An arrival card, also known as an incoming passenger card, landing card or disembarkation card, is a legal document used by immigration authorities of many countries to obtain information about an incoming passenger not provided by the passenger's passport (such as health, criminal record, where they will be staying, purpose of the visit, etc.) and to provide a record of a person's entry into the country.[1][2][3][4] The card may also provide information on health and character requirements for non-citizens entering the country.[5] Some countries require an arrival card for each incoming passenger, while others require one card per family unit, and some only require an arrival card for non-citizens only.
Some countries, such as Thailand, attach a departure card to the arrival card, which is retained in the alien's passport until their eventual departure. This arrival card can also be combined with a customs declaration, which some countries require incoming passengers to fill out separately.
The procedure of compiling information from physical immigration cards is no longer required by the authorities of Singapore (which switched to electronic cards)[6] and the United States following the introduction of the biometric recording system by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the United States Customs and Border Protection respectively.[3][7] There is minimal cross-border formality between a number of countries, most notably those in the passport-free travel area of Europe's Schengen Area.[8]
The requirement to produce an arrival card is usually in addition to a requirement to produce a passport or other travel document, to obtain a visa, and sometimes complete a customs declaration.
- ^ Passenger Cards. Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Australian Government.
- ^ "cbp.gov, What to Declare". Archived from the original on September 15, 2016.
- ^ a b "U.S. Customs and Border Protection Declaration Form 6059B, CBP Issues New Customs Declarations Form, Features Expanded Definition of Family Members". Archived from the original on 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
- ^ NZIS431 - New Zealand Passenger Departure Card Archived 2008-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Statistics New Zealand.
- ^ NZIS431 - New Zealand Passenger Departure Card. Statistics New Zealand.
- ^ "Singapore Arrival Card (SGAC) and Electronic Pass (e-Pass) Enquiry Portal". Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.
- ^ "For U.S. Citizens/Lawful Permanent Residents | U.S. Customs and Border Protection". www.cbp.gov.
- ^ per Article 21 of the Schengen Borders Code (OJ L 105, 13 April 2006, p. 1).