Australian border travel exemption categories now include agriculture and primary industries

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Australia has strict border measures in place to protect the Australian community during COVID-19.

The Home Affairs Department has a webpage for those who fit the critical skills sectors and would like to apply for a travel exemption. Exemptions have been extended to include those with critical skills in agriculture and primary industries. A person does not need to hold a visa when they apply for an exemption, however they will need to have a valid visa to travel.

All travellers arriving in Australia, including Australian citizens, are subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility, such as a hotel, in their port of arrival.​ See Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for travellers. You may be required to pay for the costs of your quarantine. To find out more about quarantine requirements, contact the relevant state or territory government health department.

Travel exemption requirements for individuals in critical sectors or with critical skills

The Commissioner of the Australian Border Force may grant an individual exemption if you are a non-citizen:

  • travelling at the invitation of the Australian Government or a state or territory government authority for the purpose of assisting in the COVID-19 response

  • providing critical or specialist medical services, including air ambulance, medical evacuations and delivering critical medical supplies

  • with critical skills required to maintain the supply of essential goods and services (such as in medical technology, critical infrastructure, telecommunications, engineering and mining, supply chain logistics, agriculture, primary industry, food production, and the maritime industry)

  • delivering services in sectors critical to Australia’s economic recovery (such as financial technology, large scale manufacturing, film, media and television production and emerging technology), where no Australian worker is available

  • providing critical skills in religious or theology fields

  • whose entry would otherwise be in Australia's national interest, supported by the Australian Government or a state or territory government authority.

An individual can submit a request for a travel exemption under this category or a business can submit a request on their behalf. The applications of multiple travellers within the same group/business can be linked, so that the requests are considered together.

Please request an exemption using the form below and provide appropriate evidence to support the claims. Requests may be finalised without further consideration if insufficient evidence is provided. All documents need to be officially translated into English.

An exemption should generally be applied for at least two weeks, but not more than three months, before planned travel. Urgent business travel will be considered inside this timeframe.

Sara Johnston