Australia is modernising the arrival card system — but the familiar orange form is not totally disappearing. Published 13 July 2026 7:51am Updated 13 July 2026 11:49am By Miles Proust , Rachael Knowles Source : SBS News Share this with family and friends Digital arrival cards will be rolled out across Australia, providing an alternative to paper forms for millions of international travellers. A trial of the digital Australia Traveller Declaration has been running on selected Qantas flights since October 2024. When will digital arrival cards be available Following the program's success, the federal government has announced it will be expanded to all international airports and seaports over the next 12 to 18 months. It will initially be available through a web form, before the government works with airlines to integrate it into their apps. News that makes sense Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox. The federal government said it will spend $56.1 million over four years to modernise traveller arrivals systems at airports across the country. The pilot program involved more than 450,000 passengers arriving in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and will be expanded to other capital cities by the end of the year. Why is Australia introducing digital arrival cards? As well as streamlining the process for passengers, the government said digital collection increased data quality for risk assessments and enabled updates to global risk events, such as biosecurity outbreaks. Funding will also be provided to improve airport departure systems in collaboration with industry, as well as supporting border agencies, which expect a surge in travellers post-COVID and ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics. Tourism Minister Don Farrell said the program would make arrivals "simpler and quicker" for visitors who will spend less time filling out paper forms. "This is a win for tourists and a win for our tourism operators, helping make Australia an even easier and more welcoming place to visit," he said. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said: "Traveller modernisation is essential to Australia’s prosperity and national security." "Visitors and Australian travellers alike will be able to take advantage of a seamless border process, which integrates into everyday digital life."

How will the digital cards work? Currently, anyone entering Australia by air or sea must complete a physical, orange arrival card. The card is usually provided to passengers before their arrival at a port or airport. The passenger then surrenders the form to Australian Border Force officials. Through the digital system, passengers would provide their arrival details through the Qantas app up to three days before their trip. The app generates a QR code, available in the app or the person's registered email, which is scanned by border force staff at the arrivals checkpoint. Will paper arrival cards still be available? The web form will expand in 2027 to include all Australian international airports and seaports, as well as all airlines. However, paper forms will still be available for passengers who cannot access the digital cards. For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter . Get SBS News straight to your inbox Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories. Follow SBS News Download our apps SBS News iOS Android SBS Audio iOS Android SBS On Demand iOS Android Listen to our podcasts SBS News Headlines An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News SBS News In Depth Interviews and feature reports from SBS News SBS On the Money Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves. SBS News in Easy English A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps. Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world