Updated 3 November 2021
This information is subject to change.
Check if you can access reduced quarantine arrangements
*Australia continues to have strictly controlled entry requirements. If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you should check to see if you are exempt from the travel restrictions: Travel restrictions | COVID-19 and the border (homeaffairs.gov.au)*
If you are fully vaccinated — you may be eligible for reduced quarantine requirements on arrival to Australia from Germany.
Some airlines require testing arrangements that are in addition to Australian Government requirements. Always check with your operating airline for their requirements.
Australia considers you to be fully vaccinated if you have completed a course of a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved or recognised vaccine. This includes mixed doses. Current approved vaccines and dosages for travel to Australia are:
Two doses, including mixed doses, at least 14 days apart of:
- AstraZeneca Vaxzevria
- AstraZeneca Covishield
- Pfizer/Biontech Comirnaty
- Moderna Spikevax
- Sinovac Coronavac
- Bharat Biotech Covaxin
- Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV (for 18-60 year olds).
Or one dose of:
- Johnson & Johnson/ Janssen-Cilag COVID Vaccine.
This covers all the COVID-19 vaccinations utilised in Germany.
At least 7 days must have passed since the final dose of vaccine in a course of immunisation for you to be considered fully vaccinated.
Australia’s definition of fully vaccinated doesn’t include travellers who have recovered from COVID with only one vaccine dose of a two-dose course.
Children under the age of 12 are considered fully vaccinated for the purposes of travel.
More information on the vaccine requirements can be found here: Travel for vaccinated Australians and permanent residents | COVID-19 and the border (homeaffairs.gov.au)
For New South Wales (Sydney) and the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra)
People arriving in NSW who are fully vaccinated will not need to quarantine.
They must:
- Undertake a negative COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours or less before your scheduled departure;
- prove full vaccination as recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and have their vaccination status certified by the Commonwealth.
- have a COVID-19 test after arrival;
The ACT Government (Canberra) will also align their mandatory quarantine requirements for people arriving from overseas with NSW from 1 November — i.e. there will be no quarantine requirement.
At the request of the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory have agreed to apply a class exemption for those Australians aged 12–17 to arrive from overseas who do not meet the criteria for fully vaccinated.
Travellers aged 12-17 who are not fully vaccinated must:
- Undertake a negative COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours or less before your scheduled departure;
- Undertake a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of arrival;
- Quarantine at home for 7 days;
- Undertake a test on day 5 of the 7 day quarantine period
For Victoria (Melbourne)
Fully vaccinated international travellers will be able to enter Victoria without spending 14 days in hotel quarantine.
They must:
- Undertake a negative COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours or less before your scheduled departure;
- prove full vaccination as recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and have their vaccination status certified by the Commonwealth.
- have a COVID-19 test after arrival;
At the request of the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory have agreed to apply a class exemption for those Australians aged 12–17 to arrive from overseas who do not meet the criteria for fully vaccinated.
Travellers aged 12-17 who are not fully vaccinated must:
- Undertake a negative COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours or less before your scheduled departure;
- Undertake a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of arrival;
- Quarantine at home for 7 days;
- Undertake a test on day 5 of the 7 day quarantine period
For other Australian States and Territories
Other Australian states have not yet announced quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated Australians.
You can check the specific restrictions for all States and Territories of Australia, including for restrictions when travelling nationally, here: COVID-19 Restriction Checker | healthdirect
Obtain the certificate you need to prove your vaccination status
If you were fully vaccinated in Australia, simply use your International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate. Find out how to obtain that here: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/COVID-19/COVID-19-vaccination-certificates
If you were fully vaccinated in Germany, your German yellow immunisation booklet, your printed vaccination certificate, or your digital certificate in your CovPass/Corona Warn App are suitable for proving your vaccination status provided it matches the name on your passport and is in English.
If you were fully vaccinated in a country other than Australia or Germany, please follow the generic advice below:
Your vaccination certificate must have been issued by a national or state/provincial-level authority or an accredited vaccination provider. Paper and digital certificates are equally acceptable.
Your certificate must be in English. A certificate is also acceptable if it is written in multiple languages and one of those languages is English.
Your certificate must show, at a minimum:
- your name as it appears in your passport
- either your date of birth or your passport number
- the vaccine brand name, and
- either the date you got each dose or the date on which you completed a full course of immunisation.
Certificates that do not show your name as it appears in your passport will be accepted as long as the name on the certificate is not materially different to your passport.
Keep a hard copy or an electronic copy of your Vaccination Certificate. Airlines will check this when you check-in to your flight.
Guidance on foreign vaccination certificates | Australian Passport Office (passports.gov.au)
Complete a pre-departure COVID-19 test and your Australia Travel Declaration
Before you travel to Australia, you should complete the Australia Travel Declaration at least 72 hours before your departure.
This includes uploading your vaccination certificate and confirming its authenticity (criminal penalties apply for providing false information).
Find out more about the Australia Travel Declaration.
A negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test result is required for travelling to Australia. Evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken 72 hours or less before your scheduled departure must be provided to your airline. Self-administered tests are not acceptable.
Present a pre-departure COVID-19 test and your Australia Travel Declaration
Present your foreign vaccination certificate or International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate and negative COVID-19 test result to airline staff when you check in for your flight.