Vaccination passports for Australians wishing to travel overseas will be available from October, according to the Federal Government.
The details are still being finalised. But we do know the vaccination passports will include an Australian’s passport details and a QR code that officials in other countries can scan to check your vaccination status.
Pfizer and AstraZeneca, and later Moderna, will be the only vaccine’s recognised.
Australians will need to show their vaccination passport when they enter another country. But they won’t need to show it when they return home, as the government plans to link vaccination details to Australian passports.
If you’re waiting for relatives to come into Australia, you should know that the government will only recognise vaccines that have been approved by our national medical regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Wait a little while longer
Just because the vaccination passports are coming in October, doesn’t mean that the border will open then.
The Federal Government insists that the Australian border will not open for free travel until 80 per cent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Several states are well on the way to meeting that goal. But we expect it will happen around December.
The vaccine passports will, however, allow Australians who exemptions to travel internationally to avoid having to quarantine overseas.
Overseas travel only
The vaccination passports are only for international travel. Australians will not need to use them for domestic travel or access to concerts.
To do that, you will need to download your vaccination certificate from Medicare. Once you have it, you can store it in your Apple or Google wallet for easy access.
At the very least we’re really excited that this move could mean international travel is one step closer.
If you need information on COVID-19 vaccines – head to the Australian government website health.gov.au.
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