International travellers visiting Australia will not be required to declare their COVID-19 vaccination from 00:01 on 6 July.

Australia’s digital passenger declaration (DPD) app, which has been criticised for being difficult to use, will also be scrapped and replaced with a paper incoming passenger card.

The changes were announced by Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, who said: “As more and more of us travel internationally and we get more confident in managing our risk of COVID, our airports are getting busier.”

“Removing these requirements will not only reduce delays in our airports, but will encourage more visitors and skilled workers to choose Australia as a destination.”

The new rules also apply to passengers arriving in Australia on a cruise.

Meanwhile, Portugal has dropped COVID entry restrictions for both vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors.

The Foreign Office has updated its advice to say: “There are no COVID vaccination or testing requirements for entry to mainland Portugal, Madeira and Porto Santo.”