Victoria will establish a new permit system for all domestic travel into the state, helping to
support Victoria’s rapid contact tracing efforts and giving Victorians greater certainty when they travel.

It will be based on a traffic light system that allows Victoria to designate regions in other parts of Australia as green, orange or red, depending on the coronavirus risk in a particular area.

Zones will be declared by the Chief Health Officer, based on the public health risk for coronavirus transmission and mean that certain restrictions will apply for travellers from that area.  The new permit system will go live from 5.59pm on Monday, 11 January. Current permits – including transit and worker permits – will remain valid, so long as they are consistent with public health’s advice on zones.

Under the new system, you will need to apply for a permit to enter Victoria from anywhere in Australia, except border communities in NSW where locals will require proof of their home address.

The type of permit will depend on where you have been, with applicants required to provide details on where they are coming from and where they are traveling to. These details will allow our contact tracing team to rapidly reach people should a new risk emerge.

A red zone means if you have visited this area in the past 14 days you will not be allowed to enter Victoria without an exception or exemption. If you try to enter Victoria at a land border, you will be turned away.

Returned Victorian travellers arriving by plane or by water without a valid reason or exemption will be required to self-isolate at home for 14 days and will receive a fine of $4,957. Interstate residents presenting at an airport or seaport without a valid reason or exemption will be fined $4,957 and returned to their destination on the next available flight. If this requires an overnight stay, these individuals will need to stay in hotel quarantine until their departure.

An orange zone means that you will be able to apply for a permit and will need to take a coronavirus test within 72 hours after arriving in Victoria, isolating both before and after your test, until you receive a negative result.

A green zone means that you will be able to apply for a permit and enter Victoria. Once in Victoria, and as always, you should watch for symptoms and get tested should you feel unwell.

As part of the permit application, you will also be asked whether you have any COVID-19 symptoms, whether you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are a close contact with someone who has and whether you have visited particular exposure sites. Providing misleading information is an offence, punishable with a fine of up to $1,652.

Under the new system, and based on the latest advice of our public health experts, regional NSW, including the Central Coast will be reclassified as an orange zone. That means local residents, as well as Victorians holidaying in these areas, will be able to enter Victoria if they isolate upon their arrival, get tested and stay home until they   receive a negative test result.

Exceptions and exemptions will continue to apply. More information on these, in
addition to applications for the new permit system, will be made available through the Service Victoria portal at
www.service.vic.gov.au

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“Until we have a vaccine, we’ll need to continue to react and respond to changing circumstances. This system will make sure we can do just that, while supporting the rapid response of our contact tracing team.”

“With an easy to understand traffic light system, Victorians and Australians will understand exactly what the latest public health advice means for them, and their travel plans.”