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Health Alert – U.S. Mission Australia (July 15, 2020)
9 MINUTE READ
July 15, 2020

Location: Australia

Event:  The U.S. Mission to Australia plans to send Alerts once per week unless local conditions warrant immediate messaging.

All states and territories have various entry restrictions concerning the state of Victoria.   Restrictions and state and territory border closures related to COVID-19 are changing frequently. U.S. citizens are encouraged to visit the website of each state and territory for the latest on COVID-19 restrictions (the Australian Capital TerritoryNew South Wales, the Northern TerritoryQueenslandSouth AustraliaTasmaniaVictoria, and Western Australia).

As of 16 July 2020, the United States Consulates General in Sydney and Perth are resuming certain immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services, including travelers with urgent travel needs and students (F, M and J categories). While the Consulates General aim to process cases as soon as practicable, there are likely to be increased wait times for completing such services due to substantial backlogs. The U.S. Consulate in Melbourne remains unable to resume routine nonimmigrant visa services at this time. Melbourne will resume routine visa services as soon as possible but we are unable to provide a specific date. Please monitor https://ustraveldocs.com/ and https://au.usembassy.gov/ for updates.

Australia has limited international arrivals to 4,000 per week. Individual airports have implemented restrictions as well:

  • International flights to Melbourne and the state of Victoria are being diverted to other Australian airports until further notice.
  • Sydney is limited to 450 international arrivals per day, and each flight is limited to 50 passengers.
  • Perth is limited to 525 international arrivals per week.
  • Brisbane is limited to 500 international arrivals per week.

If your travel has been disrupted, please contact your airline or travel insurer.

All travelers entering Australia from overseas will be quarantined in a hotel or designated facility for 14 days. Travelers are required to undertake their mandatory 14-day self-isolation at their port of entry. All states and territories are moving to charge international arrivals for hotel quarantine. Pricing and implementation dates will vary. You should check the website of the state or territory for details.

As a reminder, the Australian government is restricting Australian citizens and permanent residents from traveling overseas, with some exceptions. Dual U.S.-Australian citizens and U.S. citizen permanent residents of Australia are not exempt from this rule and may be prevented from boarding flights if they do not meet the exception guidelines. Individuals may request exceptions to the exit restrictions at this link. The U.S. Mission cannot assist travelers in applying for or obtaining an exemption to the exit ban.

Actions to Take:

Assistance:

  • S. Consulate General, Sydney, Australia

Level 10, MLC Center

19-29 Martin Place, Sydney, NSW 2000

Telephone: (02) 9373-9200

Email: SydneyACS@state.gov

Website: https://au.usembassy.gov/

  • S. Consulate General, Melbourne, Australia

553 St. Kilda Road
Melbourne, VIC 3004

Telephone: (03) 9526-5900

Email: MelbourneACS@state.gov

Website: https://au.usembassy.gov/

  • S. Consulate General, Perth, Australia

Level 4
16 St. Georges Terrace
Perth, WA  6000

Telephone: (08) 6144-5100

Email: PerthACS@state.gov

Website: https://au.usembassy.gov/

You have received this message because you have registered with the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).  If you would like to unsubscribe or change your details in STEP, please go to https://step.state.gov/step/.