Home Affairs boss Michael Pezzullo has told a Senate estimates committee the Federal Government’s digital passenger declaration or DPD, could be trialled by early next year.

The declaration will enable travellers entering Australia to provide coronavirus vaccination status through a new pre-check-in digital declaration.

Pezzullo told the committee the DPD will have the capability to validate the vaccination status of people who have been vaccinated in Australia and possibly do away with the need for 14 days quarantine.

The new system could also recognise international vaccination certificates.

The DPD will also enable a pre-check-in declarations  including health status, visa and travel history.

Pezzullo said he was confident the new system will be ready to operate at scale.

The Australian Border Force has so far dealt with close to 50 million passenger movements a year before the nation’s borders closed.