Australia to trial digital travel passes as replacement for paper cards

Canberra, Aug 17: Australia will trial digital passenger cards to replace paper cards for arrivals to the country, the border force has announced.

Under the pilot program for the Australia Travel Declaration, passengers on Qantas flights from New Zealand to Australia later in 2024 will be able to lodge their immigration, customs and biosecurity status digitally up to 72 hours before arrival in Australia, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) said on Friday night that the system will expand to other airlines as it progresses beyond the pilot stage.

The digital system will replace the current Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) that all travellers to Australia must fill in, declaring where they will stay and what goods they have brought into the country.

The ABF said making the digital declaration up to 72 hours before arrival in Australia will allow travellers to leave prohibited goods behind.

"Digitising the Incoming Passenger Card presents opportunities to streamline processes, improve data quality, and offer a seamless experience for users," the statement said.

Once completed, passengers using the new declaration will receive an email containing a QR code that ABF officers can scan.

ABF Commissioner Michael Outram said the initiative was the result of work by the Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Group, which has brought together leaders and experts from Australia and New Zealand to solve problems and innovate.

Business group the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) in July released a report calling for the government to digitise the IPC.

It described the paper IPC as antiquated and said it was deterring visitors from returning to Australia.

The Tourism and Transport Forum Australia on Friday described the move towards a digital system as a major win for the tourism industry.