Current Border Update: As of Saturday 15th January 2022, there will be no border regulations, meaning all visitors will be able enter the QLD without testing negative to COVID or filling out border passes.

As Omicron wallops vast swathes of Aussies simultaneously, the Queensland Government has been busy adjusting our border controls.

Thankfully, hotel quarantine remains a relic of the past. But a slew of new requirements—namely testing and vaccination passports—necessitate some prior planning before ducking over the border.

To help you keep abreast of these ever-evolving rules, we’ve put together a plain-English Queensland border update.

Of course, things change fast in the COVID era. Always check the latest news on the Queensland Government website before crossing state lines.

Entering Queensland

If you’ve come in from a hotspot (currently all of NSW, the ACT, Victoria, Greater Adelaide, and Katherine/Robinson in the NT), you can enter Queensland under the following four conditions.

1. You have a Queensland entry pass  
2. You have sufficient ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.)
3. You’re fully vaccinated and have a certificate to prove it
4. You’ve taken a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test and received a negative result within the last 72 hours.

Non-residents can’t enter Queensland if they’ve been confirmed as a close contact or positive case in the last seven days and are still in isolation. However, Queensland residents can apply for an exemption to return home to finish their self-isolation.

Non-restricted border zone areas—the various Local Government Areas (LGAs) straddling the NSW-QLD state lines—have more lax requirements.

1. Fully vaccinated travellers can freely move between Queensland and non-restricted NSW border zones (unless they have COVID symptoms). There’s no requirement for testing.
2. Unvaccinated travellers can move from border zones into Queensland for permitted and essential purposes.

Note: there aren’t currently any restricted border zones in NSW.

In Queensland

Once you’re in Queensland, you’re legally required to monitor the list of exposure sites from the state you’ve come from. If you’ve been at an exposure site or have developed COVID symptoms, you must obtain a PCR test and self-isolate immediately.

Everyone in Queensland must abide by the Government’s COVID rules.

• Masks are mandatory in all indoor places except your own home. You can remove your mask while eating and drinking but must put it back on as soon as practical.
• You must check-in via the Check-In Qld app at all public places.

Kiff & Culture Tours

Since there’s no longer any need to quarantine, we’ve resumed our widely popular Northern NSW tours.

Both LGA’s classify as non-restricted border zones, so there’s no requirement to get tested on our Byron and Tweed Hinterlands tours. That’s a massive plus, considering how difficult RATs are to come by these days.

To tour Northern NSW with us, you will still need to:

• Fill out a border pass
• Have proof of residency (driver’s license)
• Have proof of full vaccination
• Be free from COVID symptoms

Filling out a border pass and downloading a digital copy of your vaccination status only takes a few minutes. Therefore, if you’re fully vaccinated and COVID free, there’s no reason you shouldn’t explore this fantastic region with us.

And if you’d rather stick to Queensland, we’re still running our food and drink tours in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Tamborine Mountain.

On a final note, we take COVID seriously at Kiff & Culture. All our tours abide by the relevant regulations (masks, social distancing, capacity limits, etc.).