COVID-19: Exemption required for citizens to leave the country

The Australian government recently restricted its citizens who are residents of another country from leaving Australian territory unless they obtain a border force exemption.

Key Points:

• Beginning Aug. 11, Australian citizens who are residents of other countries will not be allowed to leave the country unless they have a border force exemption.
• Australian citizens will be required to demonstrate a compelling reason for needing to leave Australian territory to the Border Force Commissioner.
• Individuals can apply for a travel exemption through the Travel Exemption portal. Most travel exemption requests will be completed within seven days.
• More information on current COVID-19-related travel restrictions can be found here.

Additional Information: Temporary visa holders may leave at any time but will not be permitted to return unless they apply for an inwards exemption prior to departure. Citizens, including dual citizens, and permanent residents must apply for an exemption to depart and qualify under one of the defined categories. Additionally, Australia continues to enforce a 50% reduction on incoming travel. More information regarding travel reductions can be found here.

BAL Analysis: The response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, and BAL will provide additional updates as information becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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