Papua New Guinea Digital Arrival Card
File PNG's mandatory Digital Arrival Card before you fly — airlines are now required to confirm it's complete before they'll issue your boarding pass.
What Is the Papua New Guinea Digital Arrival Card (PNGDAC)?
The Papua New Guinea Digital Arrival Card (PNGDAC) has been mandatory for every traveller entering Papua New Guinea since 1 October 2025, replacing the paper Incoming Passenger Card that used to be filled in on board. It applies to citizens, residents and visitors alike, at every air, land and sea port of entry, and it covers the immigration, customs and biosecurity declarations in a single online submission on the official ICA portal.
Since 6 August 2026 the requirement has real teeth at the airport: PNG's Immigration and Citizenship Services Authority notified airlines and ground handlers that the PNGDAC is a pre-departure requirement — a boarding pass may only be issued once the completed card has been verified. In practice that means no card, no boarding, and the cost of a missed filing falls on the traveller, not the carrier.
The PNGDAC is not a visa: if your nationality needs a PNG eVisa or visa on arrival, that is a separate requirement — and visa-exempt travellers, including Australians and New Zealanders on eligible routes, still need the card, which often makes it the only PNG document they must arrange. The government form itself is free of charge, including at the airport kiosks, and you can always file it yourself on the official portal. Our charge is a service fee: we review your passport and flight details, prepare the customs and biosecurity sections, submit the card and deliver your QR confirmation before your airline asks for it.
Who Needs the PNG Digital Arrival Card?
Who Needs It
- Every traveller entering Papua New Guinea — citizens, residents and visitors alike
- All modes of entry: air, land and sea
- Transit passengers passing through PNG — the requirement includes transit
- Every passport, including visa-exempt nationalities — the card is separate from any visa
- Each traveller individually, children included — the portal supports group sessions, but every person needs their own card
Who Is Exempt
- No exemptions have been announced — every arriving traveller needs a PNGDAC
What You Need to Complete the PNGDAC
Passport
Your passport details exactly as printed — the card is tied to the passport you travel on.
Flight Details and Arrival Date
Airline, flight number and your date of arrival in Papua New Guinea.
Accommodation in PNG
The address where you will be staying — hotel, employer housing or host.
Customs and Biosecurity Declaration
Goods you are carrying, and the biosecurity questions PNG asks every arriving traveller. Answer honestly — this is a formal declaration.
Email Address for the QR Code
Your confirmation QR is delivered by email — use an address you can open at the airport, and check your spam folder.
File Inside the 72-Hour Window
The card can be submitted up to 72 hours before arrival — earlier submissions are rejected. The confirmation is shown at check-in, where your airline verifies it.
Travel Tips for Papua New Guinea Visitors
Most international visitors arrive at Jacksons International Airport (POM) in Port Moresby — and since August 2026 the PNGDAC check happens before you ever reach the gate.
- File before you head to the airport: your airline must verify the completed card before issuing a boarding pass. Arriving at check-in without it means filing under pressure at the counter — or being denied boarding.
- The 72-hour window is a hard floor: the portal will not accept a submission earlier than 72 hours before arrival. File as soon as your window opens rather than at the last minute.
- Groups: one session, one card each: the portal supports group submissions in a single session, but every traveller — children included — gets their own card and their own QR code.
- Keep the QR accessible offline: screenshot it or print it. Airport connectivity is unreliable, and both your airline at check-in and officers on arrival will ask for it.
- The PNGDAC is not your visa: if your nationality needs a PNG eVisa, arrange it separately — the card does not grant entry on its own.
- In transit through PNG? The requirement includes transit — confirm with your airline whether your routing clears immigration, and file if in doubt.
"Needed the Papua New Guinea Health Declaration Form before a business trip. Submitted online, got the QR confirmation by email and the airline scanned it at departure. Immigration at Jacksons (POM) was quick."
"Used DoVisa to complete the Papua New Guinea Health Declaration Form for our family. Helpful checklist for vaccinations and passport MRZ fields — confirmations arrived in under an hour."
"Form was straightforward. I uploaded flight details and my hotel booking, saved the QR to my phone and immigration at POM scanned it without questions."
"Travelled for a cultural tour — DoVisa's guided submission reminded me about the yellow fever note and COVID vaccinations. Confirmation email included a barcode for check-in."
"Quick and mostly painless. I had to re-upload my passport photo once; support responded fast and the declaration was accepted before departure."
"Last-minute trip to Port Moresby — submitted the PNGDAC through DoVisa and received the QR within 40 minutes. Boarding at my outbound airport was smooth."
"Good service; one field label (country of first departure) was confusing on mobile but support clarified. Confirmation arrived well ahead of my flight."
"Had a small delay — confirmation came the evening before travel instead of the same day. Support helped resolve it and immigration accepted the QR at arrival."
"Smooth for a family of four. Completed four separate declarations, kept screenshots of each QR, and cleared immigration quickly at Jacksons International Airport."
"Easy process and clear guidance. The PNGDAC confirmation email included a barcode and concise instructions for arrival — made landing in Port Moresby stress-free."
"Needed the Papua New Guinea Health Declaration Form before a business trip. Submitted online, got the QR confirmation by email and the airline scanned it at departure. Immigration at Jacksons (POM) was quick."
"Used DoVisa to complete the Papua New Guinea Health Declaration Form for our family. Helpful checklist for vaccinations and passport MRZ fields — confirmations arrived in under an hour."
"Form was straightforward. I uploaded flight details and my hotel booking, saved the QR to my phone and immigration at POM scanned it without questions."
PNG Digital Arrival Card: Frequently Asked Questions
Flying Into Port Moresby or Anywhere in PNG?
File your Digital Arrival Card before your airline checks you in — reviewed, submitted inside the 72-hour window, QR by email. 24/7 expert support.
Check Price & Apply NowPapua New Guinea visa requirements by nationality
Sources & References
- PNG Digital Arrival Card — ICA (PNGDAC)
- PNGDAC — Submit Digital Arrival Card
- Papua New Guinea — CDC Travelers' Health
- PNG Customs Service — Prohibitions
- Entry requirements — GOV.UK: Papua New Guinea
- Message for U.S. Citizens: PNG Inbound Travel Requirements — U.S. Embassy
- Papua New Guinea travel advice — Travel.gc.ca
Information last reviewed: Aug 30, 2026