What governments say happens to arrival card data
- Systems checked
- 8 official digital arrival systems
- Fixed period published
- Korea states semi-permanent retention 1
- Purpose-based period
- Singapore retains data as legislation and official purposes require 2
- Not the same as API
- The traveller submits an arrival card. Airlines normally send API
- Checked
- 19 October 2026
What an arrival card can collect
Arrival cards commonly ask for your name, nationality, birth date, passport number, contact details, arrival transport, purpose of travel and address at the destination. Korea's consent page lists those fields and adds occupation, dates of entry and departure, and optional onward travel details 1.
Singapore's privacy statement lists identity, travel-document, contact, health, entry and exit, accommodation and intended-activity information. It says ICA can receive advance passenger information from airlines as a separate source 2.
Published rules by system
| System | Published use and access | Published retention term |
|---|---|---|
| Korea e-Arrival Card | Immigration clearance under the Immigration Act and related processing | Semi-permanent 1 |
| Singapore SG Arrival Card | Border control, public safety, crime prevention and advance risk assessment | As legislation, the collection purpose or official government purposes require. No fixed number published 2 |
| Philippines eTravel | Border control, health surveillance, immigration clearance and government analysis | The policy says collected data may be aggregated and retained for future transactions and reference. No fixed number published 3 |
| Thailand TDAC | Thai government border control. Access is limited to relevant immigration and border-security authorities | No fixed period on the official traveller FAQ 4 |
| Taiwan TWAC | Immigration clearance. The passport scan retrieves the submitted record | No fixed period in the official launch notice 5 |
| Japan Visit Japan Web | Immigration, customs and tax-free shopping procedures | No fixed period on the official service page 6 |
| Malaysia MDAC | Arrival declaration for the Immigration Department | No fixed period on the official portal 7 |
| Indonesia All Indonesia | A combined immigration, customs, health and quarantine arrival declaration | No fixed period on the official portal 8 |
Who can use or receive the data
Singapore says it may share personal data with other government agencies for purposes allowed by the Public Sector (Governance) Act and for public or national interests. Its statement lists limited cases for overseas transfer and gives a feedback route for access or correction requests 2.
The Philippines names the Department of Information and Communications Technology as controller and the quarantine, immigration, customs and tourism agencies as processors. Its policy says access is limited to authorised personnel and sharing with other government entities must be lawful and noncommercial 3.
Thailand's official TDAC FAQ says the data is not shared outside Thailand and is used for Thai government border-control purposes. It states that the system follows Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act 4.
What a missing retention number means
A missing public number does not mean that the authority keeps data forever or deletes it at the border. It means the reviewed public traveller page did not state a fixed period on 19 October 2026. National records, immigration and privacy laws may set periods outside that page 2,3.
Do not infer a deletion date from the period in which you can edit or retrieve a submission. A form may stop being available to a traveller before the official record is erased. Korea is the clearest of the eight reviewed systems since its consent page states the retention term next to the collected fields 1.
How to reduce avoidable risk
- Use the official government page linked from the country guide on this site.
- Check the address bar before entering passport details. Official portals use government domains 1,34,56,78.
- Read the consent or privacy notice before submission, with extra care when completing a card for another person.
- Keep a confirmation only as long as you need it and protect screenshots that show passport or reference details.
- Use the authority's privacy contact if you need access, correction or deletion information 1,2.
Common questions
Do arrival cards keep my passport number?
They can. Korea and Singapore list passport or travel-document numbers among the data collected for border processing 1,2.
How long is arrival card data kept?
It depends on the system. Korea states semi-permanent retention. Singapore gives purpose-based criteria. The other reviewed traveller pages do not publish one fixed period 1,23,45,67,8.
Can I ask to correct my information?
Rights differ by country. Korea's policy provides routes for access, correction, deletion and suspension requests, subject to legal limits. Singapore provides a feedback route for access and correction 1,2.
Does an arrival card replace airline passenger data?
No. Singapore's notice treats airline advance passenger information as a separate source from the SG Arrival Card 2.
Is an unofficial arrival-card website safe?
Use only the government portal. A lookalike site can collect the same high-value identity and passport data without government authority.
Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email hello@entryrulesexplained.com with the official link.
Sources
- Korea Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice: e-Arrival Card consent and personal-information terms (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Singapore: Privacy Statement (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Philippine Travel Information System: eTravel Privacy Policy (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Thailand Immigration Bureau: Thailand Digital Arrival Card FAQ (accessed 19 October 2026)
- National Immigration Agency, Taiwan: Taiwan Arrival Card launch notice (21 September 2025)
- Digital Agency, Japan: Visit Japan Web (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Immigration Department of Malaysia: Malaysia Digital Arrival Card portal (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesia: All Indonesia official portal (accessed 19 October 2026)
Related
- Advance passenger information: what API and PNR mean
What airlines send before a flight, how API differs from PNR, why states collect it, and the international rules behind the systems.
- South Korea e-Arrival Card
Korea's e-Arrival Card is free and can be filed from 3 days before arrival. Who must file it, who is excluded and how it differs from K-ETA.
- SG Arrival Card (SGAC) with electronic health declaration
Singapore's SG Arrival Card is free and must be submitted within 3 days before arrival. Who is exempt, the official links and ICA scam warnings.
- Philippines eTravel
eTravel is the Philippines' free online travel and health declaration, due within 72 hours of arrival. Who must register, exemptions and scam warnings.