The first group of Qantas passengers have completed an Australia Travel Declaration – a digital alternative to the paper incoming passenger card (IPC) – after the pilot program was launched for travelers arriving in Australia from New Zealand.
The pilot is an initiative of the Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Group, which was established to explore ways to move closer to seamless travel between the two countries. The goal is to implement ‘contactless travel’, in which passengers rely on digital credentials and facial recognition for quicker and easier progression through key airport steps.
Following months of planning and development between the Australian Border Force (ABF), Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and Qantas, the Australia Travel Declaration pilot commenced on October 21, 2024.
Eligible passengers were invited to complete the digital form in the Qantas app prior to traveling on Flight QF126 from Auckland, which landed at Brisbane Airport at about 5pm. On completing the declaration, those passengers received a digital pass with a QR code through the Qantas app and to their nominated email. They showed this to ABF and DAFF officers for expedited clearance through biosecurity and border controls.
The pilot will expand to flights from other New Zealand cities –including Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown – to Brisbane in the coming days and weeks. ABF stated that this will likely also expand to more Australian airports during the pilot stage, while further international locations and other airlines will be considered as the program progresses beyond the pilot stage.
ABF commissioner Michael Outram said the initiative was one of a number of border modernization efforts being codesigned and cofinanced by government and industry.
Read about Brisbane Airport’s international terminal transformation here.