Facilitation services are available for eligible foreign visitors arriving or departing on international commercial flights at the following Australian airports: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
Facilitation is not provided for domestic arrivals or departures. Embassy and/or consulate officials can receive or farewell visitors at the arrival or departure gate, after clearing security screening.
Chapter 14 eligible senior foreign visitors are met on arrival by an Australian Border Force (ABF) official and escorted to head of queue priority processing. For international departure, once the eligible senior foreign visitor is checked in for their flight the ABF official can be contacted to escort to head of queue priority processing exiting Australia.
Chapter 14 facilitation is not provided for domestic arrivals or departures. Embassy and/or consulate officials can receive or farewell visitors at the arrival or departure gate, after clearing security screening. Refer below to 14.3 for more information.
Please see Chapter 15 for airport facilitation for visiting head of state, head of government, foreign ministers and Guest of Government visits.
Airport facilitation for persons arriving or departing on private, chartered or State aircraft is arranged by the aircraft's ground handling agents in Australia.
14.1 Who is eligible?
The following persons are eligible for airport facilitation.
Senior Foreign Visitors
See chapter 15 for:
- head of state and accompanying spouse and children
- head of national government and accompanying spouse and children
- foreign minister and accompanying spouse and children
- Guest of the Australian Government
Continue reading chapter 14 for:
- deputy head of state
- deputy head of national government
- parliamentary presiding officers – Speaker or President of a House of Parliament or equivalent (official visit)
- former head of state
- former head of national government
- minister of national government (official visit)
- state or province governor or premier (official visit)
- chief justice of highest national court (official visit)
- central bank governor (official visit)
- head of UN agency or equivalent (official visit)
- guest of the Australian Parliament (email request to Parliamentary Relations Office of the Parliament of Australia at ipro@aph.gov.au)
- head of Canberra-based diplomatic mission on first arrival and final departure (official visit)
- non-resident head of diplomatic mission on arrival and departure for credentials presentation (official visit).
14.2 How to apply
Airport facilitation for persons arriving or departing on private, chartered or State aircraft is arranged by the aircraft's ground handling agents in Australia.
For passengers arriving or departing on commercial flights, an application for airport facilitation must be submitted at least five working days before the visitor's arrival in Australia by completing the Airport Facilitation Request webform. Protocol Branch can’t guarantee facilitation for requests less than five working days.
14.3 How does airport facilitation work?
14.3.1 International arrival
An Australian Border Force (ABF) officer accompanied by one diplomatic/consular representative will meet the visitor at the arrival gate. The visitor will be escorted to the international arrival point for priority entry processing, unless the mission has booked a VIP room where the visitor can be taken while entry formalities are completed. Delegation members accompanying the visitor will generally not receive facilitation, although reasonable efforts will be made to keep the travelling party together during arrival processing.
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry officers at the airport will be informed in advance of the visitor's arrival so that mandatory biosecurity procedures can be handled appropriately.
Regrettably, Protocol Branch cannot organise access for greeting representatives at Perth Airport. Diplomatic/consular representatives should contact the relevant airline to seek their assistance.
14.3.2. International departure
An ABF officer accompanied by one diplomatic/consular representative will escort the visitor to the passport control point for priority processing.
Regrettably, Protocol Branch cannot organise access for farewelling representatives at Perth Airport. Diplomatic/consular representatives should contact the relevant airline to seek their assistance.
After passport processing, the ABF officer will escort the visitor and the diplomatic/consular representative through security screening to an airline lounge or the departure area. The ABF officer will then return the diplomatic/consular representative to the public area of the airport.
14.3.3 Transfer from/to international/domestic arrival/departure
For a transfer from an international to a connecting domestic flight, or vice versa, the diplomatic/consular representative should escort the visitor from one terminal to another (ABF will not be involved). This is particularly important at Sydney and Brisbane airports, where international and domestic terminals are physically separate. Missions are responsible for organising transport between terminals.
14.3.4 Airport VIP rooms
Airport facilitation does not include access to airport VIP rooms. Embassies and consulates need to book these directly with airports.
VIP rooms are for international arrival only, fees may apply and it is at diplomatic/consular mission's own cost. VIP rooms are not available at Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin and Hobart airports.
| VIP Room Booking | |
|---|---|
| International terminal, Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport |
ops@syd.com.au Web: VIP rooms (sydneyairport.com.au) |
| International terminal, Melbourne Tullamarine Airport |
Monday to Friday during business hours: After hours and on weekends (for urgent requests that cannot wait until business hours): IOCManagers@melair.com.au |
| International terminal, Brisbane Airport |
itb.reception@bne.com.au |
| International terminal, Perth Airport |
vipfacilitation@perthairport.com.au |
| International terminal, Gold Coast Airport |
dutymanager@gcal.com.au |
| International terminal, Cairns Airport |
duty.manager@cairnsairport.com.au |
14.4 International arrival and departure processes
Senior foreign visitors for whom airport facilitation is provided are still required to comply with aviation security screening and immigration, customs and quarantine requirements.
14.4.1 Aviation security screening
Australia's obligations under international and domestic law to protect senior foreign visitors from harassment or impairment of dignity do not displace its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of airports and airline passengers.
Under Australian legislation, Australian airports are required to implement strict security screening procedures in the interests of public safety. These procedures apply to all airline passengers and others entering airport secure zones.
While every effort is made to undertake security screening courteously and respectfully, a certain level of intrusion is unavoidable in complying with these legal requirements. All baggage and personal effects are subjected to X-ray screening to ensure weapons and other prohibited items do not enter airport secure zones or an aircraft cabin.
Screening of the person involves walking through a door frame metal detector. If an alarm sounds, the person must undergo further screening, which can include the re-screening of personal items, the use of a hand-held metal detector or a physical pat-down by a screening officer of the same gender. Private screening – away from public scrutiny – is normally available for a pat-down.
Airline passengers and others may be randomly selected at security and international departure points to undergo additional screening via body scanning equipment. Under the relevant regulations, selection must not be based on a person's gender, ethnicity or employment.
Airline passengers and others may also be randomly selected to undergo explosive trace detection (ETD) screening.
14.4.2 Visa requirements
All foreign visitors must hold a valid visa to enter Australia. They must also complete an Incoming Passenger Card. Missions should contact the Department of Home Affairs for any visa queries.
14.4.3 Customs and biosecurity requirements
Senior foreign visitors are not exempt from Australian biosecurity requirements including import prohibitions. They will be required to undergo biosecurity screening if:
- they answer 'yes' to any of the questions on the Incoming Passenger Card; or
- they declare on arrival that they are carrying quarantinable items; or
- a Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry officer has serious concerns that they are carrying biosecurity items.
For further information, go to:
- Travelling to Australia
- Going through the border – includes arrival and departure policies, what can/not be taken on board an aircraft and how to clear belongings
- Bringing items into Australia – includes information about the items that can/not be brought into Australia.
- The website of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, which is responsible for biosecurity matters
14.4.4 Health issues
If a foreign visitor indicates on their Incoming Passenger Card that they have been in Africa, South or Central America or the Caribbean during the preceding six days, they will be asked whether they have been in a yellow fever endemic country during that period. If they answer 'yes', they will be asked to present an International Certificate of Yellow Fever Vaccination. If they are unable to present a valid certificate, they will still be permitted to enter Australia (they will be given a Yellow Fever Action Card providing instructions on what they should do if they develop symptoms of yellow fever).
For further information, refer to the Department of Health's Yellow fever - general fact sheet.
If a foreign visitor shows symptoms of an infectious disease while travelling to Australia, the Biosecurity Act 2015 requires that the Captain/Master of the vessel report this before arrival in Australia. A Biosecurity Officer may board the ship or aircraft to assess the ill person and facilitate medical assistance if required. Increased health screening may be introduced during the very rare event of a public health emergency.
14.5 Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC)
Missions and embassy staff may apply for a white Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC) pass that will assist them with escorted access to restricted areas of airports for business needs. Embassy and consulate staff are not permitted unescorted access to restricted areas of Australian airports. The ASIC pass can be used at any airport indicated on the application form. ASIC pass holders still require Protocol Branch approval to attend airport facilitations and should not approach Australian Border Force unless that approval has been provided.
The ASIC pass is a form of identification issued to individuals who need escorted access secure areas of an airport for more than 28 days per calendar year. The ASIC is issued by authorised bodies in Australia and not by an Australian Government agency. The list of authorised bodies can be found here. Applications involve a fee that is to be paid by missions to the authorised body.
If a member of the mission does not need access to an airport for more than 28 days per calendar year, single use visitor passes for airport facilitations can be organised by Protocol Branch.
ASIC passes are not required for public areas of airports including arrivals and departure areas of domestic airports.
14.6 Accompanying security personnel
If a visitor for whom facilitation is provided is accompanied by security personnel, please read the information provided in chapter 15.6.
14.7 Accompanying media - equipment
If a visitor for whom facilitation is provided is accompanied by media representatives, please read the information provided in chapter 15.7.
14.8 Key contacts
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – Protocol Branch: protocol.branch@dfat.gov.au (emergency out-of-hours: +61 418 167 127)
- Australian Federal Police : +61 2 5126 0000
- Department of Home Affairs: 131 881 or +61 2 6196 0196 (from outside Australia)
- Australian Border Force: 131 881 or +61 2 6196 0196 (from outside Australia)
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry: 1800 900 090 or +61 3 8318 6700 (from outside Australia); National office: +61 2 6272 3933