Quarantine-free travel between Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and ACT to New Zealand has resumed after an Australia wide pause to the trans-Tasman bubble that began on Saturday 26 June.
The reciprocal trans-Tasman travel bubble began at midnight and has since seen more flights resume today between Victoria, South Australia and the ACT and New Zealand.
The big change that has been implemented in the restart is that travellers from Australia are required to supply a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 72 hours before departing for New Zealand.
Here’s how it works.
Current trans-Tasman travel conditions
- Travellers to New Zealand must not have been in New South Wales on or after 11:59pm on 22 June. Or in Queensland, the Northern Territory or Western Australia on or after 10:30pm on 26 June 2021.
- A negative A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or RT-PCR pre-departure COVID-19 test is required to enter New Zealand if you have been in Australia for more than 72 hours.
- Before you travel back to Australia from New Zealand, you’ll need to complete an Australia Travel Declaration at least 72 hours before your departure for Australia.
How does the the pre-departure test work?
- The pre-departure test is only required if you’ve been in Australia for more than 72 hours.
- The COVID-19 sample needs to be taken, and the result returned within 72 hours of the scheduled departure time of the first international departure.
- Children under 2 years of age (24 months) do not need to take a pre-departure test.
- COVID-19 testing and result certificates for travel clearance are provided by private pathology clinics.
- A list of locations in Australia can be found here.
- If a passenger cannot take a test due to medical reasons, they will need to see a medical practitioner within 72 hours of departure and provide a medical certificate at the airport to state that they cannot take a test and do so not show any COVID-19 symptoms.
The pause on quarantine-free travel from Western Australia and Northern Territory to New Zealand will be resume from 23:59, 9 July.
The pause on quarantine-free travel from Queensland to New Zealand will remain in place and will be reviewed on Wednesday 7 July.
The pause on quarantine-free travel from New South Wales to New Zealand will remain in place until further notice.
For all the latest information, visit the New Zealand Government’s COVID-19 website for the most up to date information.
