Obligations for Visitor Identification Card (VIC) Issuers

Who can issue a VIC?

Visitor Identification Cards (VICs) can only be issued by airport operators, approved national passenger aircraft operators (known under the regulations as Secretary-approved VIC issuers) at selected airports and by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service to government officials in limited circumstances. These bodies are referred to as VIC issuers.

Airport operators and approved national passenger aircraft operators may also authorise agents to issue VICs on their behalf if they have been approved to do so under their Transport Security Program.

The 28 day rule

Visitors can be issued a VIC to access the secure area of a particular security controlled airport for a maximum of 28 days within a 12 month period. This is known as the 28 day rule.

There is a separate 28 day limit for each airport. The number of days a VIC has been issued at one airport does not count towards a VIC issued at a different airport.

National passenger aircraft operators approved by the Secretary of the Department can only issue VICs at those airports specified in the approval. These aircraft operators can only issue an individual a VIC for a maximum of 28 days within a 12 month period, regardless of the airport the VIC was issued for.

VICs issued by an approved aircraft operator count towards the 28 days in a 12 month period that an individual may hold a VIC for a particular security controlled airport. It does not matter whether a VIC is issued to an individual by an airport or approved aircraft operator - an individual is still limited to a maximum of 28 days within a 12 month period at each airport.

VIC issuers must have systems and procedures in place for recording the number of days they have issued a VIC to an individual in order to ensure:

• they do not issue a VIC to an individual for more than 28 days in a 12 month period; and
• they do not issue a VIC to an individual that will take the individual over the 28 day limit at a particular airport.

Airport operators who do not have screened air services operating from their airport are exempt from the requirement to record the number of days they have issued a VIC to an individual but must still follow all other record keeping requirements.

VICs issued to applicants and holders of Aviation Security Identification Cards (ASICs) do not count towards the number of days an individual has been issued a VIC. A person is only considered an ASIC applicant once they have submitted their application to their issuing body and their issuing body has begun to process the application.

What does a visitor have to provide to a VIC issuer before they can be issued a VIC?

Before a visitor can be issued a VIC they must have a valid reason for needing to enter the secure area of an airport and give a written declaration of that reason.

It is an offence to give a false reason for requiring a VIC or to act inconsistent with that reason once in the secure area of an airport. If the reason for being in the secure area changes this must be recorded in writing the register.

The visitor must provide proof of their identity. The most common methods are by showing a valid passport, driver’s licence (or any other government issued licence), government employee ID or tertiary student ID, any of which must have a recent photo.

In exceptional cases where photo identification is not available a visitor can also prove their identity by providing two forms of documentation from the following list, one of which must have a signature that the visitor duplicates:

• Government cards, such as Medicare
• Bank or credit cards
• Birth or Citizenship certificate
• Signed letter of employment
• Land title documentation
• Electoral roll extract

Children under 18 and foreign dignitaries do not have to prove their identity. In exceptional circumstances this requirement may also be waived.

Who cannot be issued with a VIC?

It is an offence for a person to obtain a VIC if they have been refused an ASIC or had an ASIC suspended or cancelled due to an adverse background check.

What are the responsibilities of a VIC issuer?

Supervision

Visitors issued a VIC must be supervised by an ASIC holder at all times while in the secure area of an airport.

Register

VIC issuers are required to keep a register of every VIC issued which must contain the following information:

• Name, date of birth and address of the visitor
• Details of the airport the VIC is valid for (for non-airport issuers only)
• A unique VIC number
• Reasons for needing a VIC which are to be confirmed by an ASIC holder (which may or may not be the ASIC holder supervising the visitor)
• Name, unique ASIC number and ASIC expiry date of supervising ASIC holder
• Dates of issue and expiry of the VIC
• If applicable, the day the VIC was returned, cancelled, lost, reported stolen or destroyed
• Declaration by the visitor that they have not been refused an ASIC, had their ASIC suspended or cancelled due to an adverse criminal record
• Declaration by the visitor that they will not be in breach of the 28 day rule
• Details of what was used to confirm the visitor’s identity (copies of the documentation are not expected to be kept, however the type of document, the document number if relevant, and the date of expiry, state or country of issue should all be recorded)
• Number of days that the visitor has held a VIC for the airport over the previous 12 months (screened airports only)

Each record within the VIC register must be maintained for 24 months in a form that can be conveniently audited (typically through an electronic record). The register must be stored at the office of the VIC issuer with access on request to transport security inspectors during normal working hours.

Aircraft operators approved to issue VICs must provide data to each airport on the VICs that it has issued at that airport, excluding those airports that do not operate screened services. Before the 7th day of each month, the aircraft operator must provide the name, date of birth and address of each person who had been issued a VIC for 20 days or more during the previous 12 months, along with the date each VIC was issued and how long the VIC was issued for.

It is advised that airport and aircraft operators should develop a preferred method for sharing visitor data information to ensure that a visitor is not knowingly issued a VIC in breach of the 28 day rule.

VICs over 24 hours

VICs issued for more than 24 hours at a major airport, or 72 hours at all other airports, must include a recent photo of the visitor, their name and the expiry date of the VIC. The photo of the VIC holder must bear a reasonable likeness to the visitor and may be in black and white. A photograph from a valid driver’s licence or passport may be used.

Visitor obligations

VIC issuers must make all visitors aware of their obligations when issued a VIC. As part of this requirement, VIC issuers for screened airports should inform visitors during the VIC application process of the number of days the visitor has been previously issued a VIC for that airport in order to help visitors meet their obligations.

The web page on Information for visitors to secure areas of airports provides information on visitor obligations.

Return of VICs

VICs must be returned by the VIC holder within 7 days (previously 1 month) of expiry or within 7 days of the VIC holder no longer having a need to enter the secure area.

A VIC that has been lost, damaged or misplaced may be reissued by the VIC issuer with the same details (including the expiry date) of the lost VIC. The VIC register must be updated with the date the VIC was lost or destroyed. The reissued VIC will not count as additional days towards the 28 day limit.

Where can further information be obtained?

This web page only provides an outline of the obligations of VIC issuers. VIC issuers should familiarise themselves with the detailed requirements in the Aviation Transport Security Regulations 2005.

VIC issuers should contact the Office of Transport Security responsible for their state for Guidance material for on what should be included in their Transport Security Program.

Frequently Asked Questions

A list of frequently asked questions and responses relating to the enhanced visitor management scheme is available on the Department's Frequently Asked Questions: Implementation of ASIC and VIC Enhancements webpage.

Communications Material for Download

The following documents are available for download:

• VIC Issuer Fact Sheet (based on this web page) [PDF: 33 KB] [DOC: 63 KB]
• VIC Holder Fact Sheet [PDF: 23 KB] [DOC: 33 KB]
• VIC PowerPoint presentation [PPT: 2099 KB]
• VIC Poster [PDF: 1510 KB]
• Information for visitors to secure areas of airports brochure [PDF: 188 KB]
• VIC holder obligations wallet card [PDF: 94 KB]