Whether or not you need a visa to enter a particular country, whether it's a Commonwealth nation or not, and how much that visa costs, has nothing to do with the fact that Australia is a member of the Commonwealth. We love the Commonwealth Games but what else do we get out of the Commonwealth of Nations? Photo: AAPĪs the Commonwealth Games kick off on the Gold Coast, it's a good time to ask – what does being a member of the Commonwealth of Nations actually mean for Australians, particularly Australian travellers looking to visit our fellow Commonwealth countries?Īpart from cricket, tea, scones, an obligation to eat turkey at Christmas, a political system bequeathed by the British parliament and a dogged allegiance to a hereditary monarch, what benefits does our membership of the Commonwealth of Nations bestow? Does it ease our travels, give us freedom of movement when we visit our brethren in the 52 other Commonwealth countries? Lay out the red carpet when we cross the portals of Saint Lucia or Tuvalu?

What does commonwealth mean