Paper copy + offline backup

Print a PNG eVisa

Printing your Papua New Guinea eVisa or Authority to Travel is a sensible travel backup, especially when you may have limited mobile data, a flat battery or a long domestic connection after arrival. Keep the original digital file unchanged, print a clear copy, and organise it with the passport, PNG Digital Arrival Card confirmation and onward travel details.

Prepare the paper copy Organise your documents
  • ICA sends an Authority to Travel by email for automatically granted cases
  • A paper copy is a practical backup, not a verified universal legal requirement
  • Keep an offline digital copy as well as the printout
  • PNGDAC confirmation must be available before boarding-pass issuance

Before printing

Print only after you have checked the grant details

A clean printout of an incorrect approval is still an incorrect approval. Compare the passport number, name, nationality, date of birth and visa class with the physical passport before you make travel copies.

ICA's eVisa workflow says automatically granted applications receive an email containing an Authority to Travel document. Keep that original file unchanged and use it as the source for every paper or offline backup.

If the approval is wrong, do not edit the PDF. Resolve the underlying immigration record with ICA before travel.

Paper copy

The goal is legibility, completeness and an unchanged document

ICA's public guidance does not publish a universal rule requiring A4, Letter, colour printing, 100% scaling or a particular printer specification. Use settings that reproduce the whole document clearly.

Print the whole page

Make sure names, passport details, conditions, reference numbers and any machine-readable elements on the document are not cropped at the edges.

Keep text sharp

Use a print quality that keeps small text and any QR code, barcode or reference area readable if those elements appear on your particular document.

Colour is optional backup quality

Colour can make logos and visual elements easier to recognise, but current ICA material does not state that a colour copy is mandatory. A clear black-and-white backup may still be useful.

Printer setup

1

Open the original PDF

Print from the original attachment or saved government document, not from a screenshot if the PDF itself is available.

2

Use one page per sheet

Avoid presentation-style multi-page layouts that shrink several visa pages onto one sheet.

3

Preview before printing

Confirm that the page is not clipped and that every page in the approval document will be printed.

4

Inspect the final copy

Read the passport number and smallest text from the printed sheet. If you cannot read it comfortably, print it again at a better quality.

Offline digital backup

Do not make the paper copy your only copy

Save the original visa or Authority to Travel PDF directly on the device you will carry. A file that exists only in an email inbox or cloud folder may be difficult to retrieve when mobile data, airport Wi-Fi or account access fails.

Keep another secure copy in a trusted cloud account or encrypted storage if that fits your normal security practices. The objective is redundancy: one paper copy and at least one digital copy you can open offline.

Receive eVisa decision Travel with eVisa Arrival documents

Document organisation

Build a small travel folder, not a bulky visa binder

Keep only the documents that may realistically help during airline check-in, arrival processing and the first stage of your PNG trip.

Identity & permission

  • Physical passport
  • Printed eVisa / Authority to Travel backup
  • Offline digital approval
  • Application or decision reference if useful

Arrival information

  • PNGDAC confirmation
  • Return or onward itinerary
  • First accommodation address
  • Domestic connection details if applicable

Conditional documents

  • Invitation or sponsor details where relevant
  • Health certificate if required by your route
  • Travel insurance details
  • Emergency contacts

PNG Digital Arrival Card

Keep the PNGDAC confirmation with the visa copy

ICA's current directive requires the PNG Digital Arrival Card to be completed before the boarding pass is issued for travel to Papua New Guinea. The PNGDAC is separate from the visa and does not replace your eVisa or Authority to Travel.

Separate document, separate purpose

The visa concerns permission to travel and seek entry; the PNGDAC records passenger, travel and declaration information.

Save the confirmation

Keep the confirmation email or completion evidence accessible alongside your passport and visa approval.

Update if details change

ICA provides a PNGDAC update function for corrections or changes such as flight details, travel dates, accommodation or personal information before travel.

Carry-on preparation

Keep essential immigration documents with you

Do not place the only copies of your passport evidence, visa approval, PNGDAC confirmation or onward itinerary in checked baggage. You may need those documents before the checked bag is returned to you.

A thin document sleeve or zip pouch is usually enough. Waterproof protection is useful when the itinerary includes boats, rain, trekking or remote provincial travel, but there is no need to carry a large folder of unnecessary paperwork.

Keep the passport separate from spare photocopies. A copy can help with recordkeeping, but it does not replace the original passport for travel.

How many copies?

One clear copy is useful; a spare is optional

Primary paper copy Keep it with the travel documents you can reach during check-in and arrival.
Optional spare A second copy can be useful for long, remote or multi-sector trips, but ICA does not publicly require two printed copies.
Offline phone copy Keep the original PDF saved locally rather than relying only on email or cloud access.
Secure remote backup Store another copy in a secure account or with a trusted contact if that fits your personal security plan.

Health records

Carry health evidence only when it applies to your route

A yellow fever certificate is not a universal requirement for every traveller to Papua New Guinea. Whether vaccination evidence is needed depends on your travel history and the countries you have recently visited or transited.

Keep any required vaccination certificate with the rest of the travel documents, but avoid presenting route-specific health requirements as mandatory for everyone.

Health requirements Yellow fever Entry health requirements

If a copy is lost or damaged

Recover from the original digital file, not from an edited photocopy

A damaged printout is usually a document-management problem, not a reason to change the visa record. Keep the original decision email and PDF so you can reproduce the travel copy if necessary.

Lost printout

Reprint from the original PDF if you still have access to the file. Do not recreate the document manually.

Phone unavailable

A paper copy becomes especially useful when the device is flat, damaged, offline or inaccessible.

Passport lost

This is different from losing a visa printout. A replacement passport may require ICA re-evidencing of the existing permit before travel can continue.

Avoid these mistakes

A travel copy should simplify the journey, not create a new version of the visa

Mistake Better approach
Editing a typo directly in the PDF Keep the original unchanged and ask ICA to correct the immigration record.
Printing from a low-resolution screenshot Print from the original PDF attachment where possible.
Putting all copies in checked baggage Keep the main travel copy and passport in carry-on baggage.
Relying only on cloud access Save the original file offline on the device you are carrying.
Assuming a hard copy replaces PNGDAC Complete the mandatory PNG Digital Arrival Card separately before travel.
Carrying unnecessary sensitive paperwork Take only the documents that support your actual visa and travel route.

Related travel steps

Receive eVisa Verify the approval and conditions before creating travel copies. Travel with eVisa Prepare for airline check-in, immigration, customs and onward connections. Arrival documents Keep your passport, approval, PNGDAC and travel evidence organised. Customs preparation Know what must be declared before packing controlled goods.

Travel copy ready?

Keep paper and digital evidence together

Carry the matching passport, approval copy, PNGDAC confirmation and onward travel details where you can reach them quickly during check-in and arrival.

Travel with eVisa Arrival documents

Travel-copy references

Separate official requirements from sensible backup practice

ICA confirms that automatically granted eVisa applications receive an Authority to Travel by email and that the PNG Digital Arrival Card is now part of the pre-arrival process. Current public ICA material does not establish a universal legal requirement for a printed eVisa copy, a specific paper size, colour printing or two copies.

ICA eVisa workflow: https://evisa.ica.gov.pg/evisa/evisa/visaclass ICA mandatory PNGDAC notice: https://ica.gov.pg/public-notices/2026/mandatory-completion-of-png-digital-arrival-card ICA PNG Digital Arrival Card: https://ica.gov.pg/dac/png-digital-arrival-card ICA PNGDAC how-to guides: https://ica.gov.pg/dac/png-digital-arrival-card-how-to-guides How VisaPNG uses sources