If covid (or rather the trigger-friendly bureaucrats) took a massive dump on your New Zealand holiday plans, don’t worry; you’re not alone! The bubble has been suspended until July 7th, with the exception of NSW, QLD, NT, and WA, which will be reviewed next Tuesday (July 6th).
Once travel kicks off again, there will be a new rule: covid testing for travel.
Like many countries worldwide, New Zealand now requires a negative PCR or RT-PCR test before you are allowed to board a flight, including flights coming from Australia.
Note: Rapid Antigen tests are much cheaper and faster, but they are NOT accepted for travel to New Zealand.
The test will need to be done no earlier than 72 hours before your scheduled departure. Going with the whole fam? No kids aren’t exempt unless they are under 2 years old. For example, A family of 4 will be up for an extra $600 or so dollaridoos before they even hit the ski slopes in NZ!
Upon arrival in New Zealand, customs will check your certificate to verify you are indeed not bringing in the plague.
In this post:
- What happens if my flight is delayed?
- How To Get A Covid Test For Travel
- Cheapest Coivd Testing?
- NSW Covid Travel Testing:
- VIC Covid Travel Testing:
- QLD Covid Testing For Travel:
- WA Covid Testing For Travel:
- SA Covid Testing For Travel:
- NT Covid Testing For Travel:
- TAS Covid Testing For Travel:
- ACT Covid Testing For Travel:
What happens if my flight is delayed?
If your flight is delayed, the validity of your certificate will be extended to 96 hours.
How To Get A Covid Test For Travel
Since this whole thing is new for most of us, the natural question is: where, how, and how much?
If you’re thinking about going in for a free test in one of the many drive-through clinics, you’re out of luck. Since those tests don’t provide you with a certificate, you will need to book in a private test and pay top dollar for the privilege.
The going rate for many clinics is between $100 – $150, so we looked around and got the details for all Australian states. Based on my research, test results take 24h to come back. I’ve listed the clinics online, which I found had an easy order process. There are a few more out there who didn’t have transparent pricing or booking systems, so this list isn’t all-inclusive.
Cheapest Coivd Testing?
While Histo Path is the cheapest, this only works for those in Sydney (since it’s available at the airport), for other states we’ve partnered with Healius who are offering Flight Hacks readers a $20 discount (and they have locations all around Australia) when you book your test via https://consumer.healius.com.au/ and enter promo code “flthacks” at the checkout. This brings the price down from $150 to $130! Full disclaimer: Flight Hacks receives a small commission when you book a test using our discount code; win-win!
NSW Covid Travel Testing:
- Healius https://consumer.healius.com.au/ Price: $150 or $210 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology (+$100 for same day results) [ use code “flthacks” for a $20 discount]
- 4Cyte Pathology: https://www.4cyte.com.au/Travel_Covid.php Price: $120 or $180 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
- Clinical Labs: https://www.clinicallabs.com.au/about-us/doctor-media-releases/novel-coronavirus-nsw/ Price: $150 or $200 for PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
- Sonic Health: https://cap-travel.smarthealth.me/ Price: $145 or $195 for PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
- Histo Path: https://www.histopath.com.au/traveltesting/ $100 or $150 for 1 hour turnaround or $120 PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology for 1 hour turnaround the price is $170
VIC Covid Travel Testing:
- Healius https://consumer.healius.com.au/ Price: $150 or $210 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology (+$100 for same day results) [ use code “flthacks” for a $20 discount]
- Clinical Labs: https://store.clinicallabs.com.au/store/covid-19-tests Price: $150 or $200 for PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
- SafeWork: https://safeworklaboratories.com.au/services/covid-19-pcr-test-travel/ Price: $150
- 4Cyte Pathology: https://www.4cyte.com.au/Travel_Covid.php Price: $120 or $180 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
- Medical Hub @ MRIT https://www.medicalhubrmit.com.au/services/covid-19-testing/ Price: $160 for RTPCR + $40 on weekends.
QLD Covid Testing For Travel:
- Healius https://consumer.healius.com.au/ Price: $150 or $210 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology (+$100 for same day results) [ use code “flthacks” for a $20 discount]
- 4Cyte Pathology: https://www.4cyte.com.au/Travel_Covid.php Price: $120 or $180 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
- Clinical Labs: https://store.clinicallabs.com.au/store/covid-19-tests Price: $150 or $200 for PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
- SafeWork: https://safeworklaboratories.com.au/services/covid-19-pcr-test-travel/ Price: $150
WA Covid Testing For Travel:
- Healius https://consumer.healius.com.au/ Price: $150 or $210 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology (+$100 for same day results) [ use code “flthacks” for a $20 discount]
- Clinical Labs: https://store.clinicallabs.com.au/store/covid-19-tests Price: $150 or $200 for PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
- SafeWork: https://safeworklaboratories.com.au/services/covid-19-pcr-test-travel/ Price: $150
SA Covid Testing For Travel:
- Healius https://consumer.healius.com.au/ Price: $150 or $210 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology (+$100 for same day results) [ use code “flthacks” for a $20 discount]
- Clinical Labs: https://store.clinicallabs.com.au/store/covid-19-tests Price: $150 or $200 for PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
NT Covid Testing For Travel:
- Healius https://consumer.healius.com.au/ Price: $150 or $210 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology (+$100 for same day results) [ use code “flthacks” for a $20 discount]
- Clinical Labs: https://store.clinicallabs.com.au/store/covid-19-tests Price: $150 or $200 for PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
TAS Covid Testing For Travel:
- Healius https://consumer.healius.com.au/ Price: $150 or $210 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology (+$100 for same day results) [ use code “flthacks” for a $20 discount]
ACT Covid Testing For Travel:
- Healius https://consumer.healius.com.au/ Price: $150 or $210 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology (+$100 for same day results) [ use code “flthacks” for a $20 discount]
- Sonic Health: https://cap-travel.smarthealth.me/ Price: $145 or $195 for PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
- 4Cyte Pathology: https://www.4cyte.com.au/Travel_Covid.php Price: $120 or $180 for a PCR + SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) IgM Serology
Thanks for summarising – very helpful. My brother used the Healius option and it worked well. C
Good to hear Chris! I usually have a VPN on so I think their site was blocking me, however, it’s working now. Cheers, Immanuel.
Hi Immanuel. You’ve confused me a little. Why does each pathology have two prices? (eg $150 or $ 210 with Jealous). I’m asking as I need to pass this onto a large group and they’ll no doubt ask! 🙂
Hi Paul, the higher prices are if you want to include an antibody test (to see if you had covid in the past). It’s not required for NZ but countries such as China require this in addition to PCR. Cheers, Immanuel.
Histopath is now available at Melbourne airport with 1hr turnaround for $150…Any testimonials for these guys at all?
Personally, I would do the test in advance because leaving it until last minute could be stressful. No doubt they do a good job. Just go with the cheapest option and you will be fine.