Medicines brought from Germany must be declared upon arrival. Violators face high fines. There are strict health checks when entering and leaving the country. Anyone entering the country without the necessary vaccination certificates may be placed in quarantine. The cost of this must be covered by the airline. Health care is excellent. However, waiting times for treatments must be expected, possibly also in emergencies. It is recommended to take out travel health insurance and travel repatriation insurance. Check indexdotcom for more information.
Notes vaccinations
[1]: A vaccination certificate against yellow fever is not required for travelers directly from Europe. However, there is a mandatory vaccination against yellow fever for travelers who are over one year old and have stayed overnight or longer in an infection area designated by the WHO within six days before entry. This also applies to transit travelers with a stay of more than 12 hours. [2]: Sanitary standards are very high, however care should be taken when eating and drinking in outback areas as certain insect and plant species are highly toxic if not cooked through.
Other risks
The standard vaccinations for children and adults recommended by the Robert Koch Institute (including against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), mumps, measles, rubella, pneumococci and influenza) should be refreshed before the trip if necessary. Across the country, there is a risk of transmission of Lyme disease from ticks, especially in grass, shrubs and undergrowth. Protection is offered by skin-covering clothes and insect repellents. Rainfall increases from December to June, after which the number of vector mosquitoes increases in many areas. Because of this, mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever occur. There is an increased risk in northern Australia. Japanese encephalitis is only found in the Torres Islands. There is no vaccination against this viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Good mosquito repellent is therefore essential. Since 2017, infections with meningococci (meningitis) of serogroups W and Y have been increasing in the states of Northern Territory and Western Australia. Vaccination should be considered if there is close contact with the population. UV radiation is very high and can damage the skin. Sun protection through skin-covering clothing and sunscreen (SPF > 20) is therefore absolutely necessary. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B occur. A hepatitis A and B vaccination is recommended when traveling through the interior of the country with simple conditions and generally risk groups. Vaccination against hepatitis B should be given for longer stays and for children and adolescents in general. Some snakes, spiders and sea creatures pose a hazard. Bathing in public waters is not safe everywhere in Australia. Accidents involving crocodiles, sharks and dangerous jellyfish are recorded again and again. Before bathing, you should pay attention to signs on the beach and to information in the local press. The football-sized sea wasp from the box jellyfish class is one of Australia’s most dangerous marine animals. It occurs mainly from October to June on flat sandy beaches on the north Australian coast between Broome in Western Australia (NW) and Gladstone in Queensland (NE). Contact with the tentacles, which can be up to three meters long, can lead to severe cardiotoxic symptoms, including respiratory arrest and heart failure, within a few minutes.
Health certificate
Travelers staying in Australia for more than 6 months and who are nationals of an EU country, Great Britain, Switzerland, Turkey, the USA or Canada only need a health certificate under certain circumstances, for example if they are in a want to work in a medical facility.
Money
Currency
1 Australian dollar = 100 cents. Currency code: A$, AUD (ISO code). Banknotes come in denominations of A$100, 50, 20, 10 and 5, coins in denominations of A$2 and 1 and 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents.
Credit cards
Credit cards are a popular form of payment in Australia. Visa, Diners Club, Mastercard and American Express are accepted. The most common are VISA and Mastercard. American Express and Diners Club are not quite as widely accepted. Credit card acceptance may be limited in smaller towns and in the outback. Details on the website of the issuer of the relevant credit card.
ATMs
Girocard The Girocard (formerly ec card) with the Cirrus, Plus or Maestro symbol is accepted worldwide. It can be used at ATMs with the Cirrus, Plus or Maestro symbol. Australia has an extensive network of ATMs. Attention: Travelers who want to pay with their bank customer card abroad and withdraw money should find out from their bank about the possibility of using their card before starting their journey.
Travelers cheques
Traveller’s checks are no longer available in Germany and Switzerland and are hardly available in Austria. Travelers checks can be cashed at a few banks in Australia’s major cities. Some banks charge a fee for cashing travelers cheques. Travelers checks should be made out in A$ to avoid possible exchange fees in Australia.
Bank opening hours
General Mon-Thu 09.30-16.00, Fri 09.30-17.00.
Foreign exchange regulations
No restrictions. The import and export of amounts of A$ 10,000 or more must be declared.
Currency Exchange
All Australian airports have bureaux de change, which are open on arrival and departure of all flights. International hotels also exchange foreign currencies. Travelers should exchange money at airports and banks. Money should only be changed in Australia because the rate there is usually better than in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Withdrawing money from a dense network of ATMs in Australia is cheaper with an ec/Maestro card than with a credit card.
