Great news for those planning trips to Sydney, with confirmation that from today (21st June 2022) the COVID-19 testing requirements laid down by the state government will no longer require international arriving travellers to take a self-swab antigen test within 24 hours of touching down in New South Wales.
While the Commonwealth Government requirement for pre-departure testing when travelling to Australia was abolished back in April 2022, some individual states have retained their own ‘on-arrival’ testing rules. This has included New South Wales.
This latest relaxation means that no isolation will be required when you arrive in New South Wales from overseas, so you can get on with your trip immediately. It also makes Singapore – Sydney trips completely test-free and quarantine-free for fully vaccinated travellers, in both directions.
This development leaves Queensland and South Australia as the only Australian states with direct international flights imposing mandatory on-arrival testing for overseas travellers.
The news comes as New Zealand removes pre-departure testing, a policy also becoming effective from today, though the country has maintained two mandatory post-arrival swabs for now.
NSW on-arrival testing has been scrapped
If you arrived in New South Wales from overseas on or before 20th June 2022, you were required to:
- Go straight to your home or accommodation
- Take a RAT (ART) test using