Australia scraps vaccination requirement and Digital Passenger Declaration

Australia will eliminate more of its COVID-19 border control measures from 6 July 2022, when it scraps the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement as well as the Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD).

​People travelling to Australia will no longer have to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status, following changes to the Biosecurity Act, which come into effect from midnight AEST on Wednesday 6 July 2022.

-Australia Ministry of Home Affairs

With pre-departure testing already scrapped and on-arrival testing removed for all states except South Australia, travel to Australia is effectively back to pre-COVID conditions. 

Australia scraps vaccination requirement

Travellers to Australia are currently required to be fully vaccinated with a recognised vaccine. No booster dose is required, and children aged 12 years and under are exempt. Children aged 12-17 are exempt when travelling with a parent/guardian who is considered fully vaccinated. 

From 6 July 2022, the vaccination mandate will be scrapped, and travellers to Australia will no longer need to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status. 

Digital Passenger Declaration also removed

Travellers to Australia are currently required to complete a DPD, which can be started within seven days of departure and submitted before departure. The DPD requires:

• Personal details such as flight number, passport copy and contact information
• A legal declaration regarding vaccination status
• Travel history declaration
• Acknowledgement of quarantine and testing requirements and penalties for non-compliance

Each passenger is required to complete a DPD of his/her own, regardless of age. 

The DPD can be completed via the DPD app (Android | iOS) or an online form. The app (which cost A$75 million to build) has been something of a disaster since it launched in mid-February, with numerous negative reviews about uploading PDF documents, login issues and random crashes. It currently commands a miserable 1.3* rating on the Apple App Store and 1.2* on Google Play.

It seems like the Australian authorities have finally noted the unhappiness, and will scrap the requirement from 6 July 2022.

“While in time it will replace the paper-based incoming passenger card, it needs a lot more work to make it user-friendly.”

-Australia Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil

Australia travel requirements

With the scrapping of the vaccination and DPD requirement, the only pre-requisite for travel to Australia as a Singapore citizen will be to apply for an ETA. This requires a service fee of A$20 (~S$19), and permits stays for up to three months at a time. 

On arrival in Australia, no testing is required except for South Australia, where a self-administered RAT must be taken. 

Conclusion

Australia will scrap its vaccination and DFD requirement from 6 July 2022, which returns travel to pre-COVID conditions for all states except South Australia (where on-arrival testing is still required). 

One hopes this time will be used to improve the user interface and functionality of the DFD, so it’s fit for purpose in whatever form it returns in.