Website to replace Australia’s incoming passenger card
The new Australia Travel Declaration will be rolled out from later this year on selected international flights.
By David Flynn, August 19 2024
Australia is finally set to catch up with the rest of the world in ditching the incoming passenger card for overseas visitors and returning residents.
It’ll be replaced be a digital Australia Travel Declaration, which will begin testing on selected flights from New Zealand to Australia later this year.
However, “the intent of the Australian Travel Declaration program is to encompass all passengers to Australia,” an Australian Border Force spokesperson has confirmed to Executive Traveller.
Qantas has been selected as the first partner airline for the pilot program, with the Australian Border Force saying the trial “will expand to other airlines as the program progresses beyond the pilot stage.”
And while the paper cards are typically handed out during the flight into Australia, travellers will be able to complete the ATD up to three days (72 hours) before their arrival.
While the NZ trial will see the Australia Travel Declaration initially built into Qantas’ smartphone app and completed by “eligible adult passengers” on selected Qantas flights, the ABF tells Executive Traveller that “as the program expands, a purpose-built website will be available.”
Trans-Tasman trials
The ABF and other Australian and New Zealand government agencies have been working closely with Qantas to pilot the Australia Travel Declaration for immigration, customs and biosecurity status on entry to Australia.
The ATD trial has been championed by the Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Group, a body established last year to explore ways to move closer to seamless travel between the two countries.
“The Australia Travel Declaration is the first initiative from the group and shows the power of a joint approach and leveraging expertise to modernise and improve the experience for travellers,” says Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram.
However, the ABF notes that “piloting the Australia Travel Declaration will allow us to gain valuable feedback from passengers that will help refine the product and inform future expansion. A successful Australia Travel Declaration will be a key foundation for the future of streamlined and contactless travel.”
“We are excited by the possibilities this pilot program can open up for the future traveller experience – both in and out of Australia – and as we prepare to welcome the world when Brisbane hosts the Olympics in 2032,” Outram adds.
Third time’s the charm...
This is now the third time Australia has attempted to replace the paper-based incoming passenger card.
The Government’s ‘seamless traveller’ initiative of 2016, which was behind the rollout of passport smartgates using facial ID, also included plans – which never eventuated – for a digital arrivals card to be trialled in early 2018.
Global IT giant Accenture then spent $60 million of taxpayer’s money across a staggering three years to develop the Digital Passenger Declaration platform, including a smartphone app which went live in February 2022 as post-pandemic travel kicked in.
But the Digital Passenger Declaration was so appallingly bad in just about every measure – as any traveller of the time can attest – that it was axed in July, in just five months.
Perhaps those two strikes against it might explain the ABF’s caution in beta-testing the Australia Travel Declaration on trans-Tasman travellers.
Our take
The Executive Traveller take on this? As we argued only last week, replacing the paper incoming passenger card with a digital version is long overdue.
It makes sense to start small and trial this on the Australia-New Zealand market, which has long been seeking frictionless movement between the two countries. We hope a successful trial quickly sees the Australia Travel Declaration available on a worldwide basis.
Having the ATD initially built into the Qantas app also speeds the ‘time to market’ for this trial, compared to the ABF building its own website, although of course that will come once the ATD fully replaces the orange incoming passenger card on all flights from overseas.
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1203
2032 Olympics!!! Surely we can get it working well before then.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 May 2018
Total posts 70
This truly is rubbish. You only have to watch the tv program to see that there are heaps who won't fill out the current card correctly. So.. just run the dogs over all baggage (they will pick up food etc) and again in the arrivals will pick up anything on the body..
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Oct 2016
Total posts 173
Unfortunately it is actually pretty easy to fool the dogs, I am not going to tell you how, but part of my work is in a corrections environment where the exact same training is given and the dogs are good for catching amateurs or most often decoy passengers. Intelligence is more valuable, which ironically a pre-filled arrival form (like Singapore) is ideal for as you can map seeming unrelated peoples on a series of flights over a wide span of time, especially handy where the AFP might have also been given a decoy. Decoy come is with 500g and gets a few years (usually as a trade to pay debt) while 10kg comes in over a few others. They often know when there is a tip there are likely to be others - but they may not have the time to identify and intercept
23 Sep 2023
Total posts 14
Interesting insights. Thanks. As you say, the digital arrival data can be prechecked for patterns to catch these groups.
08 Feb 2018
Total posts 166
Yes, stop with this nonsense. Hand out a flyer with the rules in all the different languages and if rules are broken then it’s on them. Simple
05 May 2018
Total posts 3
Here we go again... Round... 3?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 Feb 2017
Total posts 5
Please don’t re-hash the travel declaration that they ran in 21/22. It was terrible. Look at what Singapore, Canada, every other country do and stay away from the 21/22 version!
09 May 2020
Total posts 568
Let’s see how long and expensive ABF will take to do an app this time, given the recent experience of their DPD during COVID-19 measures.
The DPD was meant to be simple, this arrival declaration is more complex and involved so not holding my breath then
04 Sep 2020
Total posts 7
Why do we even need a replacement for the paper cards? Just scrap the whole pointless rubbish entirely. There are plenty of countries that don't require such cards and even the US has completely abandoned it.
Half the information on that card is already in the passport anyway, and most information is never even verified. If the only relevant question is "do you have anything to declare", just ask at the Immigration ticket kiosks.
05 Oct 2017
Total posts 526
Exactly. Even countries, which love bureaucracy, such as Thailand, have done away with these forms (at least for arrivals by air but also busy land border crossings).
01 Feb 2012
Total posts 371
Sharing horror stories - I filled in 5 cards late in the night after finally putting 3 young kids to sleep in a light blue pen. Got to the front of the line, and they told me light blue doesn't count as blue, and I needed to refill all 5 forms again. Took me over 30 minutes in total, and how meaningful is it to ask a 2 yo whether they have brought in 10k of cash.
Physical forms can be fine, if its just one per household...
26 Jul 2015
Total posts 76
How can the government's IT suppliers get it SO wrong everytime they try to do anything? For this one, ask the Singaporean Government nicely is we could use theirs and off to pay a couple of million for it, then keep it out of any Anustrlian IT specialists hands and bingo, home and hosed!
14 Nov 2011
Total posts 23
I think you’ve spelt Force incorrectly. It should be an a and not an o!
07 Mar 2017
Total posts 61
Entering details in advance on a website isn't "seamless".
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
12 Apr 2017
Total posts 208
Agree. This is an example of nonsensical government interference. We could cut all forms of government by 80% and all we would see is an improved life for all citizens as well as trillions of dollars saved.
23 Sep 2023
Total posts 14
I'm sure the citizens of Haiti would heartily agree with you. /s
28 Jan 2024
Total posts 2
The next step should be for Australia to remove the need to visit a kiosk between landing and immigration. Last Thursday I arrived home to Singapore and didn’t even need to show my passport to clear.
21 Aug 2024
Total posts 1
Hurrah! No more trying to figure out where the light yellow bordered boxes are, when you’re trying to fill the form in under the reading light on an overnight flight.
21 Dec 2012
Total posts 44
as many countries have demonstrated, they're a largely useless holdover - but if we must have these forms filled out, why is there a time limit? If I've filled it in 2 weeks beforehand to say I'm not bringing something to declare - if circumstances change 1 week out or 4 hours before flight and i have something I need to declare, I still need to declare. Everything up until the moment I hit customs/immigration is relevant
Etihad - Etihad Guest
09 Jun 2019
Total posts 12
Why only 3 days prior to entry for submission of the digital card? The US ESTA for can be submitted any time. However, the Malaysia card can only be submitted (strictly) three days prior, which is a real pain.
20 Nov 2015
Total posts 467
Well the US ESTA is different because it's a single 'visa waiver' pass covering many years, this ATD is a per-trip 'travel declaration' along the same lines as the ones in Malaysia and Singapore which as you've mentioned can only be done within 72hrs of your flight, which I agree is annoying!
Velocity
19 Jun 2013
Total posts 64
How’s about Accenture or whoever gets the job this time, spend $195M ($125M + $75M, by the look of it…) of their OWN money, developing this, to the full implementation stage - not just a trial, due the vast difference in volume. If it actually works, the govt pays them. If not, well… “nice try, thanks for coming”, followed by a warm handshake.
Meantime, every hacker on the Eurasian continent, must be rubbing their hands in anticipation.
16 Apr 2021
Total posts 1
Even here in Cambodia we have had an app for while. Embarrassing how long Aus is taking to get this sorted. It's also still only just a trial/pilot coming "later this year".
06 Aug 2014
Total posts 3
Just do away with this trash like many other countries have.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Apr 2016
Total posts 3
Digital better but only if relevant questions and they are not asked again.
The terminals before immigration ask a lot of the same questions.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Oct 2016
Total posts 11
We could of course just copy some other countries working app but “Oh no, we are Australian, we are the best in the world at everything, lets write our own app”
This traveller just tells them he is an orphan with no friends when they ask why he hasn’t filled out an emergency contact on the papercard. @tiredofbeinganarrogantaustralian
18 Sep 2018
Total posts 9
When I arrived in Korea, no paperwork was required (PR, nothing to declare), so I was through kerbside in under 15 minutes.
When I returned to Australia, it took almost an hour, with a large portion of this time spent queuing due to the lack of clearance lanes and the bulk queuing for the 3 workers looking at arrival cards.
I usually hide my Australian Passport behind my passport holder out of embarrassment at the mess of customs, immigration, and quarantine in this country. I expect long delays when entering a developing country, not the 13th most prosperous country in the world. I don't blame the workers; I blame the lack of them. Do the $70 PMC and the $400 passport not support investing in sufficient workers or technology?
Scrap arrival forms for citizens and permanent residents unless they have something to declare.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Sep 2017
Total posts 9
A whole hour, stop complaining, they keep us save from the ravages of disease, If you don't like it Gavin, or os it Karen, don't go to Australia, they won't miss you
03 Oct 2011
Total posts 38
Is there a typo? "...Accenture then spent $60 million of taxpayer’s money across a staggering three years to develop the Digital Passenger Declaration platform, including a reported $75 million going towards just the smartphone app...." How can $60 million over three years (average $20 million per year) include $75 million?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
Yes, that was a conflation of two aspects of the contract, has now been edited thanks.
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