COVID-19: Frequently asked questions

If you’re in a life-threatening situation, contact the local emergency authorities. Find the local emergency numbers under ‘Local contacts’ in the travel advisory for your destination.

If you’re overseas and need urgent consular assistance, contact your nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate, or call our 24-hour consular emergency call centre to speak to one of our consular officers in Canberra on +61 2 6261 3305.

See I need urgent help for more information. See also our Consular Services Charter on what we can and can’t help with. Be aware that some Australian embassies, high commissions or consulates overseas are still operating at a limited capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions in country.

Book your flight by going through an airline or travel agent, as you normally would. When booking, discuss your options carefully and check what you’re entitled to in the event the flight is cancelled or rescheduled.

For questions about visas and other entry and exit requirements, contact the relevant foreign embassy or consulate. Read and subscribe to Smartraveller travel advice for the country you’re in and any country you seek to transit through.

Make sure you’ve considered all your available options, and be prepared to put in place alternative arrangements in case your flights are cancelled at short notice, or while en route.

For up-to-date advice on local conditions and information on available flights to Australia, check the website of your nearest Australian embassy or high commission and follow them closely on social media.

If you’ve been unable to return to Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions and are experiencing financial distress, you may be eligible for interest-free loans to cover living costs while you wait for a flight to return to Australia and/or to help cover the costs of the flight. Find out more on the COVID-19: Overseas financial assistance page.

The government is continuing to help bring Australians stuck overseas back to Australia by arranging more commercial flights from key locations.

 See our COVID-19: Trying to get home page for more information.

There are still commercial flights from many destinations. We understand you may have to wait longer than you planned to access these flights, and that they may be expensive. Continue to check with your airline or travel provider to discuss your flight options.

If you’ve been unable to return to Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions and are experiencing financial distress, you may be eligible for interest-free loans to help cover the costs of the flight and/or to cover living costs while you wait for a flight to return to Australia. Find out more on the COVID-19: Overseas financial assistance page.

If you're trying to return to Australia, you can register your details with DFAT via our registration portal.

Registration doesn’t guarantee we can facilitate your return to Australia. However it does help us better understand that you’re seeking to return home, assess your situation and provide information when it becomes available. 

The portal isn’t used to register future travel plans. If you’re in Australia and plan to travel in the future, subscribe for travel advice and news updates instead.

For more information about registration, read our registration FAQs.

There are temporary caps on how many Australians are permitted to enter Australia. These are in place until at least 24 October – see the Prime Minister’s media release. As airlines need to comply with these caps, your ticket may be cancelled or rescheduled. Check with your airline or travel agent. 

If you’re trying to return to Australia, make preparations if you’re unable to secure a flight home while these temporary caps are in place.

If you have further questions about the flight caps, please contact your Australian state or territory government.

If you’re looking for flights to Australia, be prepared there may not be flights to your desired Australian destination.

Contact your airline or travel provider to discuss your flight options. You may need to accept a flight to a different Australian city than you would prefer. You can then make onward domestic transit arrangements to your home once you have completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

Get the latest information on domestic travel restrictions for each state and territory.

We understand that returning to Australia has become more expensive. If you require emergency financial assistance to fund your return to Australia, in the first instance, contact family, friends, your travel insurer or financial institution.

There are other options for financial assistance during this time, including:

• Income support for individuals
• Payments to support households

Information on these can be found on the Department of Treasury website.

Services Australia has established a hotline for people impacted by travel restrictions who may be able to access Centrelink payments. The phone number for people located overseas is +613 6222 3455. See the Services Australia website for more information, including country-specific hotlines.

If you need urgent financial assistance, after you’ve explored all other options, call our 24-hour emergency call centre in Australia on +61 2 6261 3305.

If you need urgent financial assistance, after you’ve explored all other options, you may be eligible for interest-free loans to cover living costs while you wait for a flight to return to Australia and/or to help cover the costs of the flight. Find out more on the COVID-19: Overseas financial assistance page.

Since the beginning of the crisis, we’ve provided updates on flights as information has become available and helped many thousands of Australians return home.

In some countries, where no commercial flights are available, our embassies, high commissions and consulates may alert you if or when flights become available through social media and to those registered with us at covid19.dfat.gov.au.

The availability, cost and to whom seats are offered, remain matters for airlines to decide.

Contact your airline or travel provider to discuss your flight options, register with us at covid19.dfat.gov.au and follow your nearest Australian embassy, consulate or high commission on social media for updates.

Read and subscribe to our travel advisories and news.

If you need urgent consular assistance, call our 24-hour emergency call centre in Australia on +61 2 6261 3305.

If you’ve been unable to return to Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions and are experiencing financial distress, you may be eligible for interest-free loans to cover living costs while you wait for a flight to return to Australia and/or to help cover the costs of the flight. Find out more on the COVID-19: Overseas financial assistance page.

Australia has strict border measures in place to protect the health of the Australian community. When you arrive in Australia, you must quarantine for 14 days at designated facilities in your port of arrival, unless you have an exemption. You may have to contribute to the cost of quarantine. You’ll probably have to be tested for COVID-19 at least once during your quarantine period.

The quarantine requirements are managed and enforced by state and territory governments.

For information about travelling from New Zealand, visit the New Zealand safe travel zone (Home Affairs) page.

For more information on what to expect on arrival, see our page on arriving home.

Prices for hotel quarantine are set by the state government where you will do quarantine. Contact your state or territory government for details.

All international travellers arriving into Australia are required to complete the 14-day quarantine in the port they arrive in, unless they have an exemption. At this stage, quarantine arrangements will be in place for the foreseeable future. For information on quarantine arrangements in your state or territory, contact your state or territory government.

For information about travelling from New Zealand, visit the New Zealand safe travel zone (Home Affairs) page.

You don’t need to let us know you’re coming back to Australia. However, check entry requirements for the state or territory you’ll be returning to. For more information on what to expect when you arrive see our page on arriving home.

The airline you’re flying with may have its own requirements for boarding – make sure you check these before you travel.

Australian citizens and permanent residents cannot travel overseas except in very limited circumstances until further notice. This may include dual citizens.

Do not make travel plans unless you have been granted an exemption for travel from the Department of Home Affairs. Prepare for the ban to remain for some time.

You can find more information on the Department of Home Affairs’ Leaving Australia page.  You may be eligible for an exemption to the travel ban for compassionate reasons by completing the COVID-19 request to travel form.

Contact your insurance provider to discuss claims and cancellations. See our page on COVID-19 travel advice level changes for information on previous advice level updates. You may find the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website helpful.

Our role is to help Australians travel safely overseas. We aren’t the right people to ask about domestic travel. For information about domestic travel restrictions, go to the Australian Government COVID-19 website for updates.

There’s currently a travel ban in place so only Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family can enter Australia. This travel ban remains in place until further notice.

However on 2 October, the Australian Government announced a Safe Travel Zone with New Zealand. Passengers from New Zealand will be able to travel to Australia, quarantine-free, from Friday 16 October, if they haven't been in an area designated as a COVID-19 hotspot in New Zealand in the 14 days before. Check COVID-19 and the border (Home Affairs) for the latest information on entry and exit restrictions. 

Unfortunately Smartraveller doesn’t give advice on visas. You can find the information you’re looking for on the Department of Home Affairs website.

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