Qantas Updates Covid-19 Travel And e-Visa Hardcopy Requirement

Qantas, the flag carrier of Australia and the largest airline by fleet size in Australia has updated its Covid-19 Travel and e-Visa requirement for travellers arriving from India.

According to a travel update issued by the airline, international passengers will no longer be required to be fully vaccinated and will no longer be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or DPD to board their flight.

Changes to Covid-19 Travel Requirements

Effective 19 July 2022, Qantas no longer requires passengers travelling on international flights operated by the Qantas Group to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. This change is in response to the Australian Government’s removal of the Covid-19 vaccination requirement for international travellers arriving in Australia.

Filling out Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) is also no longer required before travel. Passengers will no longer need to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination or DPD to board their flight unless it’s a country-specific requirement, so we recommend passengers check
specific requirements before travel.

For travel to and within Australia, masks are still required on domestic flights and where government regulations say they must be worn.

Australian e-Visa Hardcopy Requirement

In addition to the Covid-19 travel requirement, the airline has updated the e-Visa requirement, requiring e-Visa holders from India to carry a hard copy of their visas.

Passengers travelling on Qantas international flights from India are requested to carry their Australian e-visa printout, which is a mandatory requirement.

The requirements come after the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, issued a notification earlier this month requiring international visitors from India to carry a hard copy of their visas, which will be scanned at all ICPs.

This new rule applies to all travellers who have an eVisa, eTA, or ENTRI Visa; however, those travelling with a sticker visa are not required to carry a hard copy of the same.

Foreign Visa copies of all the Indian nationals departing from India should be scanned in the immigration counters at all the ICPs Hence, carrying hard copies of foreign visas by Indian passport holders has been made mandatory by the Govt of India.

As a result, we advised that all Indians with foreign visas be made aware of the aforementioned requirements, particularly those carrying a soft copy of their visas on their mobile phones.