Travelling to Australia from the UK and other questions answered by expert Simon Calder

The rules for going down under from 21 February, plus changes in Portugal and tough restrictions in Manhattan

Distant dream: the Murray River in Victoria, Australia (Simon Calder)

In early February the travel correspondent of The Independent is usually to be found on one of the private islands off the coast of Queensland. But Australia’s borders remain closed to tourists, business travellers and even international men of mystery for a while longer. So instead he took an hour to answer readers’ questions on Australia and other parts of the world...

Open down under?

Q: I’ve heard that Australia is opening up to visa holders on 21 February 2022, but can I be absolutely clear: does this mean that you are able to enter Australia with a tourist visa from this date?

Julie B

A: Yes, there was surprising and welcome news on Monday from the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison. A country that has spent the past two years diligently keeping people out is now opening up (or at least significant parts of it are). The government has confirmed that this covers ordinary tourists, plus family visitors and business travellers – basically, anyone entering on the standard, free eVisitor visa.

Ability to travel is entirely based on vaccination. There is no expiry date on the validity of a two-jab course, and therefore no requirement to have had a booster. The only pre-departure requirement, at least for most states, is a lateral flow test in the 24 hours before departure to Australia.

It remains to be seen how quickly travel to Australia will recover. I expect to see a surge of bookings from people desperate to see loved ones, but pure tourism may take a while longer. The announcement has come at a time corresponding to the summer peak in Australia; as autumn arrives in the southern parts of the nation, the appeal of a short-notice trip may dwindle. By Easter, Victoria and Tasmania will be distinctly cooler.

At the same time as Mr Morrison – a previous managing director of Tourism Australia – was making the announcement, the present incumbent. Phillipa Harris, said Australia has been “a little bit ridiculed” by much of the rest of around the world for its continued strict closure. “It’s the whole ‘fortress Australia’ concept,“ she told an event in Sydney. ”People just don’t understand why they’re shut out, why they can’t reconnect with family and friends.“

Meanwhile just because you are allowed to enter Australia, individual states still have control on who they let in – particularly Western Australia, which remains closed.

Q: I want to fly to Australia around 17 March to 17 April this year to see family. My passport was issued on 11 October 2012 and is valid until 11 July 2023, ie 10 years and nine months. My travel agent says that the “extra months” do not count and has advised me to get a new one.

But do you think I will be allowed to use it for Australia, as well as changing flights in the UAE?

Kas

A: Yes. The “extra months” issue is only of relevance for Europe (and the only stipulation there is that the passport was issued in the previous 10 years). You have acres of validity left for your trip, I am glad to say.

Validity problems would only start (initially with the UAE) from January 2023. Don’t forget to apply for your free eVisitor visa. Avoid scam sites and book through the official portal.

Q: Following the announcement about opening, what are the rules for UK travellers entering Western Australia? Before the pandemic began we had Christmas 2020 flights booked, to see friends and family and to return to the gorgeous Margaret River.

Jo Max

A: Western Australia remains firmly closed – to citizens from other Australian states, as well as outsiders.

WA’s attitude baffles me. Ninety per cent of eligible people are fully vaccinated. I assumed the strategy was: “Let’s get almost everyone jabbed and we can then relax.”

But that has not materialised. Instead, the premier, Mark McGowan (supported widely across the political spectrum) wants to get boosters fully rolled out across the state. To do otherwise would be “reckless and irresponsible”, he says.

It is a huge shame for people who want to visit loved one, and for those of us who just love Australia’s largest state. One day I believe Western Australia will wake up and realise the world has moved on – then desperately try to catch up.

Portugal bound

Q: Going to Algarve on Saturday 12 February. Is it correct that the Portuguese government no longer requires pre-flight Covid tests?

Keith

A: Yes, Portugal shrewdly removed the requirement, as did Greece, at the start of the week. Also, Morocco opened up after 16 weeks.

We are definitely in the two-steps forward, one-step back stage of things. Spain, Italy and France are looking particularly unappealing in their restrictions – especially for young travellers. This is a great shame before half-term, but I predict they will all change for the better very soon.

Q: Is it right that you can enter Portugal with a Covid recovery certificate? My son is 15 and has not had a second jab yet, due to having had Covid recently.

Sanshoe

A: Yes. The exactly condition in the latest round of Portuguese rules, is that “a valid vaccination or recovery certificate issued by a third country” is sufficient for entry. The tricky part may be getting the NHS to certify. Travellers aged 12-15 years should now be able to access the certificate on the NHS app, at least in England. But it is also worth going online to download proof on paper as well.

New York negativity

Q: Do you think New York City will relax its rules on unvaccinated or single-vaccinated children entering venues any time soon?

Ryan B

A: Yes. I expect things to change fairly quickly, because the current situation is unsustainable. New York City has some seriously family-unfriendly rules. They are marketed as “Key to NYC” – but they amount to some of the most draconian restrictions on children of any location I know.

For a wide range of activities, including visiting restaurants, cinemas, museums, aquariums and zoos, vaccination requirements start very young. Until late January the rule was that everyone 12 and over had to show proof of being fully jabbed to access almost all public indoor activities. Then things took a turn for the worse.

“Starting January 29, 2022, children ages five to 11 must also show proof of full vaccination,” the city authorities decreed. Before that the rule was just one jab. But given that the NHS policy is to vaccinate children only “from the day they turn 12,” the tightening of the restrictions makes no effective difference.

As with many other parts of the world, New York City has a carrot-and-stick approach to encouraging vaccination, and this is very much on the stick side (the carrot includes a $100 incentive).But it creates an awful state of affairs for visiting families.

As things stand I warn anyone with children who do not qualify not to book anything in NYC at the moment. As the perceived threat of Covid dwindles, I predict the rules will soften by Easter. But please don’t book anything yet.

New York City is a metropolis with a huge tourism industry. One day it will wake up and realise the world has moved on – then desperately try to catch up, with all manner of deals to lure families back.

Passport controls

Q: Could you confirm if EU passport holders need a minimum amount of months left on their passports to travel from the UK to an EU country and Switzerland please?

Celine P

A: Yes. European Union passports (and those from the wider EEA and Switzerland) are valid up to and including the expiry date within the EU and associates.

For completeness, UK passports must have been issued in the past 10 years. They must also have at least three months to run.

French farce

Q: I am planning to take my 13 and 15-year-olds to France to ski on Sunday. Both have recovered from Covid and have a jab which they can prove on the NHS App (I am fully vaccinated and have a booster). My understanding is, they are considered fully vaccinated for entry and can use their NHS pass as a health pass to access ski lifts etc. Would you put my mind at rest and confirm?

Darnton Davis

A: I am really sorry to say that my current understanding of the French rules is as follows and not at all ideal for you.

Your teenagers will be able to enter France with you. That is because for the purposes of admission to France, young people aged 12-17 can travel according to the rules that apply to their accompanying adult: if the adult is fully vaccinated, the child is regarded the same.

But for the purposes of accessing venues in France – from cafés to ski lifts – the position for children is more complicated. Full vaccination appears to be mandatory for those aged 12-17 – unless they take daily tests (lateral flow) to access the venues.

Q: My parents (vaccinated and boosted) are off to Malaga this week and received an email from easyJet on Saturday saying they now have to do a lateral flow test in the 24 hours before departure to Spain to be able to enter.

I checked with easyJet via Twitter and they said this was correct. But both the easyJet website and the Foreign Office say you don’t need a test to fly. My parents have booked tests as they don’t want to be turned away at airport. Any idea who is right and what is going on?

Josie 1970

A: This is weird. I have searched through the various official Spanish health ministry and tourism agency publications and can see nothing to confirm this. I will delve more deeply into it if I can.