Australia is to introduce digital passenger cards across all its international airports as the country moves away from visitors having to fill out paper forms.
In an announcement on Monday (13 July), the Australian government said it would “streamline” its borders through the new digital form, known as the Australia Travel Declaration, which will be introduced in phases at all international airports and seaports over the next 12 to 18 months.
The government has already been trialling the digital form system with Australian airline Qantas since October 2024 on some inbound international flights to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, with more than 450,000 passengers taking part so far.
This trial will be extended to Qantas’ international services flying into Perth and Adelaide before the end of 2026 before the wider roll out.
Don Farrell, Australia’s minister for trade and tourism, said: “Making arrivals simpler and quicker means visitors can spend less time filling out forms and more time enjoying everything Australia has to offer.
“Making the arrival process easier is a priority for our tourism industry and the Albanese government is delivering the necessary investment to make it happen.”
In a statement, the government said that the Australia Travel Declaration will initially be accessible through a webform with plans to eventually launch “in-app capabilities”.
Australia’s move to digitise its entry process for international passengers comes as the EU has introduced its Entry-Exit System (EES) biometric initiative and the UK has already launched its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system.