Australian High Commission

New Zealand

High Commission address: 72-76 Hobson Street, Thorndon, Wellington - Telephone: +64 (0)4 473 6411 - Fax: +64 (0)4 498 7135

Reminder about validity of passports when travelling to Australia

Australia requires that your passport must be valid only for the period of your intended travel in and out of Australia. There is no requirement for your passport to be valid for six months after your travel.

Travelling to Australia

Immigration and visas

All travellers, except New Zealand citizens, must obtain a visa or travel authority before travelling to Australia.

If a New Zealander has a criminal history they might need a visa. Refer to this page.

All passports only need to be valid for time of travel inside of Australia and have the appropriate visa if required.

For information regarding living in Australia please follow this link to our 'Living in Australia' page.

Customs and quarantine

The Australian Customs Service manages the security and integrity of the Australian border and assists people and cargo to move in and out of the country. At the border Customs protects against the movement of illicit drugs and prohibited imports, collects customs duty payable by travellers and performs services for other agencies including the Australian Quarantine and Investigation Service (AQIS). AQIS is part of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and is charged with protecting Australia from exotic pests and diseases.

Information for international travellers. Information about what items must be declared for inspection, what happens if you fail to declare or dispose of any quarantine items or make a false declaration, what happens to siezed items and what can't be mailed to Australia.

The Australian Government Guide to Visiting Australia is available at www.immi.gov.au/visitors and includes guidance on health coverage available to visitors.

For frequently asked customs questions click here.

Tourism

Planning your trip to Australia

Plan your trip with australia.com, the official Tourism Australia website, offering a wide range of travel information and planning tools including over 2000 images, a currency converter, daily weather updates, interactive maps, suggested holiday itineraries, holiday deals, specialist travel agents and more. Available in nine languages. Most state tourism agencies have offices in Auckland, New Zealand, including:

Tourism New South Wales - 64 9 307 7040
Tourism Victoria - 64 9 379 0425
Tourism Queensland - 64 9 374 1780
South Australia Tourism Commission - 64 9 914 9848
Tourism Tasmania - 64 9 379 5535
Northern Territory Tourist Commission - 64 9 303 2207

Australian school holidays

http://www.dest.gov.au/portfolio_department/calendar_dates/

Health care and travel insurance

There is a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement between Australia and New Zealand that covers some (though not all) health care issues for New Zealand visitors to Australia. Go to the the Department of Health website for details of the scheme.

Please note: it is highly recommended that all visitors to Australia from Reciprocal Health Care Agreement countries buy health and travel insurance designed for overseas visitors.

There is no agreement for pensioner/senior citizens cards to be used by New Zealand citizens or residents travelling in Australia or vice versa. Any granting of concessions to overseas visitors is at the discretion of the business/concession provider concerned.

Driving in Australia

The holder of a New Zealand driver's licence will generally be allowed to drive in Australia without having to obtain an International driver's licence. However as each state in Australia have slightly different rules towards international drivers and slightly different road rules, it is very important to check with the licencing agency in the particular state that you are planning on visiting. See the list below:

New South Wales www.rta.nsw.gov.au
Victoria www.vicroads.vic.gov.au
Queensland www.transport.qld.gov.au
South Australia www.transport.sa.gov.au
Western Australia www.dpi.wa.gov.au
Tasmania www.transport.tas.gov.au
Northern Territory http://www.transport.nt.gov.au/
ACT www.canberraconnect.act.gov.au

Tourist Refund Scheme

The Tourist Refund Scheme enables you to claim a refund, subject to certain conditions, of the goods and services tax (GST) and wine equalisation tax (WET) that you pay on goods you buy in Australia.

New arrivals

A gateway to information ranging from citizenship, health, settlement help for migrants, working conditions to buying a home in Australia.

Foreign embassies and consulates in Australia

Information on the embassies and consulates in Australia is available here.