Australian govt to roll out digital passenger cards for all arrivals

Sydney, July 13 (IANS) The Australian government on Monday announced it will roll out digital passenger cards for all international arrivals over the next 18 months, ending the reliance on paper cards.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Monday that the federal government will spend 56.1 million Australian dollars (38.9 million US dollars) over the next four years on traveller modernisation at airports, including a nationwide implementation of digital passenger cards.

The national rollout follows a successful trial of the digital Australia Traveller Declaration, which has been offered as an alternative to paper passenger cards on some Qantas flights into Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane since October 2024.

Burke said in a joint statement with Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell, Acting Transport Minister Kristy McBain and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins that more than 450,000 passengers have trialled the digital system and it has been a significant success.