Papua New Guinea Arrival Card Fee: Is the PNGDAC Free? (2026)

The short answer: yes, the PNGDAC is free

The Papua New Guinea arrival card fee is zero. The PNG Digital Arrival Card (PNGDAC) is free on the official portal, https://ica.gov.pg — no government charge, no processing fee, no payment page. It has been free since it became mandatory on 1 May 2025, and submitting it yourself costs nothing but about three to five minutes per person.

We run a paid filing service, and we are telling you the card is free in our first paragraph, because that is the truth and because it is how we would want to be treated as travelers. Our $19 buys convenience — having someone prepare, verify, and submit the card for you — never access to the card itself.

This page covers the full money-and-time picture: what the free portal includes, how long each step takes, what our fee covers, and how to spot sites that charge for the card as if it were official.

What the free official portal includes

Everything necessary is included at no cost: the form, the MRZ passport scan, group submission for up to 10 travelers through “Add Other Travelers”, the “Update Arrival Card” correction flow, and the confirmation email with your QR code. The card stays downloadable during your stay, and printing is optional.

There is also no hidden time cost structure. The portal does not offer a paid fast lane, because there is no slow lane: processing is automatic, and the confirmation email typically arrives within minutes. What varies is your typing time, which the official FAQ estimates at three to five minutes per person when your passport, flight, and hotel details are ready.

The only timing constraint is the submission window: within 3 days before your arrival date, counted from the arrival date. Arriving Monday 16 June 2026 means the window opens Saturday 13 June. Earlier submissions are rejected rather than queued.

How long the PNGDAC takes, step by step

Time, not money, is the real budget for the PNGDAC. Here is what each part takes:

What our $19 fee covers

We are an independent filing service, not a government body, and our fee pays for work: you send your trip details once, and a person on our side prepares the card, verifies every field against your passport, submits it on the official portal, and emails your confirmation within 24 hours. Corrections after submission are handled free, including the update flow that needs your card number, date of birth, and nationality.

The comparison in one table:

File it yourself, or have us file it

If you have your details ready and five quiet minutes, submit it yourself at https://ica.gov.pg — our how to apply guide walks through every step. If you would rather hand it off, start your application here.

Why some sites charge — and how to avoid overpaying

Search results for the PNGDAC mix three kinds of sites. The official portal, which is free. Legitimate independent services like ours, which charge openly for filing and say the official form is free. And lookalike sites that present the card itself as a paid product — those are the ones to avoid, especially when the price appears only at checkout.

The reliable tell is the URL. The only official submission point is https://ica.gov.pg, on a PNG government domain. Anything else charging for “the official Papua New Guinea arrival card” or an “express PNGDAC” is marking up a free form, because no express tier exists officially.

If you have already paid a lookalike site, check what you actually received: a filed card and a real card number, or nothing. Card numbers can be verified later in the update flow with the card number, date of birth, and nationality.

Is it ever too late to file?

The window stays open until you land, so submitting on departure day from the airport wifi works — the form itself is the same three to five minutes. If you land with nothing filed, self-service kiosks at Suvarnabhumi (BKK), Don Mueang (DMK), Phuket (HKT), Chiang Mai (CNX), and Hat Yai (HDY) let you file on the spot before immigration processes you. It works, but it costs time and adds scrutiny.

For our filing service, the practical deadline is 24 hours before you want the confirmation in hand, since our turnaround is confirmation within 24 hours. Cutting it closer than that on either route — portal or service — is how stressed arrivals happen. If you are still deciding whether you need the card at all, see our do I need a Papua New Guinea arrival card guide.

Frequently Asked Questions