From 30 April 2022, unvaccinated international arrivals will not be required to undertake hotel quarantine. These passengers will follow the same guidelines as fully vaccinated international arrivals and take a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of arrival.
Update on COVID settings
Download quick guide Download as PDF
These Guidelines are supplementary to the current Public Health (COVID-19 Air and Maritime Arrivals) Order (No 1) 2022 (the Order) and should be read in conjunction with the Order. The Guidelines apply to all international arrivals entering NSW by air and sea. Specifically:
All arrivals must:
All international arrivals should ensure they meet the Australian Government entry requirements before travelling to Australia.
When planning your trip to NSW on an international flight, or on a vessel that has been to an international port, make sure to:
All international maritime vessel operators must ensure that they complete the required Australian Government forms within the indicated timeframes. The Australian Border Force or the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment will advise if there are any additional Australian Government requirements or restrictions.
All International passenger arrivals must:
International flight crew:
An international vessel is one that has:
All arrivals (passengers and crew) on international vessels must:
Maritime arrivals must self-isolate until they have a negative result from a COVID-19 test (rapid antigen test) taken within 24 hours of arrival. They should have this test prior to disembarkation where practicable.
If an arrival cannot have their test prior to disembarkation, they must travel directly from the vessel to their home or accommodation and self-isolate until they have taken a test and received a negative result. For more information about safe travel and self-isolation please see NSW Health COVID-19 self-isolation guideline and support.
The shipping agent or master of the vessel should ensure there are sufficient COVID-19 rapid antigen tests on board the vessel for all crew members and passengers.
Maritime arrivals are not required to have a COVID-19 test (rapid antigen test) if they are disembarking only for the purposes of undertaking an essential task such as unloading cargo or carrying out safety checks. While undertaking their essential task, crew must:
Please see below for a full list of essential tasks:
Arrivals who have a positive COVID-19 test result prior to disembarking must notify the master of the vessel (or delegate) immediately that they have tested positive and follow any reasonable instructions regarding disembarkation. They must follow the advice in Testing positive to COVID-19 and managing COVID-19 safely at home.
Arrivals who have already disembarked the vessel and have a positive rapid antigen test within the first 7 days of arrival must immediately self-isolate in accordance with the Public Health (COVID-19 Self-Isolation) Order 2022 (or order that remakes that order) and follow the advice in Testing positive to COVID-19 and managing COVID-19 safely at home. This includes a requirement to contact their employer and household contacts and may include notifying the master of the vessel.
All arrivals who have a positive rapid antigen test result must immediately self-isolate in accordance with the Public Health (COVID-19 Self-Isolation) Order 2022 (or order that remakes that order) and follow the advice in Testing positive to COVID-19 and managing COVID-19 safely at home. Further Information about self-isolation and safe travel can be found in NSW Health COVID-19 self-isolation guideline and support.
All arrivals should be aware that they are at risk of developing COVID-19 for 14 days since they were in contact with a person who has COVID-19. They should carefully think about the risk that they could infect vulnerable people, including those in high-risk settings (aged care, disability care, healthcare and correctional facilities.)
All arrivals must not visit any high-risk settings (aged care, disability care, healthcare and correctional facilities) until it has been at least 7 days after they have arrived in NSW, unless they are seeking personal care, or are a resident in a facility.
If there are extenuating compassionate reasons for visiting a high-risk setting (e.g. end of life) and the arrival does not have symptoms of COVID-19, they should contact the facility to discuss if this can be safely arranged.
Between day 7 and 14, all arrivals should limit visiting high risk settings to further reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. A rapid antigen test is also recommended within the 24-hours before entering a high-risk setting. All arrivals should contact the facility and check if there are any additional requirements or restrictions before visiting.
These restrictions do not apply to international arrivals who require medical care, aged care or disability care services for themselves. Where possible, arrivals should call ahead to notify the facility that they have recently entered NSW from an international location, so that the facility can manage the risk to staff, patients, residents and clients.
Arrivals who work in a high-risk setting (aged care, disability care, healthcare and correctional facilities) may return to work after they have a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours of arrival. However, they must have the approval of their manager before returning to work to make sure the appropriate additional risk mitigation measures are in place.
All arrivals should monitor carefully for symptoms of COVID-19 for the first two weeks after arriving in NSW. If symptoms occur they should immediately have a COVID-19 test and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. A PCR test is preferred, see clinic locations.
If they need to see a doctor, they should call ahead and make sure the doctor is aware of their symptoms and that they have recently travelled overseas.
Information about how to safely travel and self-isolate can be found in the NSW Health COVID-19 self-isolation guideline and support.
International arrivals who enter Australia in another state or territory and then travel to NSW within the first 14 days must comply with these Guidelines. However, they do not need to have to have another COVID-19 test if they have already had one in the other state or territory before entering NSW.
Arrivals who wish to travel to another state or territory from NSW should check the requirements of the receiving jurisdiction to ensure they are permitted to enter. Arrivals may transit directly following arrival in NSW. If they test positive on a rapid antigen test prior to transit, they must immediately self-isolate in accordance with the Public Health (COVID-19 Self-Isolation) Order 2022 (or order that remakes that order) and follow the advice in Testing positive to COVID-19 and managing COVID-19 safely at home.
Further information about safe travel and self-isolation for arrivals can be found in the NSW Health COVID-19 self-isolation guideline and support.
See the Quick testing and isolation guide for international travellers for a summary of testing and isolation requirements for international arrivals into NSW.
