DFAT’s Smartraveller portal issued an updated advisory late on 7 July requiring all passengers entering or leaving Sierra Leone to complete an online health-declaration form and be prepared for screening on arrival. The change follows a spike in Lassa-fever cases and coincides with tightened yellow-fever checks across West Africa. Australians must upload proof of vaccination and contact details to the Sierra Leone Health-Travel Portal before boarding.
![Health-declaration now mandatory for travel to Sierra Leone, DFAT warns Australians]()
For travellers who want help navigating these new formalities, VisaHQ’s Australian platform can streamline submission of the health-declaration, validate vaccination certificates and keep users informed about any forthcoming e-visa requirements—saving time at check-in and preventing last-minute surprises.
Airlines have indicated that passengers without a barcode confirmation will be denied check-in. The Australian High Commission in Accra cautions that it has “very limited” ability to assist travellers who are refused entry. Corporate travel managers sending staff to mining and infrastructure sites around Freetown should update pre-departure checklists immediately and verify that medevac insurance covers evacuation from a Level-2 (‘exercise a high degree of caution’) destination. Arrival processing is reportedly taking up to two hours as officials conduct temperature scans and spot-checks of vaccination cards. Sierra Leone joins Ghana and Nigeria in rolling out digital health declarations, signalling a regional pivot toward tech-enabled border controls that may extend to e-visas later this year.
For travellers who want help navigating these new formalities, VisaHQ’s Australian platform can streamline submission of the health-declaration, validate vaccination certificates and keep users informed about any forthcoming e-visa requirements—saving time at check-in and preventing last-minute surprises.
Airlines have indicated that passengers without a barcode confirmation will be denied check-in. The Australian High Commission in Accra cautions that it has “very limited” ability to assist travellers who are refused entry. Corporate travel managers sending staff to mining and infrastructure sites around Freetown should update pre-departure checklists immediately and verify that medevac insurance covers evacuation from a Level-2 (‘exercise a high degree of caution’) destination. Arrival processing is reportedly taking up to two hours as officials conduct temperature scans and spot-checks of vaccination cards. Sierra Leone joins Ghana and Nigeria in rolling out digital health declarations, signalling a regional pivot toward tech-enabled border controls that may extend to e-visas later this year.
