The Australian Government has announced the nationwide rollout of the Digital Incoming Passenger Card (IPC), replacing the traditional paper arrival card for international travellers. The Albanese Government will invest $56.1 million over four years to roll out digital passenger cards across the Australian airports.
The initiative follows a successful pilot of the Australia Travel Declaration, run in partnership with the Australian Border Force, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Qantas. Since October 2024, more than 450,000 passengers on inbound Qantas flights to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne have trialled the system. It will extend to Perth and Adelaide by the end of 2026, before a phased national rollout to all international airports and seaports over the following 12 to 18 months.
The digital declaration is expected to reduce manual processing, improve biosecurity risk assessment through earlier data collection, and support Australia’s border capacity ahead of rising post-COVID traveller volumes and the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Ministers Don Farrell, Tony Burke, Kristy McBain and Julie Collins welcomed the initiative, citing benefits for tourism, national security, traveller experience and biosecurity protection.
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