THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO TRAVELLING FROM SINGAPORE TO MELBOURNE (VTL FLIGHTS) DURING THE PANDEMIC

by | Dec 29, 2021 | AUSTRALIA, MELBOURNE, TRAVEL | 0 comments

When I heard that Australia is finally opening its borders for Singaporeans to visit, I jumped at the opportunity to head back to the country I call my second home.

After all, being unable to visit my family and friends there for close to 2 years was a pretty painful experience. I’ve missed them all so much.

Disclaimer: This is the guide to travelling from Melbourne. I’m not too sure about the other requirements which may be imposed in other states (e.g. New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory). Furthermore, some of these documents may no longer be required or that there are other documents required. So do check the travel advisory prior to your visit.

My flight was scheduled for the 16th of December 2021 and I arrived back in Singapore on the 27th of December 2021.

BOOKING OF AIR TICKETS

Prior to booking air tickets, I’d suggest having a valid ETA before you book your flight tickets. It cost about AUD$20.

  • ETA for Singaporeans or A valid Visa for foreigners. The ETA can be applied through their local application, available on the App Store or Google Playstore (App Name: AustralianETA). From there, you can apply for your ETA. I managed to get my ETA approved in under an hour.
  • Ensure that the flights are the FEPO flight (SINGAPORE – MELBOURNE) and VTL flight (MELBOURNE – SINGAPORE). These are the valid vaccinated flights and will qualify under the VTL travel arrangement between Australia and Singapore.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED PRIOR TO FLIGHT

Travelling to Australia, Melbourne during the pandemic meant that there was a lot of paperwork that needs to be completed. As a rule of thumb, it will be advised to print these out in hardcopy so that the relevant authorities can check them without causing many delays while ensuring a smoother travel experience.

  • Vaccination Certificates. You have to be vaccinated at least 7 days before departure to be considered vaccinated. Here is the link to check if your vaccination is accepted for travel to Australia. Note that your vaccination certificates should be notarised which can be done using this link.
  • Negative PCR test. This PCR have to be taken at MOST 72 hours before your flight. Meaning that if your flight is at 11 am on Thursday, the EARLIEST you can take the test is at 11am on Monday. The certification should include your passport number, date of birth etc. Note that your negative PCR test can be notarised via this link if your clinic do not provide that service. This test cost SGD$160.
  • Australia Travel Declaration. This PCR test have to be taken at LEAST 3 days before your flight. Meaning that if your flight is on Thursday, the LATEST you can submit this form is by MONDAY, but it is safer to be on SUNDAY. Note that you cannot submit the declaration more than 7 days before your flight. The link to this document is available here.
  • International Border Permit/ International Passenger Arrival Permit. This is a Victoria-state specific document which has to be submitted and it can be accessed via this link.
  • Victorian Quarantine Form. This form was required at the time I travelled as there was a quarantine requirement imposed. However, as of 21 December, this requirement had been lifted. According to the local government, the updated quarantine order is for the vaccinated traveller to receive a negative PCR test within 24 hours of arrival in the state.

Other Documents which are good to have in physical copies

  • ETA (for Singapore)
  • Air Tickets.
  • Travel Insurance (Coverage for the entire duration of the trip, up till you touchdown in Singapore)
  • Rental Car Booking Confirmation
  • Hotel Confirmation (for quarantine if needed and/or stay in Victoria). Do check if there are any free shuttle and whether they offer to international arrivals. The hotel I booked had free shuttle from the airport, however, they did not offer to any international arrivals that have to be on quarantine. We were also unable to get room service or housekeeping during the 3 days quarantine stay. So do check with your hotel for their quarantine requirements (if any).
  • Re-entry Permit into Singapore (for Singapore Permanent Residents). Before both our departure flights, this will be checked prior to check in of the luggages at the airport. So be sure to have it on hand.

UPON ARRIVAL TO VICTORIA

Travellers are required to take a mandatory PCR test within 24 hours of arrival in Victoria. This test is free in Melbourne as long as you go to a local governmental facility for the mandatory PCR testing from the government. Any other PCR test for international travel (E.g. Flying Back to Singapore is not considered and will be charged accordingly.) Note that there are many locations in this list that do not offer PCR testing for those international travellers who are flying from Melbourne to other countries. A list of facilities can be found in this link.

What I did on the trip: I emailed some of the facilities in advance because some of them might not accept walk-ins without Medicare cards (for their locals). Doing your research before going to the facilities is essential. I opted to head to drive-thru testing centres that use this online form for a smoother process at the testing centre. Things are also constantly changing with the situation, so I made sure to compile a few centres (at least 3), in case I cannot find it or the facilities reject walk-ins.

Tip: I’d suggest having a local Australian number if possible. The test results will be sent to the number. The staff at the centres were unfamiliar with the procedures of using a foreign number and I can’t say more about using a Singaporean number to register because we opted for the easy way out of using a local number.

As of 21 December 2021, hotel quarantine is not required as long as the travellers are fully vaccinated individuals with a negative PCR test taken 72 hours. However, after the PCR test, they have to remain isolated until they receive a negative test result.

DURING THE STAY IN VICTORIA

Travellers are required to take a mandatory PCR test between 5 to 7 days of their stay in Victoria. Again, this test is free in Melbourne as long as you go to a local governmental facility for the mandatory PCR testing from the government. Any other PCR test for international travel (E.g. Flying Back to Singapore is not considered and will be charged accordingly.) Note that there are many locations in this list that do not offer PCR testing for those international travellers who are flying from Melbourne to other countries. A list of facilities can be found in this link.

The tips are the same as the ones for arrival in Victoria which you can read above.

Similar to the “Tracetogether” App that we use in Singapore, Victoria uses the “Service Victoria” applications to check in at certain locations (e.g. restaurants). You can download the application and sign up for it using this link.

Some documents to carry around

  • Vaccination Certificate
  • Photo ID (Your passport will do)
  • Student Pass (Some places allow for student discounts even if we are foreigners)

WHAT ARE THE FLIGHTS LIKE

I flew with Singapore Airlines this trip. I was surprised by the full flight on the 16. I got an aisle seat and expected some segregation amongst the seats but there wasn’t any. Masks are mandatory for the entire duration of the flight, except during meal times. We were served only 1 meal during both 7 hours flights.

An SIA Care Kit was also provided, which includes a face mask, a bottle of sanitiser, a wet wipe that can be used to wipe down your seats and tables.

Physical menus were also not used during the flight. They’ll have to be referred via their Inflight Menus online.

ARRIVAL BACK TO SINGAPORE

  • Negative PCR test. 2 days before our flight back to Singapore, we had to do another PCR test. Unfortunately this one was not free. We made an appointment to do it at the clinic in the Tullamarine International Airport one day before the flight which eliminated so much stress on the actual day. The test cost AUD$79 each.
  • Singapore Arrival Card. This was a document that we had totally missed out. This can be filled out via this online form.
  • Re-entry Permit into Singapore (for Singapore Permanent Residents). Before both our departure flights, this will be checked prior to check in of the luggages at the airport. So be sure to have it on hand.
  • Book for PCR test for Arrival back to Singapore. This is the PCR test that will need to be taken at touchdown in Singapore after clearing customs. I booked for the test online via this link. The test cost SGD$125 each.
  • Book for Supervised ART tests. Within 24 hours, there is also a link provided via SMS for you to book your 3rd and 7th day arrival in Singapore. Day 1 is the date of arrival in Singapore.
  • ART test kits. For Day 2, 4, 5, 6, an ART self test is required to be submitted online via this link.

Note that the ART tests may not be required depending on Singapore’s current travel advisory. However, they were required when I landed in Singapore on the 27th of December 2021.

Disclaimer: Do remember to constantly check the travel advisory for your visit to Australia as they can constantly change to adapt to the ever-changing COVID-19 situation.

USEFUL REFERENCES

While it is an extensive process in travelling between Singapore and Australia that requires a lot of planning, I hope that this guide has managed to eliminate some of those concerns and help you figure out most if not all the documents that you will require on your trip. In the meantime, stay safe and have a good trip!

If you want to read more about what to do in Melbourne while I was on the trip, you can refer to this post here.

RYONA COMPAGNINO

AUTHOR

A Singaporean writer who recently graduated from university and is trying out creative work while navigating through a new chapter in her life. Her passion lies in documenting her experiences. When Ryona’s not writing, you can find her scouring the internet for all sorts of inspiration or busy exploring.

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ABOUT ME

Hey there! I’m Ryona, a writer from Singapore and the face behind RYONANNA. I enjoy learning about new things and writing about my experiences on this platform in my free time. Stick around for tips & tricks as I try out different activities so you don’t have to make the same mistakes!

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