Western Sydney International Airport. Photo: Shutterstock Australia is preparing for a significant change in its entry procedures. The Australian government announced on Thursday, October 22, an expansion of the digital Australia Travel Declaration system, which will allow visitors and returning residents to provide required entry details in advance, instead of filling out a paper form during the flight.
The new phase will begin this Monday, October 26, with the arrival of the first international flight at the new Western Sydney International Airport, named after Australian aviation pioneer Nancy Bird Walton.
For the first time in Australia, the new service via an online form will be available to passengers arriving at the airport on any airline, not just on flights included in the previous pilot program.
The system allows passengers to complete the entry declaration up to 72 hours before travel.
As part of the process, travelers are required to provide information regarding Australia's immigration, customs and biosecurity requirements, including declarations about products and objects they are bringing into the country.
After completing the form, you receive a QR code, which can be presented to the inspection authorities upon arrival.
The service is also intended for families and lets you complete the required information before setting off, instead of having to fill out forms before landing.
In addition to the convenience for passengers, sending information in advance allows Australian authorities to prepare for customs and biosecurity inspections more efficiently.
The Australian Government has allocated more than AUD 56 million over the next four years to develop and expand digital entry systems.
Under the plan, the online service will be gradually expanded to all international airports and seaports in Australia over the next 12 to 18 months.
At this stage, paper forms will not be abolished nationwide.
Passengers who cannot use the digital system, or prefer the manual process, can continue to fill out the existing entry form.
The expansion follows a pilot program that began in October 2024 in partnership with the Australian Border Force, Customs and Agriculture authorities, and Qantas.
The trial gradually expanded to select flights landing in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. According to government figures, between January 1 and September 30, 2026, more than 477,000 passengers submitted digital boarding declarations on more than 8,400 flights participating in the program.
Of these, more than 118,000 passengers also made statements regarding biosecurity.
This data was used by the authorities to expand the system to additional passengers and additional airlines.
The launch of the service in Western Sydney will coincide with the start of passenger operations at the new international airport. The airport is expected to receive its first international flight on October 26, with Air New Zealand becoming the first airline to operate international flights from it, on a route to Auckland, New Zealand.
Domestic operations at the airport will begin a day earlier, on October 25, with Jetstar flights. Singapore Airlines is also expected to begin operating international flights from the new airport later.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke explained that the change will let travelers complete entry procedures faster and reach their destination without unnecessary delays.
He said the new airport will be the first in the country to offer the online version to all international passengers, supporting efforts to improve the experience of entering Australia.
The new service does not replace the requirement to hold an appropriate entry visa and does not exempt passengers from immigration, customs or biosecurity checks.
Initially, it will be available in its new format at Western Sydney Airport only. At other airports, the digital service is still subject to eligibility and deployment phases.
For tourists planning to arrive in Australia, the change is expected to gradually simplify one of the familiar stages of landing, as the form that used to be filled out on the plane can now be completed in advance by phone or computer.
The new change will also apply to Israeli passengers arriving in Australia via Western Sydney International Airport.
According to the Australian Border Force, the digital service will be open to all passengers regardless of their citizenship. However, the new procedure does not replace the requirement to obtain a visa to enter Australia. The service is expected to gradually expand to additional airports and seaports across the country.