveller. Australian authorities advise that, irrespective of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, international travellers will still be required to quarantine upon arrival to Australia and meet other travel restrictions such as pre-departure COVID-19 testing. 

French Polynesia – Information on COVID-19 vaccination programs in French Polynesia is available on the website of the Health Department of French Polynesia at Vaccination COVID-19. Local authorities advise COVID-19 vaccinations are currently free and not mandatory. Please check with local authorities on the availability of vaccines should you wish to be vaccinated.