# Obligation to report on persons arriving in Australia

> act-s245L — as in force on 2026-06-04 — C2026C00232 · Compilation No. 171 — https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026C00232/latest/text

245L Obligation to report on persons arriving in Australia

               Aircraft and ships to which section applies
          (1) This section applies to an aircraft or ship of a kind to which this
              Division applies that is due to arrive at a place in Australia from a
              place outside Australia.








               Obligation to report on passengers and crew
          (2) The operator of the aircraft or ship must, in accordance with this
              section:
                (a) report to the Department, using the approved primary
                    reporting system for passengers, on each passenger who will
                    be on board the aircraft or ship at the time of its arrival at the
                    place in Australia; and
                (b) report to the Department, using the approved primary
                    reporting system for crew, on each member of the crew who
                    will be on board the aircraft or ship at the time of its arrival at
                    the place in Australia.
               Note 1:      This obligation must be complied with even if the information
                            concerned is personal information.
               Note 2:      Section 245N contains an offence for failure to comply with this
                            subsection.

               Information to be reported
          (3) A report on passengers or crew under subsection (2) must include
              the information relating to those passengers or crew that is
              specified, as mentioned in subsection 245J(3), in relation to the
              relevant approved primary reporting system.

               Deadline for reporting—aircraft
          (4) A report on passengers or crew on an aircraft must be given not
              later than:
                (a) if the flight from the last place outside Australia is likely to
                     take not less than 3 hours—3 hours before the aircraft’s
                     likely time of arrival at the place in Australia; or
                (b) if the flight from the last place outside Australia is likely to
                     take less than 3 hours—one hour before the aircraft’s likely
                     time of arrival at the place in Australia.










               Deadline for reporting—ships
          (5) A report on passengers or crew on a ship must be given not later
              than:
                (a) the start of the prescribed period before the ship’s estimated
                    time of arrival at the place in Australia; or
                (b) if the journey is of a kind described in regulations made for
                    the purposes of this paragraph—the start of the shorter period
                    specified in those regulations before the ship’s estimated time
                    of arrival at the place in Australia.
        (5A) Regulations made for the purposes of paragraph (5)(b) may
             prescribe matters of a transitional nature (including prescribing any
             saving or application provisions) arising out of the making of
             regulations for those purposes.