From 7 December 2020, people who arrived from overseas to Victoria and stayed in quarantine accommodation are required to pay a quarantine contribution fee (the fee).
The fee reduces the financial burden of COVID-19 on Victorian taxpayers. The fee contributes to part of the costs for quarantine, including:
- airport arrival processing and transport
- accommodation and related services
- COVID-19 testing and healthcare
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) compliance in accordance with public health determinations and orders.
What fees apply?
Fees for 14 or more days of quarantine
Overseas travellers that were in quarantine accommodation for 14 or more days need to pay:
- $3000 for one adult.
- $1000 for each additional adult in the same room or apartment.
- $500 for each child aged between 3 and 18 years.
No fee is charged for children aged under 3 years.
Fee calculation examples:
- A group or family of 3 adults sharing a room or apartment for 14 or more days will be charged a fee of $5000.
- A group or family of 2 adults and 3 children between age 3 and 18 years sharing a room or apartment for 14 or more days will be charged a fee of $5500.
Fees for less than 14 days of quarantine
Overseas travellers that were in a quarantine facility for less than 14 days will be charged a daily pro-rata fee based on the maximum fee of $3000.
Fee calculation examples:
- A single adult who was in quarantine for 3 days will be charged a fee of $642.86.
- A group or family of one adult and one child aged under 3 years sharing a room or apartment for 7 days will be charged a fee of $1500.
People exempt from paying a fee
People that were already in Victoria who voluntarily entered quarantine accommodation do not have to pay a fee.
This includes, but is not limited to, people who were:
- carers of people with a disability in quarantine
- parents or guardians of unaccompanied children aged under 18 years in quarantine.
Paying your fee
The amount you need to pay is listed on your invoice.
Payments can be made:
- using our secure Quarantine Contribution Fee Customer Portal
- over the phone by calling +61 1800 55 1234
Payment options include:
- credit card or debit card
- direct debit
- BPAY.
You may be eligible to apply for a:
- payment plan
- fee reduction or fee waiver.
I have not received an invoice
You can view your invoice on the Quarantine Contribution Fee Customer Portal (the Portal).
If you are required to pay a fee, you will have received instructions on how to register and sign in to the Portal.
The instructions are sent to the contact details you provided when you left quarantine. If you have changed your address or contact details since you left quarantine, please contact us.
If you think you are required to pay a fee but have not received instructions on how to access the Portal, please contact us.
Fee reductions and fee waivers
Who can apply for a fee reduction or fee waiver
You can apply to pay less of your fee or not pay at all if you can provide the necessary documents to show that you:
- purchased a plane ticket to Australia before 10 July 2020
- are a refugee within the meaning of the 5H of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth)
- are a concession card holder as defined in the State Concessions Act 2004 (Vic)
- receive Centrelink income support payments
- are a family violence survivor
- are experiencing financial hardship and do not have enough money to pay
- have acute health issues
- qualify on compassionate grounds due to exceptional circumstances.
How to apply for a fee reduction or fee waiver
- Register and sign in to the Quarantine Contribution Fee Customer Portal.
- Start an application by choosing 'Apply to reduce fees'.
Applications must be submitted in the Portal within 30 days of your invoice date.
Your application must include:
- the reason you are for applying for a fee reduction or fee waiver
- the necessary documents as evidence.
Evidence can be:
- official copies of financial statements
- letters or emails from the government, social service providers or medical professionals
- or statutory declarations (find out how to make a statutory declaration(opens in a new window)).
Example of evidence
If you are experiencing financial hardship, evidence you can provide could be:
- all your income statements from the last 3 months
- all your bank statements with transaction history from the last 3 months. Provide statements from all your bank accounts if you have more than one.
- overdue bills
- documents showing your current debts (not including home loans, car loans or money borrowed from family)
- documents showing your share investments and income received through dividends
- income and expenditure documentation submitted by a financial counsellor.
We will review your application for a fee reduction or fee waiver based on:
- the documents and evidence you provide us
- your personal situation.
If required, we may ask you to provide more evidence when we are reviewing your application.
Late applications
Applications submitted after 30 days from your invoice date will only be considered under exceptional circumstances. For example, if there has been a significant change in your situation that now allow you make an application.
Payment plans
A payment plan gives you more time to pay your fee.
Australian citizens and permanent residents
If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you can request a payment plan for any reason.
If you have already been approved for a payment plan, depending on your situation, we may not approve you for new payment plan. For example, if you have a history of missing or not making payments on your account, you might not be approved for a new payment plan.
Non-Australian citizens and non-permanent residents
If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you can apply for a payment plan if you are experiencing financial or other hardship.
Your application must include:
- a summary of the financial or other hardship you are experiencing.
- evidence of your hardship.
Evidence can be:
- recent income statements, bank statements, debt notices or statements of expenses
- records of government concessions or other welfare support payments
- assessments of your health by medical or other health professionals.
How to apply for a payment plan
You can apply for a payment plan by:
- using the Quarantine Contribution Fee Customer Portal
- calling +61 1800 55 1234
- or sending an email to enquiries@cqvpayments.coronavirus.vic.gov.au.
Financial assistance services
There are free tools and services available to help you manage your money.
Financial counselling
A financial counsellor can help you apply for a fee reduction, fee waiver or payment plan.
To speak to a financial counsellor you can:
- find a free financial counsellor near you
- call the free National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.
Free tools and information to help you manage your money
Visit the Australian Government Moneysmart website and National Debt Helpline website for tools to help you manage your money, including:
- budget planners
- financial calculators
- sample letters to help explain your hardship
- step-by-step money management guides.
How we communicate with you
Quarantine Contribution Fee Customer Portal
We will send invoices, messages and emails to you via the Quarantine Contribution Fee Customer Portal (the Portal).
Register and sign in to the Portal to:
- view your invoice
- make payments
- update your contact details
- send messages to us
- apply for fee reductions, waivers or payment plans.
Instructions on how to register for the Portal have been sent to the contact details you provided when you left quarantine.
If you have not received these instructions, please email enquires@cqvpayments.coronavirus.vic.gov.au.
Email and SMS text messages
We will send you emails or SMS text messages to let you know when there are new messages for you to view on the Quarantine Contribution Fee Customer Portal.
Unsafe and unwanted messages you may receive
All emails from us will come from an email address that ends with vic.gov.au.
All websites we ask you to visit will also end with vic.gov.au.
We do not ask other companies to contact you about your quarantine contribution fees.
We do not contact you directly to offer discounts on your fees.
Emails, letters and other messages are likely to be unsafe if:
- it is sent from an email address not ending with vic.gov.au
- it asks you to visit a website that does not end with vic.gov.au
- it offers you a discount on your fee
- is claiming to be from an organisation that is not the Victorian Government.
If you think you have received an unsafe message, do not respond or provide your personal and payment details. You should let us know by emailing enquiries@cqvpayments.coronavirus.vic.gov.au or calling +61 1800 55 1234.
You can also report potential scams to the Australian Government by visiting the Scamwatch website.
Laws regarding quarantine fees in Victoria
The requirements for payment of the quarantine contribution fee and provisions are set out under Part 14 of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic) and Public Health and Wellbeing (Quarantine Fees) Regulations 2020.
COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria (CQV), a former administrative office of the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) was responsible for administration of quarantine contribution fee provisions.
On 31 March 2023, the responsibility was transferred to DJCS.
How we manage your personal information
To administer the quarantine contribution fees, we are required to collect information about you.
For information on how we protect your information, please refer to the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) information privacy policy.
If you would like to know what information DJCS has collected about you, you can make a Freedom of Information request.
Contact us
If you have any further questions about the quarantine contribution fee, you can contact us by:
- sending an email to enquiries@cqvpayments.coronavirus.vic.gov.au
- calling +61 1800 55 1234.
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