COVID VACCINATIONS & INSURANCE AND VISA'S

[NWT Cruiser]

 

We are flying into Australia in April 2024 and will be going on a 10 night New Zealand cruise and continuing on (18 night Trans Pacific) from Sydney  to Honolulu.

 

Sorry for the indepth (perhaps silly questions) I'm asking, but I want to make sure we are getting all our documents beforehand (instead of finding out at the airport we are missing some type of requirement documentation and won't be able to board our flight). 

 

 

QUESTION #1:

Australia states they require us to be vaccinated against Covid.  If we only rec'd the first 2 vacs (although there are now about 5 boosters available) can we still board?  On the Cdn. Gov't site gc.ca gov't site for travellers to Australia (in the Health section) it shows the following:

 

It is recommended that all eligible travellers complete a COVID-19 vaccine series along with any additional recommended doses in Canada before travelling.  (Is this just a recommendation, and you don't necessarily have to complete the series as long as you have at least two vaccinations)?

 

On the Gov't of Australia site it states:  All incoming travellers will need to comply with the testing and quarantine requirements of the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel. Restrictions can change at any time.  (Does this mean travellers from Canada need to comply with our Cdn. Requirements which is just a recommendation)?

 

 

QUESTION #2:

Do we have to show proof of covid insurance when travelling to both of the above countries? 

We were only planning to buy emergency medical insurance and trip cancellation.

 

 

QUESTION #3:

And, lastly, am I reading information correctly? No travellers need to show proof of covid vaccinations when entering New Zealand.

 

 

Thank you.

Frances (NWT Cruiser)

[LHT28]

I think you will need to check in early 2024   anything can change by then

 Recommended is not the same as  Required

 

More information for entering Australia    NOW  but check back in  6mths  as it could change

https://www.australia.gov.au/states

 

Do not  forget to apply for the ETA  Visas  for both Countries

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, NWT Cruiser said:

On the Gov't of Australia site it states:  All incoming travellers will need to comply with the testing and quarantine requirements of the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territory to which they plan to travel. Restrictions can change at any time.  (Does this mean travellers from Canada need to comply with our Cdn. Requirements which is just a recommendation)?

This means that if you arrive in Sydney (the state of your arrival), you need to comply with the rules in New South Wales. If you are also going to Perth for example, you also need to comply with the rules for Western Australia. It makes no mention of any Canadian requirements. 

[CDNPolar]

As LHT28 mentioned, I would wait until early 2024 to look and see what is required then.  This is way too early to make decisions.

 

I just recently (8 weeks ago) flew into Sydney and out of Melbourne - both NSW - but was not asked on entry for Covid vaccination proof.  In fact, because I had my Visa and my Canadian passport, I only had contact with electronic entry gates and did not see or come into contact with an Australian agent of any kind on entry.

 

Your entry requirements could differ based on the State that you are flying to, but again look in early 2024.

 

Regarding vaccinations.  I believe that you are considered by MOST countries as fully vaccinated if you had the first two doses.  I have had 5 now, and see that some countries and cruise lines consider you fully vaccinated with the first two but recommend - recommend is the operative word here - that you have boosters as well.  This would mean to me that if you have NOT had the boosters that you would not necessarily be turned away...  but that could change at any time.  Look at Canada planning this fall to release a new Covid vaccination that addresses more recent strains...  if we see a resurgence this fall of new or more recent strains, then AU could say that they want you to have this booster.

 

This stuff gets so confusing, and language is involved as the other poster mentioned.  Recommended vs. required is what you are looking for.

 

I always start with the Canadian site:  https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/australia#entryexit

 

Then move to the country site that I am travelling to and compare.  Canada is up to date, but if AU changes something on the fly, then you don't know if Canada has updated quickly or not.

 

https://www.australia.com/en-ca/travel-alerts/coronavirus.html

 

Here you can key your dates, your vaccine status, where and when you are flying and get up to date information.

 

Right now, the site states that proof of Covid vaccination is not required for AU.

 

This was the case when I recently traveled but I always still carry paper and electronic proof of my vaccine history.

 

 

 

 

[NWT Cruiser]

On 8/5/2023 at 2:56 PM, LHT28 said:

More information for entering Australia    NOW  but check back in  6mths  as it could change

https://www.australia.gov.au/states

 

Do not  forget to apply for the ETA  Visas  for both Countries

 

On 8/6/2023 at 6:36 AM, CDNPolar said:

As LHT28 mentioned, I would wait until early 2024 to look and see what is required then.  This is way too early to make decisions.

 

Thank you both for the info on recommendations and requirements re covid vaccinations.  Like you both said, it's way too early right now to check what vaccines (if any) will be mandated in April.  I will check back in January for any updates required.

 

LHT28, thank you for the reminder re applying for our eTA's which we will get after the new year sometime.  

 

CDNPolar, thank you for a great tip on comparing the travel sites of our Canadian gov't and the gov't of the country travelling to (in this case Australia & New Zealand).

 

Cheers,

Frances (NWT Cruiser)

[NWT Cruiser]

On 8/5/2023 at 3:34 PM, gnome12 said:

This means that if you arrive in Sydney (the state of your arrival), you need to comply with the rules in New South Wales. If you are also going to Perth for example, you also need to comply with the rules for Western Australia. It makes no mention of any Canadian requirements. 

 

Thank you for the explanation.  I read too fast and because I'm from a territory (NWT) I didn't quite read it right. Silly me, I really think I'm dyslexic.  I've been doing a lot of this the last couple years ... reading between the lines.  lol

 

But, once again, thanks for clarifying this.

 

Cheers,

Frances (NWT Cruiser) 

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, NWT Cruiser said:

 

Thank you for the explanation.  I read too fast and because I'm from a territory (NWT) I didn't quite read it right. Silly me, I really think I'm dyslexic.  I've been doing a lot of this the last couple years ... reading between the lines.  lol

 

But, once again, thanks for clarifying this.

 

Cheers,

Frances (NWT Cruiser) 

 

I am not infallible, however we traveled as soon as travel started up again during/after Covid and we have been in many parts of the world since travel started.  One had to get resourceful in understanding what were the travel requirements for every country you were going to and even for the countries that you were transiting through by air.

 

I have spent hours researching and always fall back to the country's own sites for the most accurate information.  With things like eTA's and Visas, there are often third party sites with different information and I will always default to a country's own site for the best information.

 

Good luck with it all... you will be fine, I am certain.