Australia is scrapping the paper arrival card that every international passenger has filled out for decades and replacing it with a digital declaration. The $56 million project, led by the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force, will roll out across all international airports and seaports over the next 12 to 18 months.
The digital card will collect the same identity, customs, and biosecurity information as the old paper form, plus device-based identity verification. Adelaide and Perth airports will get the system by the end of this year. For now, the paper card remains in use.
The paper arrival card that passengers fill out on every flight into Australia is on its way out.
A digital replacement will let travellers submit customs, biosecurity, and identity details online before they board. Qantas has already tested the system on inbound flights to Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Authorities have not set a date for when paper cards will disappear.
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Adelaide and Perth airports will get the digital system by the end of this year. All other airlines will follow in the months after that. The new form collects the same fields as the old paper card—name, flight, biosecurity declarations, recent travel—and adds a device-based identity check.
For passengers arriving today, the green-and-white card is still in play. It just will not be for much longer.
The digital card asks for the same data, plus your device
The new system will not ask for less. It mirrors the existing Incoming Passenger Card—identity, flight details, customs and biosecurity declarations, health questions, recent travel history. What changes is how it verifies you. Device-based identity checks will link your declaration to your passport, feeding into the SmartGate lanes at major airports.
Clare O’Neil, the Minister for Home Affairs, said the government is “modernising our borders to keep Australians safe while making travel easier.” Michael Outram, the Australian Border Force commissioner, added that “better information before people arrive lets us focus attention where it is really needed.”
But the queues will not disappear overnight.
Anyone who has landed at Sydney or Melbourne in the past year knows that SmartGates do not always mean a fast queue. Traveller accounts from 2025 and 2026 describe waits of an hour or more for families, older passengers, and anyone flagged for secondary checks. A digital form filed before boarding does not widen the immigration hall.
Andrew Parker, Qantas’s chief sustainability officer and the airline’s former point person on government border talks, has watched digital pre-clearance shave minutes off processing times. “Smarter, digital border processes reduce delays and improve the experience for our customers,” he said.
The Australian Information Commissioner has insisted that agencies “must build privacy protections into new digital services from the start.” The Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles govern the new system. But the government has not yet spelled out how long arrival data will be stored, or how automated risk checks will work and be challenged.
| Aspect | Current paper system | Digital system | Effective date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declaration submission | Paper IPC completed on plane or at airport | Online pre-arrival declaration submitted before boarding | Phased rollout from 2026 |
| Identity verification | Manual passport check by officer | Device-based verification linked to passport | With digital system |
| Biosecurity declaration | Paper form with declaration questions | Digital biosecurity questionnaire integrated into declaration | Concurrent with digital card |
| Privacy governance | Privacy Act 1988 applies | Same Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles, OAIC oversight | Ongoing |
| Data sharing | Paper records transferred manually | Real-time data access for ABF and agriculture department | With implementation |
Why the digital card is about more than replacing paper
The digitisation of the passenger card is not just about convenience. It is part of a wider shift toward real-time border risk checks.
The Biosecurity Act 2015 and Customs Act 1901 already govern what travellers declare. The digital system adds a new layer: data that can be analysed before a plane lands. Airlines, immigration, and biosecurity agencies can share passenger profiles, tightening control over who enters and how fast they move.
If the Home Affairs department keeps to its timeline, a formal announcement confirming the mandatory digital-only switch could come within 12 to 18 months. Airlines and airports would then need full integration. Travellers would have to pre-declare online. Until then, expect hybrid periods with paper backups, especially at smaller ports.
The paper card is still here. The digital one is coming. The real test will be at the arrivals hall, not in the press release.
Beyond the headline
The Bigger Picture
Australia’s move to digitise arrival cards is part of a wider shift toward pre-arrival data collection and risk-scoring that is reshaping global travel. Rather than just replacing paper forms, governments are building layered information systems where airlines, immigration, customs, and biosecurity share passenger profiles, tightening control over mobility while normalising continuous data capture at borders.
The Reach
For Western carriers flying into Australia, the new system means their check-in and booking platforms must synchronise with government declaration services, turning border compliance into a technical integration challenge. This could influence which airlines expand capacity, as those with more agile IT infrastructure can adapt faster, potentially gaining an operational edge on routes where pre-arrival clearance speeds up ground turnaround.
What Isn’t Being Said
Official framing highlights convenience and security but says little about how long detailed arrival data will be stored, how often it is matched against other national databases, or what rights travellers have to challenge automated risk assessments. Including these elements changes the story from a simple digital upgrade to a debate about surveillance boundaries, algorithmic transparency, and who controls the narrative around cross-border movement.
The arrivals hall, not the press release, will tell the story
With the digital arrival card phasing in across Australian airports over the next 18 months, different types of travellers face different decisions.
- Western tourist planning travel to Australia
You will eventually submit your customs and biosecurity declarations online before boarding. For now, check your visa type on the Department of Home Affairs website—an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or eVisitor is likely what you need. Also review the Australian Border Force biosecurity guidance so you know what not to pack. Completing the digital card correctly before you fly will avoid delays at the airport.
- Airline operations manager with Australian routes
Your check-in and booking systems will need to integrate with the Department of Home Affairs digital declaration platform. Start the compliance process early with your IT and ground operations teams. Airlines that move fast could gain an edge in ground turnaround times, particularly on high-volume routes into Sydney and Melbourne where every minute at immigration counts.
- Western expat or long-term resident in Australia
You will use this system every time you re-enter Australia. Familiarise yourself with the digital declaration process once it launches, and keep your travel documents and device ready before flights. Also pay attention to what data is being collected and how long it is kept—the Privacy Act gives you the right to access and correct your information.
- Privacy advocate or civil liberties researcher focused on border tech
Scrutinise the Department of Home Affairs’ privacy impact assessment for the digital arrival card when it is published. Focus on data-retention periods, algorithmic risk-scoring, and transparency mechanisms for challenging automated decisions. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner will oversee compliance, but the law’s practical enforcement on algorithmic bias remains untested in this context.
FAQ
Will paper cards still be available during the transition?
During the 12–18 month rollout, Australian authorities will keep paper Incoming Passenger Cards as a backup. Travellers without smartphones, with limited connectivity, or facing app failures can ask for a paper form at manual desks. Expect longer queues if you do.
How will families and groups submit their declarations?
It is not yet clear how families and groups will submit declarations under the digital system. The Australian government has not yet confirmed whether one adult can submit declarations for accompanying minor children, or whether separate logins will be required for each adult. Families should confirm the process closer to departure.
What happens if the digital system goes down?
The Australian Border Force is expected to have contingency plans for system outages, though specific procedures have not been publicly detailed. Typically, border agencies revert to manual processing during IT failures, but travellers should check official Department of Home Affairs guidance for the most current information on how outages will be managed.
Explainer
- SmartGate
- Australia’s automated border processing system that uses facial recognition and ePassport chip data to clear eligible travellers through immigration. Introduced in 2007, SmartGates are available to citizens from over 60 countries, including the US, UK, and most EU nations. The digital arrival card system will likely integrate with SmartGate data to streamline identity verification further.
- Privacy Act 1988
- Australia’s principal privacy law, governing the handling of personal information by most federal government agencies and many private sector organisations. It includes the Australian Privacy Principles, which set standards for collection, use, storage, and disclosure of personal data. The Act is enforced by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, which can investigate complaints and seek civil penalties for serious breaches.
- Biosecurity Act 2015
- Australia’s main legislation for managing risks to human, animal, and plant health at the border. It replaced the Quarantine Act 1908 and gives biosecurity officers powers to screen, detain, and treat goods and passengers arriving in Australia. Under the digital card system, travellers will still make biosecurity declarations online, with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry responsible for enforcement.
- A digital visa waiver for short-term tourism and business visits to Australia, available to passport holders from selected countries including the US, Canada, and many Asian and European nations. It is applied for online, usually approved within minutes, and allows multiple entries for up to three months per visit over a 12-month period. The ETA is linked electronically to the passport and must be obtained before travel.
- eVisitor
- A free, online visa for short-term travel to Australia, available to passport holders from the European Union and a few other European countries. Like the ETA, it is electronically linked to the passport and allows stays of up to three months per visit. Introduced in 2008, it was designed to facilitate tourism and business links with Europe.
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