Coronavirus: time’s up for arrival cards, system to go digital

Hand-written passenger arrival cards will be scrapped when the international border reopens.

A tender will soon be issued for the new Digital Passenger ­Declaration system.

Hand-written passenger arrival cards will be scrapped when the international border reopens, with a plan to replace them by next September with a digital system allowing authorities to more easily contain COVID-19.

The government is hopeful special certificates proving that arrivals have been vaccinated for COVID-19 could be uploaded to the system in a bid to uphold border integrity and assist authorities with contact tracing efforts.

Is this the end of the departure card?

Other data could also be uploaded from mobiles or computers, including visa information setting out the terms and conditions for entry into Australia.

A tender will soon be issued for the new Digital Passenger ­Declaration system.

Passenger contact and declaration information is still collected on paper cards that are scanned and processed manually, with the government concerned this system will prove unmanageable in the era of coronavirus.

Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge said the new capability would “put us in a prime position to successfully reopen our borders in a COVID-safe way”.

Biosecurity Tasmania's arrival card checkpoint at Hobart International Airport. Picture: Luke Bowden

“On top of that, it will significantly streamline our national ­response to COVID-19 and our contact-tracing capabilities by speeding up information collection and processing,” Mr Tudge said.

“This new capability will strip away the need to scan paper cards. It will facilitate data sharing between state and territory health departments and enable swift verification of information provided by passengers.