COVID-19 – MUST READ INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUSTRALIA AND NEW CALEDONIA

The information and links provided below have been collected from official websites in Australia and in New Caledonia to assist you in managing your travel. Please read these carefully and regularly check the official websites for the most up-to-date information and instructions applicable to your circumstances. Regulations can be subject to change at short notice.

The Australian Consulate-General in Noumea is unable to escalate applications or issues with the authorities concerned in Australia or in New Caledonia.

Travellers needing information or assistance with their applications, including exemptions, must contact the relevant competent authorities in Australia and in New Caledonia directly. Travellers (e.g. dual nationals or third country nationals seeking to transit Australia) can also seek consular assistance from their nearest diplomatic or consular mission in Australia or contact their airline, cruise line, port agent, travel provider or employer as appropriate, including on requirements for their specific travel as well as for regulations applicable in the country they are transiting through or travelling to.

Travelling to/from Australia - Refer to the links below to authorities and their instructions

• The Australian Department of Home Affairs manages entry and travel restrictions to and from Australia, including visas and travel exemptions. The Health Departments of each Australian State and Territory manage health regulations, including quarantine exemptions and fees. All Australian States and Territories have travel restrictions relevant to their jurisdiction that must be adhered to. Australian authorities recommend submitting applications and exemptions as early as possible and at least two weeks, but not more than 3 months, prior to the intended departure.
   
• COVID-19: Overseas financial assistance for Australians and permanent residents of Australia who are unable to return to Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions and who are experiencing financial distress, including eligibility criteria and application process.
   
• International arrival caps on the daily number of passengers coming into Australian airports from overseas may affect your flight into Australia.
   
• Smartraveller information on Coronavirus (COVID-19) for Australian citizens and permanent residents of Australia, including on the ban on overseas travel from Australia which requires an Australian Border Force exemption if you do not meet the criteria for automatic exemptions. Supporting documentation may be required, including a statement from foreign authorities confirming you are also a citizen of or a resident in the foreign country you intend travelling to.
   
• Department of Home Affairs updates on immigration and entry requirements for those coming to Australia, including for the immediate family of Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia and foreign nationals needing to come to Australia or transit Australia.  Please also refer to COVID-19 – Your visa and travel questions answered to understand the visa and travel options available to you. Please also know the facts about COVID-19. 
   
• All travellers must check the website of the Australian Department of Health for COVID-19 advice for international travellers and COVID-19 FAQs for international travellers, as well as information on getting ready for quarantine, including on recommendations before you depart and what to expect on arrival as well as recommendations for when you’re in quarantine and how to look after your health and wellbeing.
   
• Smartraveller information on new measures for return to Australia and the requirement, from 22 January 2021, for all travellers aged 5 years or older, including transit passengers, to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 (PCR) test to airlines at the departure point prior to boarding a flight to Australia, which also includes FAQs for International Passengers. Most international travellers to Australia must be tested 72 hours or less prior to departure. Travellers from New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna can be tested up to 96 hours prior to departure. If flights to Australia are delayed by more than 72 hours passed the scheduled departure time, passengers will require new tests results. Local foreign authorities may also have additional requirements in place for international departures from their country.
   
• Anyone who has a negative test result and enters Australia, will still need to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine on a user-pay basis for quarantine fees at designated facilities in the port of arrival.
   
• Masks are mandatory for all international and domestic flights, including within airports. All travellers must read the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) statement on safe air travel – enhancing end-to-end mitigations – international.
   
• All travellers must also check the information on the Australian Travel Declaration (ATD) requirement and fill out their online ATD declaration no later than 72 hours prior to departure and no earlier than one week before departure. Your declaration will help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Australia and assist Australian authorities in their contact tracing and quarantine planning. The ATD declaration is not mandatory, however, failure to complete it may cause delays at check-in and on arrival in Australia. Airlines will prompt you to complete your ATD declaration prior to boarding. Once an ATD application is submitted, applicants should receive a response within hours detailing their COVID-19 risk rating which will range from Green (eligibility for a quarantine-free flight), Blue (requiring to undertake mandatory quarantine on arrival) to Red (travellers who will have answered yes to either having COVID-19 symptoms or being in contact with someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days). For more information for travellers arriving in the green and red travel zone, please see the advice for international travellers available on the website of the Australian Department of Health.
   
• Foreign nationals who are seeking to travel to or transit through Sydney must also check the website of the Department of Home Affairs for the most up-to-date information regarding their situation and apply for a visa where required and an exemption to come to Australia or transit Australia. All travellers arriving or transiting in Sydney also need to check the website of the New South Wales Department of Health and apply for an exemption to the 14-day mandatory quarantine to facilitate their onward travel. Australian States and territories can apply their own travel restrictions and you should check the latest information on the websites of relevant State authorities before travelling.

Travelling to/from New Caledonia - Refer to the links below to authorities and their instructions

• Australian citizens and permanent residents of Australia, as well as Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada still in New Caledonia, seeking to return to Australia or Canada are encouraged to register their details with us at [email protected]. Stay up to date with and follow the advice of local authorities. Stay also up to date with the Australian travel advice for New Caledonia on Smartraveller and the Canadian travel advice for New Caledonia and monitor news on our Facebook page at L’AustralieEnNouvelleCaledonie.
   
• New Caledonian borders remain closed to all non-residents and all commercial flights, cruises and private yacht arrivals remain suspended. Aircalin is the only airline currently authorised to travel to and from New Caledonia, with flights currently operating to Australia (Sydney) and Japan (Tokyo). Entry to New Caledonia requires the joint approval of the French High Commission in New Caledonia and of the Government of New Caledonia. All travellers arriving in New Caledonia must undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine at facilities designated by the Government of New Caledonia and fees may apply. Quarantine may be shortened for travellers who will have been fully vaccinated with vaccines approved for travel by New Caledonian health authorities.
   
• People needing to travel to or leave New Caledonia should register their details with the New Caledonian Government through its formulaire de recensement (registration counting form), including for quarantine and vaccination registration. They should also email Aircalin airline ([email protected] and [email protected]) and the Government of New Caledonia ([email protected]) for advice on required authorisations to board Aircalin planes. People needing to travel for business or work purposes should also email the Government of New Caledonia at [email protected] for advice. Medical treatment and evacuation related enquiries need to be sent to CAFAT-Evasans (email: [email protected] - phone: +687 25 58 08). Sailboats and other private vessels needing further information or assistance must contact the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in New Caledonia (MRCC NC) (email: [email protected] – phone: +687 29 21 21).
   
• All travellers aged five years or older, travelling to or transiting through to Australia from New Caledonia on or after 10 February 2021, will need to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result undertaken 96 hours or less prior to boarding a flight at the departure point. COVID-19 (PCR) pre-departure tests can be undertaken in New Caledonia at the COVID-19 Testing Centre (Centre de dépistage COVID-19) located at the Gaston Bourret Hospital at the Koutio Medipole in Dumbea (address: 110 Boulevard Joseph-Wamytan – email: [email protected] – phone: +687 20 99 76). The Centre is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 12noon. The Centre advises to email the COVID-19 Testing Centre with a copy of passports and itineraries (e-tickets) so that an appointment can be made. The Centre advises fees apply to PCR tests and other tests. Further information, including fees and other testing centres, is available under Instructions for Air Travellers leaving New Caledonia on the website of the Government of New Caledonia. Travellers should check with their airline and the authorities of the other countries they are travelling to which type of test they require.
   
• For further information on, and assistance with, entry and quarantine conditions to New Caledonia, please check the websites of the French High Commission in New Caledonia and of the Government of New Caledonia (including main facts in English). Please also contact the nearest French diplomatic or consular mission in Australia or the French diplomatic or consular mission in your country of residence for further advice where required. Please also contact your airline, cruise line, port agent, travel provider or employer as appropriate. 

Information on COVID-19 vaccinations in Australia and in New Caledonia

Australia – Up-to-date information about Australia’s national roll-out of COVID-19 Vaccination Program is available on the website of the Australian Department of Health. The COVID-19 vaccine will be voluntary and free and, if you choose not to have a COVID-19 vaccine, your eligibility for Government payments won’t be affected. Information on vaccines approved for use in Australia is available on the website of the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program will prioritise the rollout of vaccines in Australia and will not extend to Australian citizens while overseas. The Australian Government cannot provide advice on vaccines that have been approved for use outside of Australia’s regulatory process. Australians overseas should consult their local health professional or local health authorities for advice on vaccine options that may be available locally. The Government’s Australia.gov.au website has been launched with details of Australia’s approach to COVID-19 vaccination, including FAQs on COVID-19 vaccines for Australians overseas. Information is also available on Smartraveller. Australian authorities advise that, irrespective of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, international travellers will still be required to quarantine upon arrival to Australia and meet other travel restrictions sur as pre-departure COVID-19 testing. 

New Caledonia – Information on COVID-19 vaccination programs in New Caledonia, including FAQs, is available on the website of the Government of New Caledonia at Info-Vaccination. Local authorities advise COVID-19 vaccination is currently free and not mandatory. Please check with local authorities on the availability of vaccines should you wish to be vaccinated.