Passports issued by Australia are among the best in the world. According to the Henley Passport Index, one hundred eighty-five countries are visa-free for holders of our passports. We’re ranked seventh in the world for visa-free travel options with our passports.

But some of the 185 countries will not allow us entry at this time because we’re not handling COVID-19 very well at present.

Australia is one of just a few nations whose passport holders have Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) privileges with Singapore, allowing eligible vaccinated travellers to enter the country without quarantine. Singapore closed the door at the end of 2021, suspending sales of all VTL tickets until January 20, 2022. VTL ticket sales for selected VTL flights after that date will be capped at 50%. This action was taken in reaction to the increasing prevalence of the Omicron variant. It applied to all countries that had previously enjoyed VTL privileges, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and Western European countries.

Despite the high COVID-19 infection rate, Australia is performing better than most OECD countries. Australia is rated level three “COVID-19 High” on the US Centers for Disease Control’s Travellers’ Health webpage. A level three warning places us in the same category as Singapore, South Korea, and Chile, better than all North America and Europe countries except a few in Eastern Europe. That gives a clear indication of how the rest of the world views us, and on that basis, there’s little chance we’d be singled out as infection-spreaders.

On the other hand, Norway is a European country that has closed the door on us. “The COVID-19 certificate must have a QR-code that can be confirmed by the Norwegian authorities,” according to a Norwegian government website. While the EU digital COVID certificate (EU DCC) is accepted, the International COVID-19 certificate (ICVC) issued by the Australian government is not; therefore, we can’t get in for the time being.

The solution is straightforward. “The EU has recently opened its COVID Digital Certificate to non-EU countries, which means that these countries may apply to the European Commission for an “equivalence decision” that would make certificates issued by them directly acceptable under the same conditions as the EU Digital COVID Certificate (EU DCC),” according to a statement from the European Union External Action Service dated October 27, 2021.

That would remove the dilemma for Australians who want to travel freely throughout Europe. Not only for those wishing to visit Norway, but also for those wishing to visit museums and galleries, dine in restaurants, and ride on long-distance trains, but it appears that the Australian government has not applied.

Unlike the citizens of Armenia, the Faroe Islands, Moldova, New Zealand, Togo, and 28 other countries, all of whose fully vaccinated citizens have been welcomed into the EU DCC system, the Australian government has made it far more difficult for us to travel around Europe through its lack of action.

Until our government decides to apply for the EU DCC system, we can apply for a Swiss or an Italian pass, and both have the same advantages.

Despite the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, there are reasons to be optimistic about travel in 2022.

We have COVID-19 vaccinations, and they function. This opens the door to safe travel, and Australia is one of the most protected countries, with more than 90% of the population over the age of 16 having double vaccinations.

We can now travel abroad without authorisation and leave whenever we choose if we meet the vaccination criteria of our destination.

State borders are “largely” open. Vaccinated tourists from mainland Australia can visit Tasmania; however, those from high-risk areas must have a negative test, either a rapid antigen test (RAT) within 24 hours or a PCR test within 72 hours before departure. Vaccinated interstate visitors can enter the Northern Territory, but they must take a RAT test within two hours of arrival.

Returning travellers are no longer required to stay in a hotel for 14 days. Fully vaccinated Australians returning from overseas must immediately return to their house or accommodation, undergo a RAT or PCR test, and self-isolate while waiting for a negative result. Fully vaccinated visitors arriving in Queensland on a quarantine-free flight from a safe travel zone country do not need to be quarantined.

The world is gradually opening. You can enter North America and Europe if you’ve been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 yet travelling around Europe may be difficult due to the non-recognition of Australia’s international vaccine certificate. The Omicron variant is making travel to some of our favourite Asian destinations more difficult, but you may look forward to reopening travel to New Zealand on April 30.

Source: Traveller