The federal government will progressively phase in the use of a digitised incoming passenger form over the next 18 months, following a successful trial.
The modernisation represents the third attempt to digitise arrival procedures and move away from paper-based forms.
The previous attempt, a product of the pandemic era reopening of Australian borders, was scrapped in July 2022.
The new digital arrivals form, known as the Australia Travel Declaration or ATD, has so far only been available to travellers on selected Qantas flights.
Passengers can complete a digital declaration up to 72 hours before their flight, and are sent a QR code via email to complete border formalities.
More than 450,000 passengers have so far used the digital form over the life of the trial, and the government is now confident in deploying it more broadly.
Initially, the ATD will continue to be rolled out to cover more Qantas flights, expanding beyond flights arriving into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
“The pilot, in partnership with Qantas, will continue to be introduced to other capital cities including Perth and Adelaide, before the end of 2026,” the government said in a statement.
The ATD is accessible to passengers through the Qantas app.
For the expansion to airlines other than Qantas, the government has two potential options to display the ATD to inbound passengers.
It will be “initially accessible via a webform option, with an aim to continue to collaborate with industry to co-design in-app capabilities,” the government said.
The government said that the broader rollout of the ATD “will streamline facilitation and reduce manual processes for passengers, enable digital collection of information ahead of time and increase data quality for risk assessments, allow for rapid updates and management of global risks and events, such as biosecurity outbreaks, and meet passenger expectations for a biometric-enabled, seamless digital border experience.”
The government will spend $56.1 million over four years on what it called “traveller modernisation”, including on the ATD expansion.
Minister for Trade and Tourism senator Don Farrell said in a statement that some of the $56.1 million allocation would also “support ongoing co-design work with industry to improve airport departure and cruise clearance models.”
