- The Federal Government will begin rolling out vaccine passports for international travel from October
- While the details are still being finalised, it is believed the passport will be available on a phone app and have the same details as a physical passport
- Europe and the US already have proof of vaccination means that allow them to travel
- The Federal Government has said this isn’t a sign restrictions regarding international travel are about to ease
- International travel is not set to resume once 80 per cent of people aged over 16 have been inoculated
The Federal Government will begin rolling out vaccine passports for international travel from October.
While the details are still being finalised, it is believed the passport will be available on a phone app and have the same details as a physical passport.
It will also feature a QR code that border officials can scan to check passengers’ vaccination status.
Currently, it will be either AstraZeneca (under its new name Vaxzevira) or Pfizer and, once available, Moderna.
Only vaccines that have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will be recognised and officials are working to make sure that even if countries don’t use the same vaccines, fully vaccinated travellers will still be able to enter.
These passports will help people who have exemptions to travel internationally and avoid quarantine when they are overseas.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan has stated international travel would require a system that can recognise proof of vaccination.
“We’re in the process of planning that so that in the coming weeks we will have a system up and ready so when we hit that 70 per 80 per cent vaccination mark Australians will be able to travel overseas again and also Australians will be able to return home in greater numbers,” Mr Tehan said.
“We’ll also be able to start welcoming international students, those who want to come here to work and ultimately tourists again.”
How are other countries using vaccine passports?
Europe already has a digital COVID certificate that helps people prove they have had both vaccines and are allowed to travel.
While in the US travellers can use their CDC-issued proof of vaccination cards to travel to Canada, Europe and the UK.
Easing restrictions
With the launch of the vaccine passport, the Federal Government has said that this wasn’t a sign that restrictions regarding international travel were about to ease.
Currently there is no indication as to when restrictions regarding comings and goings could shift.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has previously promised overseas travel can resume when the 80 per cent full vaccination threshold is reached across the states.