Nick travelled to Italy in early December 2021 which was his first trip overseas since the COVID pandemic hit. Of course, there were some extra hoops to jump through but reality was it wasn’t all that difficult or scary.
Read below for Nick’s tips based on his personal experience but bear in mind the pandemic is quite a fluid situation and you should always refer to the Australian governments Smart Traveller website for the latest information relevant to the countries you are travelling to.
Tips
- The COVID requirements add another level of stress in preparing for your trip. Double check you have all the documentation and processes required:
- Passport
- Vaccination certificate – the Australian government provides you this once you’ve been double jabbed. It is linked to your Medicare card you you can access it via the Medicare app.
- COVID PCR test result showing negative result. Make sure when you book in for this test that it is valid for travel.
- Australian Travel Declaration – I found using the ATD app quite easy. This should be completed at least 72 hours prior to arrival in Australia. Otherwise there may be delays when you arrive.
- COVID Green pass for Italy – I was a little confused about this. See notes below.
- Allow time in your travel prep for your PCR COVID test. You need to arrange this test within a window of time before departing. Generally it’s between 48-72 hours prior to landing in your destination country. Must be made at a lab that does tests for travel.
- Typically in the airport and on the plane you will have to wear a mask but of course you can take it off when eating and drinking.
- The only place I got checked for a Green Pass in Italy was at McDonalds, some restaurants and at the airport for an internal flight. I showed them the COVID International Pass instead and although it didn’t scan in on the QR code reader they read the details and said that was fine. It will make life easier if you can get the Green Pass but this is currently only available for Italian residents.
- Before returning home to Australia you must get a COVID PCR test completed within 72 hours of returning to Australia. They aren’t cheap at around 100 EUR but they are essential at the moment.
- Arrival back into Australia.
- Get your PCR test done. I did mine at Bologna airport. Simply Google “PCR test” along with the name of the city you are stating in or the airport and results from the Italian government come up.
- Make sure you complete your Australian Travel Declaration form before getting on the plane. They say it can take up to 72 hours to process so I assume if you lob at the airport in Australia and it hasn’t finished processing you may be delayed in clearing through customs.
- Processing through customs is no different
- For me, once I escaped the airport my instructions were to travel directly to home and self isolate at home for 3 days.
- Get a PCR test on day 1 and on day 6 after returning. They also recommend to do one on day 12. These PCR tests are free for Australian residents to do, you just need to present your Medicare card at one of the testing clinics.
This information was correct in December 2021 but may have changed. Always refer to government issued information for the latest requirements.