Quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia will begin on Monday, according to Australia's tourism minister, as the country prepares for the first partial reopening of its international crossings since March 2020. Vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents living in New South Wales, Victoria, and the capital Canberra will be able to fly overseas without requiring an exemption or quarantine upon their return beginning Monday.

Only tourists from New Zealand will be allowed into Australia for the time being, if they are vaccinated.

“The resumption of quarantine free travel from New Zealand to Australia is another important marker on our road to recovery,” Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said in a statement.

At the outset of the epidemic, Australia closed its borders, allowing only a small number of citizens and permanent residents to return, with a mandatory 14-day quarantine term in a hotel at their own expense.