Transiting Australia

Transiting Australia

Foreign nationals transiting through Australia to another country don’t need to apply for an exemption to travel restrictions if they are booked on a connecting flight from the same airport and they are not going to leave the airport. If you plan to leave the airport before boarding your connecting flight, you will need to apply to the Commissioner of the ABF for a travel exemption. You can apply online.

Transit visa requirements

To transit through Australia, you must either hold a valid visa or be from an eligible country to Transit Without a Visa (TWOV).

If you don’t have a visa or are not eligible to TWOV that allows you lawful entry into Australia, you can apply for a Transit visa (subclass 771) which allows you to transit through Australia for up to 72 hours while you wait for your onwards flight. This visa doesn’t allow you to stay in Australia longer. If you need to stay longer, you should apply for a different visa.

Eligible New Zealand citizens can transit through Australia on a Special Category visa (Subclass 444).

I am a New Zealander or Pacific Islander transiting to Australia

If you are a New Zealander, citizen of a Pacific Island Forum country, Timor Leste citizen or resident of New Caledonia or French Polynesia transiting though Australia on your way to or from New Zealand or a Pacific Island Forum Country, you do not need a transit exemption if you have booked a connecting flight to depart Australia within 72 hours of your arriving flight.

Due to domestic travel restrictions, your outbound connecting flight must be departing from the same airport in Australia as your arrival flight, unless an exemption has been granted. 

If your connecting flight means you will spend longer than 72 hours, you are not considered to be transiting Australia and will need to apply online to the Commissioner of the ABF for an exemption from the travel restrictions.

Transit quarantine arrangements

If you cannot remain in the airport before your connecting flight departs, you will need a valid visa, or be eligible to TWOV, and you must follow the quarantine and isolation requirements in the state or territory that you have arrived in. You must do this, even if you have an exemption from the ABF Commissioner.

State and territory authorities will consider exemptions to the mandatory 14 day quarantine period on a case by case basis. To find out more about how quarantine works in your state or territory, or to ask about someone you know who has been quarantined, contact your state or territory government health department.