PNGDAC · Customs · health · prohibited items · currency

PNGDAC Traveller Declarations Explained

The Papua New Guinea Digital Arrival Card (PNGDAC) combines identity, trip, accommodation, goods and health information into one pre-arrival declaration workflow. The form is not a visa, but the answers you submit become part of PNG's border-processing information and should be complete and accurate.

Understand each section Check what to declare
SubmissionIndividual or group
Group sizeUp to 10 entries
Verification6-digit email OTP
Currency reportK20,000+

What PNGDAC is

A digital passenger declaration—not an entry visa

ICA introduced PNGDAC from 1 October 2025 as the digital replacement for the traditional paper-based arrival card. Its purpose is to let travellers provide passenger declaration information online before arriving in Papua New Guinea.

The later 6 August 2026 directive made pre-departure completion operationally important by instructing international airlines and check-in staff that travellers must complete PNGDAC before a boarding pass is issued.

Keep the systems separate: completing PNGDAC does not grant permission to enter PNG. You still need the visa, Visa on Arrival eligibility, residence status or other entry authority that applies to you.

Section 1

Personal and passport information

Identity

Passport particulars

The official website guide begins with personal information, including passport details. Enter names, nationality, date of birth and passport number exactly as shown on the travel document.

Accuracy

Check MRZ-derived details carefully

ICA's kiosk guide specifically tells travellers to recheck information retrieved from the passport biodata page and Machine Readable Zone. The same principle applies online: never assume an automatically populated field is correct.

Correction limits

Some identity fields cannot simply be updated

ICA's update guide says family name, given names, date of birth, nationality and email cannot be altered through the normal update function. If those fields are wrong, a new submission is required.

Section 2

Trip and accommodation information

After personal details, the official PNGDAC workflow asks for trip information and accommodation information. Prepare these details before opening the form so you are not switching between booking emails while submitting.

Depending on the live fields shown to you, this can include details associated with your journey into PNG and where you will stay. Use the actual booking or host information rather than a vague description of a region.

Section 3

Goods and prohibited-items declarations

Answer every question

The official PNGDAC manual instructs travellers to complete the Goods and Prohibited Items declarations by answering all questions.

If unsure, declare “YES”

This is ICA's own instruction. A declaration gives officers the opportunity to inspect and decide how the item should be treated.

Do not confuse declaration with automatic seizure

Declaring an item does not by itself mean it is prohibited. It means Customs, quarantine or another border authority can assess it.

Common declaration categories

Items that regularly require a “YES” answer or closer checking

1

Food

Customs passenger-declaration material includes meat, milk products, baby food, confectionery, herbs and spices among food examples.

2

Plants and plant material

Examples include fruits, nuts, seeds, bulbs, flowers, straw, wooden articles, bamboo, mushrooms and soil.

3

Animals and animal products

Animal parts, agricultural products, biological specimens, cultures, blood and related equipment can require declaration.

4

Restricted or prohibited goods

Customs forms include questions covering items such as narcotic drugs, firearms, dangerous weapons and other prohibited or restricted goods.

5

Goods for sale, gifts or trade

Commercial or trade-purpose goods are treated differently from ordinary personal effects and should be declared when the form asks.

6

Outdoor equipment contaminated with soil

Clean hiking boots, camping gear and equipment before travel. Soil or plant contamination can create a quarantine concern even when the equipment itself is ordinary personal property.

Currency and valuables

K20,000 is the reporting threshold

PNG Customs requires international travellers carrying currency or covered valuables worth K20,000 or more to complete a Cross-Border Movement of Currency and Valuables (CMCV) report.

The rule applies to the foreign-currency equivalent as well as PNG Kina. The Customs reporting framework also covers certain monetary instruments, precious metals, precious stones and other specified valuables.

This is a declaration threshold, not simply a statement that carrying K20,000 is illegal. If you meet or exceed the threshold, report it as required.

Duty-free concessions

Know the current limits before answering goods questions

New goods

PNG Customs' current general concessions page lists a personal monetary allowance of K1,000 per adult and K500 per traveller under 18, excluding separate alcohol and tobacco concessions.

Alcohol

The current concessions page lists 2.25 litres as the separate alcohol allowance for an eligible adult traveller.

Tobacco

The same page lists 200 cigarettes, 250 grams of tobacco or 50 cigars.

PNG Customs currently has some web pages and legacy forms showing different historical concession figures. If you are close to a limit, use the current Customs concessions page or ask Customs directly rather than relying on an old screenshot or archived passenger card.

Section 4

Health information is conditional

The official PNGDAC web guide says travellers enter health status information as required. It does not describe one identical health questionnaire for every passenger.

ICA says extra health information is prompted when factors such as a country visited within the previous two weeks, the country of embarkation, nationality or flight are listed by the National Department of Health.

That is more accurate than stating that every traveller automatically receives the same fixed 14- or 21-day disease questionnaire.

Section 5

Review, legal declaration and OTP verification

Review

Read the declaration before agreeing

ICA instructs travellers to read the declaration in its entirety, check the agreement box, preview the information and correct mistakes before final submission.

Email

Use an address you can access

You enter an email address to receive PNGDAC information and the verification code. A mistyped email can create avoidable problems because some identity fields cannot later be edited.

OTP

Enter the 6-digit code

The online workflow sends a 6-digit one-time password by email. Enter it to confirm the submission, then download the completed PNGDAC.

False or misleading declarations

Be accurate—but do not invent a single automatic penalty

Customs offences

PNG Customs states that knowingly making a false or misleading declaration can be prosecuted and that undeclared or falsely declared goods may be seized.

Currency reporting

The separate CMCV regime publishes specific penalties for failing to report or supplying false or misleading information about reportable currency and valuables.

Do not overstate visa consequences

It is safer to say that false information can trigger border enforcement, seizure, fines or prosecution under the relevant law than to claim that every incorrect PNGDAC answer automatically causes visa cancellation or deportation.

Individual vs group submission

Families and groups can submit together

Individual

One traveller

Complete personal, trip, goods and health information, review the form, enter the email address, confirm with OTP and download the PNGDAC.

Group

Up to 10 entries

The official manual allows group submissions of up to 10 travellers. Each traveller receives a unique PNGDAC number.

One inbox

Group results go to the supplied email

ICA says all information from a group submission is sent to the email address provided during the submission process.

Need to correct a submission?

Some details can be updated before travel

ICA provides an Update PNGDAC function for corrections and changes such as flight details, travel dates, accommodation or other editable information.

To locate the submission, the system asks for the PNGDAC number, date of birth and nationality/citizenship. The update is then confirmed with another 6-digit email OTP.

PNGDAC declarations FAQ

Common traveller questions

Does PNGDAC replace my visa?

No. ICA explicitly states that PNGDAC is not a visa. It is a passenger declaration and border-processing requirement.

What does the online PNGDAC ask me to complete?

The official web guide lists personal/passport information, trip and accommodation details, Goods and Prohibited Items declarations, and health information as required.

What should I do if I do not know whether an item must be declared?

ICA's official submission guide says: if you are unsure, declare “YES.”

Do I need to declare food?

Food is a common Customs and quarantine declaration category. If the live declaration asks whether you are carrying food and you are, answer truthfully.

Do wooden souvenirs need to be declared?

Wooden articles appear among plant-related examples in Customs declaration material. If the form asks about plant or wooden material, declare the item for assessment.

When must cash or valuables be reported?

PNG Customs requires a CMCV report at K20,000 or more in covered currency and valuables, including the foreign-currency equivalent.

Does PNGDAC use a 6-digit OTP?

Yes. ICA's current online user manual says a 6-digit OTP is sent to the supplied email address to confirm an online submission.

Will I receive a QR code?

The official guide says you can download the completed PNGDAC and receive it by email. Rather than depending on a particular visual format such as a QR code, carry the official downloaded confirmation produced by the live system.

Can I correct my PNGDAC after submitting?

Yes, many travel and accommodation details can be updated. Core identity fields such as name, date of birth, nationality and email require a new submission if incorrect.

Related VisaPNG guides

Complete the rest of your arrival preparation

APNG Arrival CardStart with the main PNGDAC guide. EEntry RequirementsBorder, Customs and health rules. VVisa CheckerCheck your likely visa route. BBefore You TravelFinal pre-flight checks. FTravelling With ChildrenFamily PNGDAC and document planning. NVisa & Entry NewsFollow border-policy updates.

Before you submit

If in doubt about an item, declare it

Prepare your passport, trip and accommodation details first, answer the goods and health questions truthfully, review every field, verify the submission with the email OTP and keep the official PNGDAC document accessible for travel.

Read PNGDAC guide Review entry rules

Official sources

Primary references for this declaration guide

ICA — PNG Digital Arrival Card ICA — PNGDAC How-to Guides Official PNGDAC Website Submission Manual Official PNGDAC Update Manual ICSA — Mandatory PNGDAC Notice PNG Customs — Traveller Concessions PNG Customs — Currency & Valuables Reporting

VisaPNG is an independent visa and travel-support website. It is not the Papua New Guinea Immigration and Citizenship Services Authority, PNG Customs Service or a quarantine authority. The questions displayed by the live PNGDAC system and instructions from border officers take precedence over general guidance.