Australia is replacing its decades-old paper Incoming Passenger Card with a digital Australia Travel Declaration, the Albanese government announced on 13 July 2026. The system, which has been trialled on Qantas flights into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne since October 2024 with over 450,000 passengers, will now be rolled out to all international airports and seaports over the next 12 to 18 months. The move aims to reduce paperwork, speed up entry procedures, and strengthen border security as Australia prepares for a surge in international travellers ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
What Is the Australia Travel Declaration?
The Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) is a digital replacement for the paper Incoming Passenger Card (IPC), the orange form that every person entering Australia by air or sea has been required to complete for decades. The IPC asks travellers to provide personal details, passport information, flight or vessel details, intended address in Australia, and declarations about goods such as food, plant material, animal products, medications, and large amounts of cash.
The ATD collects the same information but through an online interface. Travellers can submit their declaration up to 72 hours before departure using a webform or the Qantas mobile app, depending on the phase of rollout. The system then generates a digital pass with a unique QR code that can be stored on a mobile device or printed. On arrival, Australian Border Force officers scan this QR code, eliminating the need for handwritten forms.
The legal framework for the ATD was established through amendments to the Customs Regulation 2015 and the Migration Regulations 1994 under the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (Australia Travel Declaration and Other Matters) Regulations 2024. These amendments allow a passenger who correctly completes an ATD to be exempt from filling out the paper IPC.
Why the Change? The Problem with Paper Cards
The paper Incoming Passenger Card has been criticised by airports, tourism bodies, and travellers for decades. The form requires a pen, is often filled out in cramped airplane tray tables after a long-haul flight, and contributes to congestion in arrivals halls as passengers pause to complete it before reaching immigration counters.
Australia’s airports have long pushed for modernisation. The Australian Airports Association (AAA) described the paper system as outdated and argued that it gave the impression that Australia was falling behind on border technology. The Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) noted that many countries, including Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, and Bali, already offer digital arrival declarations, making the Australian paper card an anomaly.
The urgency of the change is also driven by rising passenger numbers. Australia’s international airports handled around 45 million international passengers in 2025, and this figure is projected to reach 86 million by 2040. Sydney Airport alone, Australia’s busiest gateway, welcomed over 12 million international passengers in FY26 and expects to handle 72 million passengers annually by 2045. The paper system cannot scale to these volumes without causing severe delays.
How the ATD Works
The Australia Travel Declaration is designed to be simple and accessible. Eligible travellers can complete the declaration online from 72 hours before their departure to Australia. The system asks for the same information as the paper IPC: personal details, passport information, flight details, intended address in Australia, and declarations regarding customs and biosecurity risk goods.
Once submitted, the ATD system generates a digital pass with a unique QR code. This pass is sent to the traveller via email and is also accessible within the app or webform interface. The QR code remains accessible even if the traveller’s mobile device is offline, which is useful after a long-haul flight.
On arrival, the traveller presents the QR code to an Australian Border Force officer, who scans it to retrieve the submitted information. The traveller can then proceed through border processing, which may also involve using SmartGates, Australia’s biometric self-service kiosks that use facial recognition technology to verify identity against the traveller’s ePassport.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Submission window | Up to 72 hours before departure |
| Access method | Webform initially, app integration planned |
| Output | Digital pass with unique QR code |
| Offline access | QR code accessible without internet |
| Fallback | Paper cards remain available during transition |
| Eligibility | All travellers once fully rolled out |
The ATD submission is voluntary. Travellers who prefer not to use the digital system, or who cannot access it, can continue using the paper IPC. The paper card will remain available at all airports and seaports during the transition period.
Timeline of the National Rollout
The digital ATD system has been in development and testing since 2024. The rollout follows a phased approach:
| Phase | Timeline | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot launch | October 2024 | Select Qantas flights into Brisbane from New Zealand |
| Expansion | 2025 | Qantas flights into Sydney and Melbourne on eligible routes |
| Next phase | By end of 2026 | Expansion to Perth and Adelaide |
| National rollout | Over 12-18 months from July 2026 | All international airports and seaports across Australia |
The government has allocated AU$56.1 million over four years for what it calls “traveller modernisation,” which covers the ATD expansion as well as upgrades to departure and cruise clearance processes. The funding is also intended to prepare Australia’s border infrastructure for the expected influx of visitors for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
During the initial nationwide phase, the ATD will be accessible through a standalone webform rather than being restricted to the Qantas app. The government plans to work with airlines to integrate the declaration into their own mobile apps over time, similar to the model already used with Qantas.
Previous Attempts at Digitisation
The move to a digital arrival card is not Australia’s first attempt at modernising its border processing. Two earlier efforts failed to reach full implementation.
In 2016, the government announced the Seamless Traveller initiative, which aimed to introduce a digital arrivals card trial by 2018. While the initiative successfully delivered facial-recognition SmartGates at major airports, the digital card component never progressed beyond planning.
A second attempt followed during the pandemic. The Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) was developed by technology firm Accenture at an estimated cost of AU$60 million and launched as an app in February 2022. The DPD was designed to allow travellers to submit COVID-19 vaccination status and other information digitally. However, when Australia removed COVID-19 border restrictions in July 2022, the DPD’s vaccination component became redundant, and the app was decommissioned before its IPC replacement functionality ever went live.
The current ATD approach differs from these earlier attempts in two key ways. First, it was tested through a live pilot on actual flights for nearly two years before committing to nationwide expansion. Second, it was built as a module within an existing airline app (Qantas) rather than as a standalone government application, which reduced development complexity and ensured real-world usability.
Benefits: Faster Arrivals and Stronger Border Security
The transition from paper to digital declarations offers multiple benefits for travellers, border authorities, and the tourism industry.
For travellers, the most immediate benefit is convenience. Passengers no longer need to fill out a form during the flight or upon arrival. The digital declaration can be completed at leisure before departure, and the QR code is scanned quickly on arrival, reducing time spent at the border.
For border agencies, the digital system enables earlier access to passenger data. The Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry can receive and analyse declaration information before the traveller lands. This advance data allows for better risk assessment, faster identification of potential security and biosecurity threats, and more targeted intervention by officers on the ground. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins noted that the system helps authorities identify and respond to potential biosecurity risks before they reach Australia’s shores.
For the tourism industry, faster arrivals translate to a better first impression of Australia. The TTF’s Margy Osmond called the change a step towards a “safer, seamless world-class border.” With Australia competing with other destinations for tourists, modernising the arrival experience is seen as essential to remain competitive.
The digital system also provides the infrastructure for future upgrades. Officials have indicated that the ATD is the first step in a broader border modernisation programme that could eventually include full biometric processing, contactless travel, and smarter real-time risk assessment at both airports and cruise terminals.
Key Takeaways
- The Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) is a digital replacement for the paper Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) that every person entering Australia must complete.
- The system was trialled on Qantas flights into Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne from October 2024, with over 450,000 passengers participating.
- The national rollout will expand to Perth and Adelaide by end of 2026, and to all international airports and seaports over the following 12 to 18 months.
- The Australian government has committed AU$56.1 million over four years for the traveller modernisation programme.
- Travellers can submit the declaration up to 72 hours before departure and receive a QR code that is scanned by border officers on arrival.
- The ATD is jointly administered by the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
