Qantas trial of new Australia Digital Travel declaration kicks off

Hurrah! The days of filling out that pesky yellow incoming passenger card could be numbered, with Qantas beginning the trial of a digital incoming passenger card today.

Earlier this year we wrote a piece bemoaning the outdated paper Australian arrival card.

You know the one that you can never find a pen to fill out, then you somehow manage to lose it between the plane and the immigration officer?

Well it seems the travel gods heard our prayers. 

Currently, everyone arriving in Australia has to fill out the double-sided incoming passenger card by providing personal information and details about their travels, along with answering questions about what they are bringing into the country.

But as of today, Qantas customers travelling from New Zealand will be the first to trial a new digital replacement for the current paper incoming passenger card.

Filling this form out after a long flight when your brain is hardly working is a downer. Almost as much as having your photo taken and printed out on a grainy dot matrix printer at the Smart Gate upon arrival.

The new fast-tracked arrival process is part of a joint initiative with the Australian Government and will hopefully cut down the bottleneck at immigration. 

The ATD is now available for eligible passengers travelling from Auckland to Brisbane (initially on flight QF126). The program will be expanded to include customers travelling from other New Zealand cities to Brisbane in the coming days ahead of additional Australian destinations joining the program early next year.

How does the new Australia Digital Travel Declaration work?

The homepage of the new digital travel declaration.

Passengers will receive a QR code.

Instead of filling out a physical card on the plane, eligible passengers can complete the required documentation up to 72 hours before their arrival into Australia. Upon completion, customers will receive a QR code (via email and in the Qantas app) that can be shown to Australian Border Force officers, instead of the paper Incoming Passenger Card.

Who is eligible to use the Australia Digital Travel Declaration?

The ATD pilot program is currently available to adult customers travelling on a single booking,with the program set to expand to bookings with children and groups by mid-next year.Customers who prefer to use the existing paper Incoming Passenger Card can continue to do so.

Qantas is looking at expanding the program to other international destinations in the coming months.

An Australian Border Force announcement said the pilot "will allow us to gain valuable feedback from passengers that will help refine the product and inform future expansion".

The ABF further noted that "engaging passengers before they travel will provide them with the opportunity to leave goods that are a risk offshore, potentially improving their experience on arrival".

Originally published as Qantas trial of new Australia Digital Travel declaration kicks off