COVID-19 vaccinations

Australia’s COVID-19 vaccinations are being rolled out domestically to people in Australia. These vaccinations will only be available in Australia.

Up to date information about Australia’s national roll-out of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program is available at the Department of Health’s website.

Under the Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Program, the Australian Government considers officials about to be deployed or currently deployed overseas on official government business as Critical and High Risk Workers under Phase 1b and has started to offer vaccines to eligible personnel.

COVID-19 vaccines are approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) rigorous assessment and approval processes. This includes assessment of its safety, quality and effectiveness. Information on vaccines approved for use in Australia can be found on the TGA website.

The Australian Government can’t provide advice on the safety, quality and efficacy of vaccines that have been approved for use outside of Australia’s regulatory process. You should consult your local health professional for advice on vaccine options, including assistance that may be available locally.

If you choose to get vaccinated locally, make sure to only go through the official vaccination program for the destination you’re in. Ignore offers of vaccines from unverified sources. Scammers are selling products claiming to prevent or treat COVID-19 without proof of what they contain or whether they work.

Registering a vaccination received overseas

If you receive a COVID-19 Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine while overseas, you can register your vaccination on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) when you return to Australia. At this time, if you've received a COVID-19 vaccine overseas which is not Pfizer or AstraZeneca, you cannot have it added to the AIR.

To register your vaccination in the AIR:

obtain proof of vaccination from your provider when you receive the vaccine
bring the proof of vaccination to Australia when you return. The proof must be translated to English if it’s in another language.
make sure your Medicare online account is up to date.
give the proof of vaccination along with your Medicare card to a recognised vaccination provider in Australia. They’ll verify your vaccination status and add the record of vaccination to the AIR.

For more information on registering an overseas COVID-19 vaccination, visit Services Australia.