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Gaza Djokovic: Entering Australia? Hard but hot – motorsport

My Swedish colleague Sven, who spent the weekend with me at the same hotel in Melbourne for the weekend, said during breakfast: “I’m lucky again. I’m not allowed to enter.”

Oh, what happened? Sven (his teammate Stephen Johansson, a former F1 driver) who came with the IndyCar series in addition to Formula 1, openly stated: Last October, when he reported from the Gold Coast Indie 300 from Surfers Paradise, he had a ticket. Get the wrong parking. And disposed of in a nearby trash can. When he was about to enter Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport five months later, the officer looked at him and smiled: “Mr. P. A $ 50 ticket is still open. Do you want to settle immediately or fly to Stockholm?”

Sven was allowed to pay even without interest.

That’s not to say Australians don’t have a comprehensive memory. Or only the computers of immigration officials.

A form with 15 pages


For many years, journalists coming to Australia for their work needed a “temporary work visa” and the media a “subsection 400”. This applies for three months from the first registration for multiple entries. Novak Djokovic should have applied for such a visa (or his administration, perhaps he did not care – a guess).

The application can be made online and submitted at a good time a few weeks before your scheduled entry.

It takes about an hour to 90 minutes to fill about 15 pages with multiple subgroups – if you are already in the habit of doing it. Also have all kinds of documents ready.

A visa, no problem – no visa, no problem

With my 20+ entries for the F1 Grand Prix, it always worked without any problems. Except 2019. The application, which should be sent to the nearest Australian consulate, should no longer go to Vienna (storage?) But to Berlin. But something is not working there – you do not feel responsible, you know nothing, you do not notice it? However, six weeks after my application was submitted, it was not considered.

In the meantime I was at the airport in Hong Kong on needles and needles. Fortunately, three hours before departure. “No visa, no boarding,” said the flight attendant who made the check-in without emotion. Fortunately, one of the Australian officers assigned to deal with these cases got there very quickly to take care of my case. Some phone calls between Canberra and Berlin and an hour before departure I was issued an electronic visa. An exciting game. But only once.

If the visa is in order, there is no problem in entering. Australians are generally friendly, including Immi officials.

This was before Kovit-19.

These days, any fun should stop.

Mr. Djokovic should know now too.

It will be interesting to see when Formula 1 makes another attempt to drive in Melbourne in April. In 2020, the Australian GB was canceled after a positive test by a McLaren employee while thousands of people were waiting outside the gates to Albert Park at 10am on Friday. In 2021 GP was completely abolished.


Text: © LAOLA1.at


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