Australian Convention Travel Document

The front cover of an Australian biometric Convention Travel Document

Type| Refugee travel document
Issued by|  Australia
Purpose| International travel document for refugees
Eligibility| refugees reside in Australia
Expiration| 2 years (for holders of permanent protection visa)
2 years (for holders of temporary protection visa)
The bio-data page of an Australian CTD issued to a Chinese refugee.

An Australian Convention Travel Document (CTD) is a biometric refugee travel document issued for international travel purpose by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to individuals recognised as refugees residing in Australia under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.[1] The CTD enables the holder to leave Australia, to travel outside Australia (with limitations) and to re-enter Australia. However, as a CTD is not a regular national passport, some problems may be encountered by the holder from time to time, at time due to non-familiarity of airline staff.[2][3][4]

## Eligibility

[edit]

A holder of a permanent or temporary protection visa residing in Australia can apply for a CTD if he or she can demonstrate refugee status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.[1]

## Use

[edit]

Most countries accept Australian CTDs for visa issuance purposes, with the following exceptions:

As of 13 January 2016, Indonesia did not accept all non-passport documents including CTD for visa application.[5]

Qatar does not accept Travel documents as of 15 May 2025

It is also reported that Taiwan did not accept Chinese nationals holding Australian CTD to apply for Taiwanese visa.[6]

### Visa-free access or Visa-on-arrival

[edit]

Since Australian CTD is not a regular national passport, most countries and territories require visas prior to arrival.

The following countries and territories provide visa-free access or visa on arrival:

#### Asia

[edit]

Countries and territories  | Entry rights  | Notes

|
|

Macau | Visa on arrival  | 30 days maximum,[7] visa issued upon arrival for MOP100[8]

#### Europe

[edit]

Countries and territories  | Entry rights  | Notes

|
|

Germany | Visa not required  | 90 days Schengen (require CTD valid for at least 4 months)[9][10]
Hungary | Visa not required  | 90 days[11][12][10]
Slovakia | Visa not required  | [10]
Slovenia | Visa not required  | [10]

#### Oceania

[edit]

Countries and territories  | Entry rights  | Notes

|
|

New Zealand | Freedom of movement  | For holders of Australian permanent visas only (according to Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement)

## See also

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* Australian Certificate of Identity
* Travel document

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "Travel related documents". Australian Passport Office.
2. ^ Questions over refugee holiday process after Syrian family blocked after leaving Australia
3. ^ Thailand Should Return Football Player Refugee To Australia, Not Bahrain
4. ^ "Ryanair apologizes for preventing refugee from boarding flight". Archived from the original on 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
5. ^ "Tourist Visa". KONSULAT JENDERAL REPUBLIK INDONESIA UNTUK NEW SOUTH WALES, QUEENSLAND, DAN SOUTH AUSTRALIA BERKEDUDUKAN DI SYDNEY. 13 January 2016. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
6. ^ "中國政治難民來台遭拒 致信小英盼解決". 自由時報 (in Chinese). 17 July 2016.
7. ^ "Entry and Exit of Non-residents - Limit of Stay Granted upon Arrival". Public Security Police Force (Macao).
8. ^ "Passports and Visas". Macao Government Tourism Office.
9. ^ "Short-term (Schengen) visas - for up to 90 days". German Missions in Australia. Archived from the original on 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
10. ^ a b c d "8. Réfugiés et apatrides". Service public fédéral Intérieur (in French).
11. ^ "Countries that do not need a visa". Consular Services (Hungary).
12. ^ "Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001". EUR-Lex. 15 March 2001.

* v
* t
* e

Australian travel documents

* Passport
* Document of Identity
* Certificate of Identity
* Convention Travel Document

* v
* t
* e

Non-citizen travel documents

Certificate of identity|

| Americas|

* Canada
* United States

|

Asia|

* Brunei
* Hong Kong (formerly: Hong Kong Certificate of Identity)
* India
* Indonesia (SPLP)
* Japan
* Macau
* Malaysia
* Singapore

Europe|

* Estonia
* Latvia
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

Refugees|

| Asia|

* Japan

|

Europe|

* Estonia
* Russia
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

1954 Convention travel document

* v
* t
* e

Australian Identity Documents

Federal Government|

* Passport
* Citizenship certificate
* Certificate of Identity
* Document of Identity
* Convention Travel Document
* Medicare card
* Australia Card (never implemented)

State and Territory Governments|

* Birth certificate
* AusPost Keypass ID
* Seniors card
* Photo card
* Drivers licence
* Marriage certificate
* Change of name certificate
* Recognised details or identity acknowledgment certificate

International|

* Passport

Non physical/digital|

* Digital identity in Australia
* Tax File Number
* Unique Student Identifier

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