COVID-19: Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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International passenger arrival caps

Airlines continue to operate scheduled commercial flights to Australia. The majority of Australians return on scheduled commercial flights. You can learn more about carriers which continue to operate to Australia, here.

There are restrictions on the number of passengers airlines can carry. The number of passengers that each airline can carry to Australia is aligned with the number of places available in each port of arrival’s mandatory quarantine facilities. These allocations are known as 'international passenger arrival caps'.

These arrangements are:

agreed at National Cabinet, and administered by State and Territory authorities who assess their capacity and set their level of arrivals accordingly;
regularly updated with announcements posted on the High Commission social media accounts and at Australia.gov.au.

Airlines who operate scheduled commercial flights to Australia are required to ensure they stay within their allocation, and allocate seats accordingly.

Allocations

As new variants emerge of COVID-19, National Cabinet has adjusted passenger arrivals temporarily to assist state jurisdictions in their health response.

From no later than 15 January 2021 until 15 February 2020, a temporary halving of international passenger arrivals will be in effect for some jurisdictions.

From 12:01am on 15 February 2021, the arrival caps will increase to pre-8 January levels in:

New South Wales (3,010 per week);
Queensland (1000 per week);

From 12:01am on 15 February 2021, the arrival caps will increase in:

South Australia (530 arrivals per week)

The current cap in Western Australia (512 per week) will remain in place pending further review.

At the request of Premier Andrews, Victoria is not presently accepting international arrivals.

Testing, travel declarations and other requirements

There are requirements for COVID-19 testing, travel declarations and mask wearing in place for those returning to Australia.

Please refer to the information here.

State and Territory Health Authorities

State and Territory health authorities administered quarantine on arrival in Australia.

Find out their confirmation information by searching the list here.

Border restrictions

The Australian Government has strict-rules for entry to Australia to protect Australians from COVID-19.

For the latest information, please refer to the Department of Home Affairs here.

Passport and notarial services

Due to the significant increase in COVID related cases in the United Kingdom, we have temporarily suspended passport and notarials appointments. This is effective from 31 December until further notice. More information on passports is available here.