Snippets: Digital Passenger Declaration App Frustrations

Complaints a Plenty, Strong Opinions and Some Advice

In Australia the Department of Home Affairs has an app that can be used on smartphones and tablets for returning passengers, tourists, visitors and those in transit called Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD). This electronic form has to be completed before arrival. It includes passport details, vaccine certificate and negative COVID-19 test results. It has been designed so passengers can use the SmartGates without having to physically show the documentation mentioned to the Border Force staff.

The app has been out since mid February 2022, but it has been reported to be causing a lot of issues and stress with passengers. Many complaiing it doesn’t work properly and frustratingly time consuming to complete. Some of the reviews of the app, available for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, have been scathing and critical, with comments such as: total rubbish, useless, could be better, just dumb, a complete waste of time, hopelessly useless, poorly developed, bad!, etc. Achieving a star rating of 1.3 on the App Store and 1 star on Google Play.

I guess the app would have got no stars at all if it were allowed in the review process.

Some of the issues people have had are: uploading PDF format documents (a standard used everywhere), the app failing to recognise passwords and having to log-in many times, the screen randomly going blank. Others have complained the app requires internet access even after completing the form, making it hard to show check-in staff at airports abroad if the Wi-Fi is not available.

The Department of Home Affairs is adamant the app works and there are no bugs. Nevertheless, they admit they are actively monitoring feedback and will consider improvements over the next few months.

Those passengers who do not complete the form or have partially entered details will be referred to Border Force staff for manual checks.

The writer goes on with some good tips and advice to help resolve some of the issues, like: taking screenshots of the PDF file on the device and save it to your photos and then upload it to the DPD. Do this also to the summary page with several screenshots. He also says make sure to scroll down the “Information Collection Consent” page and get to the “I agree” button. Many have said they cannot access it. Presumably because they are not scrolling down the whole document. Same with entering the country information (where you’ve spent the most time overseas). It’s a predetermined list in a drop down menu. Important you select from the menus and not type in as that will cause the screen to go blank. Remember if you are unable to get a printed copy take screenshots instead. Trying to print from smartphones etc., with no printers handy is a major hassle.

All good stuff but…

Sometimes trying to make things easier using technology makes things harder. The old fashion way of filling out cards and forms and handing them over for manual and visual checks works. It may be time consuming but if there are any grey areas things can be sorted out with human intervention. Besides not everyone has a smartphone running apps. Elderly people and some who are handicapped have their issues. Anything done electronically has a precise way of being done and if there is a glitch there may be a time when things grind to a halt or it fails completely. We can only hope the DPD will be ditched with vaccine certificates and COVID-19 testing.

Note: the DPD has not replaced the Incoming Passenger Card which has other details and does not include COVID-19 vaccinations and tests.

Update: The DPD has been scrapped from Wednesday 6 July 2022. However there are plans to re-instate it some time in the future as a substitute to the Incoming Passenger Card. The Department of Home Affiars is looking at software improvements.