Australians and permanent residents
If you are an Australian citizen or a permanent resident you cannot leave Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions unless you have an exemption, such as one of the following:
- you are travelling on compassionate or humanitarian grounds
- your travel is essential for the conduct of critical industries and business
- you are travelling on urgent and unavoidable personal business
Non-citizens
Temporary visa holders should be aware that if they wish to return to Australia while COVID-19 restrictions are in place, they will generally need a travel exemption. You must hold a visa and an exemption to Australia’s travel restrictions before you travel.
Family
Partner (subclasses 100, 309, 801, 820) and Child (subclasses 101, 102, 445) visa holders can come to Australia. You do not need to request an exemption to Australia’s travel restrictions. However, if you are a partner or child of an Australian and you hold another type of temporary visa or do not yet hold a valid visa for Australia, you must obtain an authority to travel.
Application
If you need to travel and want to apply for an exemption, it is critical that you carefully and thoroughly prepare your application. Processing time is typically between 2-12 weeks. If you are travelling due to death or critical illness of a close family member, you can apply inside this timeframe and we will request the department prioritise your application.
If you want assistance with this process, contact us via telephone or email.
