Incoming Passenger Card: Complete this properly to avoid issues with your visa applications!
When travelling to Australia, one of the essential steps in the arrival process is completing the Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) accurately and truthfully. While it may seem like a small administrative task, the IPC is a legal document, and the information you provide on this form is critical for your entry into Australia. This means that your IPC can have significant consequences for not only your future travels, but also your immigration matters including any visa application you have lodged or will lodge in the future.
Failure to complete your IPC properly or providing false information in your IPC can lead to serious repercussions, including delays, fines, or even being denied entry to Australia. In some cases, it can also affect both your current visa status and eligibility for Australian visas in the future.
What is the purpose of the Incoming Passenger Card?
Sample of Incoming Passenger Card (IPC)
The Incoming Passenger Card is also available in other languages.
The Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) is a key paper document required for anyone entering Australia. Its primary purpose is to collect essential information from travelers, ensuring compliance with Australia’s immigration, customs, and biosecurity laws. This includes details such as personal identification, travel history, and declarations about any items that may pose a risk to the country’s agriculture, environment, or security. The IPC plays a vital role in helping Australian authorities manage and safeguard the nation’s borders effectively.
In recent months, Australia has moved towards modernising the arrival process by digitising the Incoming Passenger Card, introducing the Australia Travel Declaration which will be accessible to passengers on select Qantas flights from New Zealand, who will be able to complete it through the Qantas app up to 72 hours before arrival. Under this new digital process, passengers will be sent a digital pass to their email and the app, including a QR code for Australian Border Force (ABF) officers, effectively streamlining the process, reducing paper waste, and speeding up immigration procedures for travellers. Under the pilot program, travellers will be able to submit their immigration, customs, and biosecurity information digitally up to 72 hours before arriving in Australia, making the arrival process more efficient.
In the near future, the Australian Travel Declaration may become the standard for all arriving international travellers, further simplifying the immigration clearance process. Nonetheless, it continues to be a legal requirement for most travellers entering Australia to complete a paper Incoming Passenger Card accurately, and requires provision of the following details:
Personal details
Full name: Your legal name as it appears on your passport or travel documents.
Date of birth: This helps verify your identity and ensures compliance with age-related regulations.
Nationality: The country of citizenship as stated in your passport.
Passport details: Including the passport number, issuing country, and expiry date.
Emergency contact details: The identity and contact details of your emergency contact.
Occupation: Your usual occupation.
Flight and travel information
Flight details: The flight number and the airline you are traveling with.
Port of departure: Where you boarded the flight (city or country of origin).
Purpose of visit: Whether you're visiting for tourism, business, study, or another reason.
Character declarations
Criminal convictions: Any previous criminal convictions.
Health declarations
Symptoms of illness: Any signs of illness or infectious diseases, such as cough, fever, or respiratory issues, must be reported. This is especially important in light of health concerns like the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Medical history: Any conditions that may require attention during your stay or affect your ability to comply with biosecurity regulations.
Customs and biosecurity declarations
Items being brought into the country: This includes food, plants, animal products, medicines, and any other items that might pose a risk to Australia’s biosecurity. Certain items need to be declared to prevent pests, diseases, or other harmful substances from entering the country.
Cash and monetary instruments: If you are carrying large sums of money (over AUD 10,000 or equivalent), this must be declared.
Prohibited or restricted items: Any items that are not allowed into Australia must be disclosed. This may include weapons, drugs, or other contraband.
Immigration and residence status
Visa details: Whether you are migrating permanently to Australia, visiting Australia or if you are a resident returning to Australia.
Travel purpose: Your main reason for travel (i.e. convention/conference, visiting friends/family, education, holiday, business, employment, exhibition, other, etc.).
Declaration statement
Signature and date: You are required to sign the card, confirming that the information you have provided is truthful and accurate. Falsifying any details can result in significant penalties or complications with future visa applications.
How can an Incoming Passenger Card affect a person’s visa application?
The Australian Government keeps detailed records of all Incoming Passenger Cards (IPCs) submitted by travellers entering the country. These records are stored securely and can be accessed e.g. by the Australian Border Force or Department of Home Affairs when assessing a person’s visa application or when reviewing their immigration history. As part of their border control and visa management processes, the Australian Government can use this information to ensure consistency, verify facts, and assess a person’s compliance with all relevant regulations such as migration laws and regulations.
In the case of visa applications, the government may refer to previous IPC records to assess the accuracy of the information provided by an applicant. If inconsistencies arise between the details disclosed on a person’s Incoming Passenger Card and their visa application, this could raise concerns. For example, if a traveller has previously declared a certain item or health condition on an IPC, but does not disclose the same information on their visa application, this could be seen as contradictory or misleading, and the visa applicant could even be found to have provided false or misleading information in their visa application. Additionally, if a traveller has not properly disclosed a previous conviction in the IPC and/or visa application, this may result in either the cancellation of the person’s visa and/or a refusal of the person’s visa application.
Recently, we have increasingly come across more visa applicants being invited to comment on incorrect or inconsistent information provided in an IPC or a visa application during the processing of a person’s visa application. When such discrepancies or inaccuracies are identified, the Department of Home Affairs may invite the visa applicant to explain or comment on the inconsistency, and this is done to ensure transparency and to give the applicant an opportunity to clarify any misunderstanding or provide additional context. Failing to provide a satisfactory explanation for inconsistencies could result in delays, a refusal of the visa application, or even the cancellation of a current visa.
The Department of Home Affairs has asked me to comment on inconsistent information provided across my Incoming Passenger Card(s) and my visa application - what should I do?
If you have been invited to comment on alleged inconsistencies or inaccuracies in an Incoming Passenger Card or visa application, we strongly recommend that you seek legal advice from an immigration lawyer about your next steps, as the cancellation of your visa or the refusal of your visa application can have a serious and profound impact on your immigration matters. In particular, have a visa cancelled or a visa application refused on the grounds of providing false or misleading information may result in you facing an exclusion period (preventing you from being granted a visa for 3 years or up to 10 years) and also prevent you from lodging an application for most visas in Australia.
Our immigration lawyers at Inclusive Migration have extensive experience in representing visa applicants in complex immigration matters before the Department of Home Affairs and advocating for them. Should you wish to discuss your case in more detail, please email us at info@inclusivemigration.com.au or submit an enquiry using the contact form on our website.
