Experience with Australian border controls leaving the country

[PineappleSkip]

What's the minimum time ahead of travel to apply? Want to have time for a second application if rejected.

I don't think there is a minimum but this advice is on home affairs' website

we recommend you lodge a request for assessment at least one week prior to your intended departure.

cheers skip

 

[mviy]

I put less than a week. If I need to apply again a further week would be too long as with 14 days quarantine I’d get over there too late. Will see what happens.

 

[Gremlin]

I put less than a week. If I need to apply again a further week would be too long as with 14 days quarantine I’d get over there too late. Will see what happens.

Where are you (hopefully) headed?

 

[mviy]

The UK, so should be able to find flights to get there.

Unsure whether quarantine will be needed on arrival. Need to know which countries will be quarantine exempt and whether where you transit through has an impact on whether quarantine is required in the UK.

Unless QF starts flights again pretty much immediately (which seems doubtful) will need to transit via Singapore, Dubai, Doha, Hong Kong or somewhere else (if flights are still going).


Btw the website has been changed and they now recommend applying at least four weeks before departure.

 

[p--and--t]

FYI: there is an article today on executive traveller on peoples experiences with getting (or not getting) approval to travel.

 

[PineappleSkip]

That would be this article, hey?

 

[Snowler]

The UK, so should be able to find flights to get there.

Unsure whether quarantine will be needed on arrival. Need to know which countries will be quarantine exempt and whether where you transit through has an impact on whether quarantine is required in the UK.

Unless QF starts flights again pretty much immediately (which seems doubtful) will need to transit via Singapore, Dubai, Doha, Hong Kong or somewhere else (if flights are still going).


Btw the website has been changed and they now recommend applying at least four weeks before departure.

If you transfer in a country that isn't on the UK exemption list, you still have to quarantine for 14 days in the UK. So that only leaves Hong Kong (on the list) as a reasonable stopover for Aus - UK flights as DXB/DOH/SIN and KLA aren't on the list. You can go via Japan or Taiwan if you like, but it's a more torturous (and expensive) route.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Someone mentioned, apparently on a different thread, that they knew someone who got an exemption to travel for pressing business reasons.

However the post indicated they were required to provide an indemnity or proof or something that they had TI that covered "do not travel" countries, and also had to pay or guarantee, or something, the cost of quarantine up front.

Particularly interested in the latter as I think only NT and dear old Qld currently charge for quarantine costs. I was wondering if the traveller who had the up-front payment requirement was travelling back to one of the "you pay" states.

Of course the content and outcome of National Cabinet proposal on further restricting inbound travellers will be of interest to all

Number of returning travellers allowed to enter Australia could be restricted as states carry coronavirus quarantine burden

Cheers skip

 

[Gremlin]

Someone mentioned, apparently on a different thread, that they knew someone who got an exemption to travel for pressing business reasons.

However the post indicated they were required to provide an indemnity or proof or something that they had TI that covered "do not travel" countries, and also had to pay or guarantee, or something, the cost of quarantine up front.

Particularly interested in the latter as I think only NT and dear old Qld currently charge for quarantine costs. I was wondering if the traveller who had the up-front payment requirement was travelling back to one of the "you pay" states.

Of course the content and outcome of National Cabinet proposal on further restricting inbound travellers will be of interest to all

Number of returning travellers allowed to enter Australia could be restricted as states carry coronavirus quarantine burden

Cheers skip

I posted that referencing the experience of a mate. He flew into SYD. He was told that the “free quarantine” was for returned travellers, not those approved for outbound travel.

 

[CPMaverick]

I'm currently struggling in this process. Dual citizen US/AU

I have a business contract with a USA company that requires me to be on site. It's the only current contract my company holds (AU contracts cancelled or suspended). I have managed so far but clearly I can't keep the contract unless I get myself to the USA.

Because of the situation I have decided to relocate to the USA. I have sold all my possessions and moved out of my apartment. I supplied extensive documentation including my contract with the US company, a letter from them saying that I must be in the US to complete the contract, timelines, lease termination, car bill of sale. I have stated that I have no intention to return to Australia until travel restrictions are lifted. If my AU contracts return, I have employees here that can fulfil them for me, I can manage those contracts from the US.

I submitted my request 2.5 weeks ago. I am meant to fly in about 20 hours. Still no reply of any kind.

 

[Pushka]

I'm currently struggling in this process. Dual citizen US/AU

I have a business contract with a USA company that requires me to be on site. It's the only current contract my company holds (AU contracts cancelled or suspended). I have managed so far but clearly I can't keep the contract unless I get myself to the USA.

Because of the situation I have decided to relocate to the USA. I have sold all my possessions and moved out of my apartment. I supplied extensive documentation including my contract with the US company, a letter from them saying that I must be in the US to complete the contract, timelines, lease termination, car bill of sale. I have stated that I have no intention to return to Australia until travel restrictions are lifted. If my AU contracts return, I have employees here that can fulfil them for me, I can manage those contracts from the US.

I submitted my request 2.5 weeks ago. I am meant to fly in about 20 hours. Still no reply of any kind.

Contact your local member or Foreign Affairs Minister or Tweet someone? Not good enough.

 

[DC3]

.... I submitted my request 2.5 weeks ago. I am meant to fly in about 20 hours. Still no reply of any kind.

As a US citizen, is there a problem in leaving Australia? Why would the Oz Government care? If departing on a US passport, what would be the issue? Have I missed something here?

Edit: Go to Gate

 

[CPMaverick]

As a US citizen, is there a problem in leaving Australia? Why would the Oz Government care? If departing on a US passport, what would be the issue? Have I missed something here?

I am both a US and AU citizen. AU citizens residing in Australia and permanent residents of Australia are banned from leaving the country without an exemption.

The fact that I am also a US citizen makes no difference to that regulation.

 

[DC3]

I am both a US and AU citizen. AU citizens residing in Australia and permanent residents of Australia are banned from leaving the country without an exemption.

The fact that I am also a US citizen makes no difference to that regulation.

Well, I’m sure that you know what you are talking about. The bit that I don’t get is that should I hold a US passport then I would just (try to) leave Oz using that. You probably have looked into the merits of that and whether it would work or not.

Anyway, with the flight scheduled for tomorrow, it sounds like you won’t be on it, unfortunately.

Edit: Reading your post, you have sold up and moved out of your place of living, so would no longer be a permanent resident of Oz. Would that be correct? You now have a USA residence that you are travelling to?

 

[CPMaverick]

Well, I’m sure that you know what you are talking about. The bit that I don’t get is that should I hold a US passport then I would just (try to) leave Oz using that.

That would be illegal even under normal circumstances. You must use your AU Passport to depart Australia.

It's really best you don't try to offer me any more advice, thanks. I'm looking for ways to get an answer from the government on exemptions. Not try to get around them. The process may be poor, but the rules are very clear, and I fully understand them. Trying to bypass them is probably the best way to get stuck here.

 

[DC3]

That would be illegal even under normal circumstances. You must use your AU Passport to depart Australia.

It's really best you don't try to offer me any more advice, thanks. I'm looking for ways to get an answer from the government on exemptions. Not try to get around them. The process may be poor, but the rules are very clear, and I fully understand them. Trying to bypass them is probably the best way to get stuck here.

Point taken. It was not my intention to add to your angst and was more of a suggestion as to what may be workable.

I wish you well in your endeavours. Please let us know how you go.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The bit that I don’t get is that should I hold a US passport then I would just (try to) leave Oz using that.

To answer your question... if you try to leave on your US passport you would be stopped at the exit gates because you didn't have a visa to be in Australia. Prima facie that would mean you somehow got into Australia, and your subsequent time in Australia, was not lawful. So you'd have to have a chat with border force.

During that chat with border force you'd say 'hey, I entered legally on my Aussie passport'.

The answer would then be that you are an Aussie, entered Australia as an Aussie, and are subject to exit controls (ie a ban on anything but essential travel).

The problem for border force is that if you tired to use your US passport to leave, it shows you are trying to circumvent the law. So you are probably likely to turn around in a week's time and want to come back, and as an Aussie passport holder you can't be refused entry.

 

[jakeseven7]

To answer your question... if you try to leave on your US passport you would be stopped at the exit gates because you didn't have a visa to be in Australia. Prima facie that would mean you somehow got into Australia, and your subsequent time in Australia, was not lawful. So you'd have to have a chat with border force.

During that chat with border force you'd say 'hey, I entered legally on my Aussie passport'.

The answer would then be that you are an Aussie, entered Australia as an Aussie, and are subject to exit controls (ie a ban on anything but essential travel).

The problem for border force is that if you tired to use your US passport to leave, it shows you are trying to circumvent the law. So you are probably likely to turn around in a week's time and want to come back, and as an Aussie passport holder you can't be refused entry.

You can’t anyway so I don’t know why people are discussing it as a possibility for the poster. If you are an AU passport holder with multiple passports they are linked in the back end somewhere dark and mysterious.

I have accidentally handed the wrong passport over in AU and a few clicks later have been politely told to hand the other passport I have to them - and they know exactly which ones you have.

What I don’t know is that if the AU gov has linked all countries passports in this manner because I have only accidentally done this once with one!

 

[PineappleSkip]

The problem for border force is that if you tired to use your US passport to leave, it shows you are trying to circumvent the law. So you are probably likely to turn around in a week's time and want to come back, and as an Aussie passport holder you can't be refused entry

Don't understand this, apart from the first sentence. If you don't have an exemption, you won't get allowed out in the first place. If you used your US passport to try and exit you are subject to whatever dire penalties apply as well.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

You can’t anyway so I don’t know why people are discussing it as a possibility for the poster. If you are an AU passport holder with multiple passports they are linked in the back end somewhere dark and mysterious.

I have accidentally handed the wrong passport over in AU and a few clicks later have been politely told to hand the other passport I have to them - and they know exactly which ones you have.

What I don’t know is that if the AU gov has linked all countries passports in this manner because I have only accidentally done this once with one!

The purpose of the post was to provide DC3 with an answer as to why you can't simply use another passport to leave the country - ie, it will be detected.

Passports appear to be linked on a flight-by-flight basis, at least in my situation. My ESTA is in another passport and is required for check-in, but each time a call needs to be made to link it with my Aussie passport to allow me to exit. There doesn't seem to be a blanket association that once linked it is always linked, but YMMV.