What you need before visiting Australia
Australia is truly a beautiful place; amongst the wonderful cities you have thousands of miles of relatively untouched nature so it’s the ideal travel destination for lovers of urban cityscapes as well as nature’s bounty. It’s even an increasingly popular avenue of attraction for Manchester businesses. But before you think about jetting off to the outback, what should you be thinking about?
Preparing for your trip
To get into Australia you’ll need to have a Visa, or you’ll need to have an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation). Once you have your Visa Australia is waiting, but it’s important to ensure you have the whole process taken care of before booking your flights – remember how long the flight is going to be, the last thing you want is to get there only to find an issue.
Paying a visit to a specialist website such as Visagov will give you some insight into the next steps you need to take. You’ll find practical advice and it can make the process of applying for your electronic visitor’s visa that much easier – so pay a visit well in advance of travelling.
Your passport
Of course, you will need a valid passport as a British citizen in order to visit Australia. Your passport will need to remain valid for the entirety of your stay, so it’s important to double check the dates to ensure you don’t get caught out. Many people visit another country en-route to Australia so it’s also important to make sure that you double check the entry requirements of any other countries you will visit along the way.
It’s also worth remembering that many countries will only accept admissions from travellers if there is at least six months of validity left on their passport – it’s always better to be safe than sorry, so make sure you check in advance.
Vaccination requirements
Covid isn’t in the news as much as it was this time two years ago, but it’s still out there and you still need to take precautions. You will need to have been vaccinated at least eight weeks before your trip, and need to provide suitable evidence of this.
Be careful of quarantines
Australia has a rigorous quarantine procedure in relation to the goods it allows visitors to bring in. This is to avoid the introduction of hostile pests and diseases that could ravage the ecosystem.
To get into Australia you’ll have to fill in an Incoming Passenger Card where you’ll have to declare any goods on the “risk list”, or you will have to dispose of them at the airport or dock you arrive at.
Remember that all your luggage will be x-rayed when you arrive, and if items of concern are found they will be confiscated and destroyed. It’s also possible to face heavy fines and even prosecution for breaching quarantine restrictions.
Visiting Australia can be the journey of a lifetime, and following these simple guidelines can help you properly prepare for it well in advance.
