Final sign-off for departure cards
Airport departure cards will be a thing of the past from November.
People will no longer have to fill out the cards before flying overseas, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway and Customs Minister Meka Whaitiri announced at Auckland International Airport yesterday.
‘‘This will improve the experience of all travellers departing New Zealand, enabling a faster and smoother process,’’ LeesGalloway said.
There is no exact date set for the axing of the cards, and one will be announced closer to the time. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern first signalled the move in March at the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum in Sydney. Delegates at that forum said the cards were not necessary and hampered a seamless transTasman experience, which affected tourism and business.
Ardern said she agreed and would be talking to statistics and immigration officials in coming months.
Yesterday, Lees-Galloway said the move would bring New Zealand into line with other countries, few of which had departure cards with the same level of detail.
Australia removed its departure card in 2017 and it meant travellers would be able to cross the Tasman without filling out a departure card in either port, Lees-Galloway said.
Whaitiri said the cards were no longer needed for their original purpose – to account for all passengers crossing the New Zealand border. ‘‘We have smarter systems now that capture passenger identity information and travel movement records electronically,’’ she said.
‘‘Information captured by the departure cards is now mainly used for statistical purposes.
‘‘Statistics NZ has developed an alternative way to produce migration and tourism statistics, based on actual movements rather than passengers’ stated intentions on the departure cards.’’ Departure cards were introduced in 1921, and it is estimated more than 132 million cards have been filled out since.
The cards ask travellers how long they have been in New Zealand and how long they intend to be away. Those hoping for an end to arrival cards, along with departure cards, are set for a longer wait. The ministers said arrival cards captured important declarations which were used by border staff to manage immigration and biosecurity risks.
‘‘Officials are in the early stages of exploring alternative means of capturing this information, but there are no set timeframes.’’