Due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic, the Australian government has announced a new travel ban. From 25 March 2020 Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents are restricted from travelling outside of Australia.
There are some key exemptions to this travel ban which means some Australian citizens and permanent residence can still travel despite the ban. Of most interest to the public are the first two exemptions:
- People are who are ordinarily resident in a country other than Australia
- People with an exceptional circumstance who can demonstrate a compelling reason to leave Australia
There are some other exemptions also listed:
- Crew members of an aircraft or vessel or a worker associated with the safety or maintenance of an aircraft or vessel
- A person engaged in the day-to-day conduct of inbound and outbound freight
- A person whose travel is associated with essential work at an offshore facility
- A person who is travelling on official government business (including a member of the Australian Defence Force)
If you are an Australian citizen looking for advice on how to obtain permission to travel outside the country, we recommend that you speak to the Department of Home Affairs about permission to travel outside of Australia. You can apply for a travel exemption via their online portal.
We note the above is information only and is not legal advice. It is current as at the time of publishing and we continue to publish new information as the coronavirus pandemic evolves.