The scramble for a pen on a packed flight will soon become a thing of the past as millions of travellers are set to ditch paper passenger cards under a $56.1 million push to modernise Australia’s borders.

The federal government will begin a nationwide rollout of the Australia Travel Declaration, a digital replacement for the orange incoming passenger card, after a trial involving more than 450,000 passengers on Qantas international flights.

The system will be expanded to all international airports and seaports over the next 12 to 18 months. Passengers will eventually be able to complete declarations online before arriving in Australia.

The rollout follows years of failed attempts to replace paper forms, including the abandoned Digital Passenger Declaration app launched in 2022 and the earlier Seamless Traveller initiative announced in 2016.

The latest trial, developed in partnership with the Australian Border Force, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Qantas, has allowed eligible passengers travelling into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to complete their arrival declaration before landing.

The program will expand to other capital cities, including Perth and Adelaide, before the end of the year.

The government said the digital system would reduce manual processing, allow border agencies to collect information earlier and improve the detection of potential security and biosecurity risks.

Announcing the change, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said faster border processing was essential as international travel volumes continued to grow.

“When people arrive in Australia, I want them out of the airport and experiencing the best place in the world as fast as possible,” he said.

“Traveller modernisation is essential to Australia’s prosperity and national security.”

The Australian Airports Association has called for the digitisation of the system to help reduce delays, slash administrative costs and improve travellers’ experiences.

“This is a simple fix to a frustrating administrative process for anyone flying into Australia and would be a modest productivity investment towards a future seamless border,” association chief executive Simon Westaway said last month.

“The paper card is an outdated method to gather information and gives the impression that Australia is falling behind on new technology.”

The funding will also support changes to airport departure and cruise clearance processes as the government prepares for rising traveller numbers ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Australia Travel Declaration will initially be available through a webform. Further work is planned with industry on integrating the system into apps.

Tourism Minister Don Farrell said making arrivals simpler and quicker meant visitors could spend less time filling out forms and more time enjoying everything Australia had to offer.

“This is a win for tourists and a win for our tourism operators, helping make Australia an even easier and more welcoming place to visit,” he said.

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Rob Harris is the national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Canberra. He is a former Europe correspondent.Connect via email.