Papua New Guinea now requires digital arrival card completion before boarding

Airlines must now verify completion of the PNGDAC form at check-in, shifting enforcement from arrival in Port Moresby to the departure airport

Airlines operating flights to Papua New Guinea must now confirm that every passenger has completed the PNG Digital Arrival Card (PNGDAC) before handing over a boarding pass. The Immigration and Citizenship Services Authority (ICSA) issued the instruction on August 6, 2026, directing international carriers, ground handling companies, and check-in staff to treat the digital declaration as a mandatory pre-departure document, according to a notice on the ICSA website.

The PNGDAC launched on October 1, 2025, as a digital replacement for the paper Incoming Passenger Card that Papua New Guinea previously required travelers to fill out on their flight or at the airport. Since then, authorities have encouraged online completion before arrival to speed up immigration processing, but the form was not systematically verified before departure. The August 6 notice changes that: the declaration has moved from a recommended step to a gate-level requirement that airlines are responsible for checking.

Travelers can submit it up to 72 hours before arrival in Papua New Guinea. The process collects personal details, flight information, and answers to customs, biosecurity, and public health questions. Submitting the form produces a digital receipt that travelers should keep accessible on their phone or as a printout, ready to show alongside their passport at the immigration counter. Travelers who need to change any details after submitting can update the form right up until they reach the immigration desk. Where multiple submissions exist for the same person, authorities will use whichever was filed last.

Air Niugini, Papua New Guinea's national carrier, has separately reminded passengers that the declaration is mandatory and urged completion within the 72-hour window to avoid delays at check-in or on arrival.

Do I need a visa for Papua New Guinea?

The PNGDAC is not a visa and does not authorize entry into Papua New Guinea. Travelers who require a visa must arrange it separately through a different process. Papua New Guinea operates an eVisa portal through which tourist and business visas can be submitted online. Citizens of certain countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and most EU member states, qualify for the streamlined Easy Visitor Permit (EVP) at $50, which is typically processed within 24 to 72 hours. A limited number of nationalities, primarily from Pacific Island states, remain eligible for a visa on arrival. All other travelers need to secure an eVisa or embassy-issued visa before departure.

Regardless of visa type or exemption status, every person entering Papua New Guinea must also complete the PNGDAC.

Who needs to complete the PNGDAC?

Every traveler entering Papua New Guinea must submit a declaration, regardless of nationality. This covers foreign visitors, returning Papua New Guinean citizens, permanent residents, and transit passengers who do not leave the terminal. Air Niugini has confirmed that there is no airside transit exemption. Each individual needs their own form, and that includes children and infants, though the portal does allow a single group submission covering multiple people at once.

The system currently applies to passengers arriving by air at Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby. Travelers entering Papua New Guinea by land or sea are not yet covered by the digital system. Kiosks remain available at Port Moresby for travelers who need to complete the form on site, but the new airline-level enforcement means completing the PNGDAC before reaching the departure airport should be treated as the default approach.

What happens at check-in without a completed PNGDAC?

The August 6 notice instructs airlines to verify completion before issuing a boarding pass. While ICSA has not detailed the specific consequences for non-compliance, the practical effect is that travelers who arrive at the check-in counter without a completed PNGDAC may face delays or be unable to board until the form is submitted. The declaration can still be completed at the airport through the online portal on a personal device, but doing so at the last minute risks missing a flight or creating bottlenecks at the desk.