Can An Australian Citizen Currently Travel Overseas?
In the Comments section of one of a “Foreigner Farming in the Philippines” videos on YouTube.
There were a few comments by his subscribers giving “Arm Chair Lawyer” advice on travel from Australia.
I don’t know where these people live, and for that matter, I don’t really care. But I do get annoyed when comments are made that are blatantly incorrect,
With no means to point out that the comments are incorrect or misleading, as I have been banned, I have asked the guys here to allow me some space to make my point.
This was the main comment that I have copied and pasted here unedited.
S Hart
Hello Brian, Thanks for the upload. All foreign citizens are free to leave Australia at any time and are not bound by the Australian travel ban. While it pains me to say needy meady is a New Zealand citizen by birth and is free to leave at any time.
His wife is Filipino and is also free to leave at any time. He does however require a visa to enter The Philippines and balikbayan visas are the only visas being issued at this time.
He will have to travel with either his wife or a child to enter.
The current flights by PAL only go to Manila and he has replied to a comment from me saying that he wanted to go to Cebu.
I informed him that he could travel via Hong Kong to Cebu (at that time) but as we all know he is all talk. Not long after me encouraging him to travel The Philippines he posted “My resolve my truth”
That was the comment.
Now here are the FACTS,
Again, copied and unedited from an official Government website.
“There’s a ban on overseas travel from Australia. If you’re an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you can’t leave Australia unless you get an exemption to travel or you’re travelling to a destination that’s exempt from the ban. Foreign citizens are able to depart Australia at any time.
The Department of Home Affairs looks after this ban. Visit their page on Leaving Australia for further information, including details on exemptions to the ban and exemption restrictions for high risk countries.”
My source is an Australian Government Website called smartraveller.gov.au/
But he says, you can travel to New Zealand and then on to the Philippines via Hong Kong.
Well, No you can’t.
Again, a quick check of a New Zealand Government website covid19.gov.nz confirms this.
Feel free to check it out yourselves.
Which brings me to the next question
Can a Foreigner Currently enter the Philippines?
Well as GD Mead cannot even get to the Philippines, it becomes a pointless question.
But in all fairness, The latest Information is that no one can enter the Philippines unless you have an exemption or are a citizen,
So the short answer is No.
I do hope the Expats Forums team allow this to be posted as it again proves that there is so much misinformation being peddled on youTube.
A Pinay In Oz
The team here at ExPats Forums welcome input such as this, maybe should give her a coloum of her own! It is articles like this that our forum would have been ideal for, there was some interest in reviving it and this has given us the imputus to look at it again