Using Antigua’s arrival portal as a returning citizen
Travelling as one family does not always mean submitting one form.
The portal has separate national and international-traveller options. Its current family rules require adult children and other adults to submit separately.
A returning Antigua and Barbuda passport holder can use the portal’s national-traveller options. The current service distinguishes international visitors from Antiguan and Barbudan nationals or OECS residents, with separate arrival and departure choices for the latter group.[1] Living overseas is not, by itself, a reason to select the tourist category.
Prepare the form on a mobile device
The tourism authority’s launch notice of 14 April 2025 describes the service for V.C. Bird International Airport, completion within 72 hours of a scheduled flight and a QR code that can be retained electronically. No app download is required.[2] The live portal specifies a personal phone or tablet.[1]
After scanning a passport, check the populated name, document number and dates. Automated capture assists with entry; it does not replace the traveller’s review.
Check who can share the submission
The current portal instructs the applicant to add themselves first, then only a spouse and dependent children under 18. Friends and other adults must file separately.[1] Travelling together or sharing accommodation does not extend that list to adult children or parents.
For example, parents travelling with a 15-year-old and a 20-year-old should treat the adult child as a separate submission. This illustrates form grouping, not anyone’s entitlement to enter.
Retain the declaration and the actual travel records
A QR code records a declaration, not proof that entry has occurred or that a citizenship-programme stay requirement has been fulfilled. Families needing to document a visit should retain their actual travel and accommodation records as well. The linked stay-and-renewal article addresses that separate requirement.
The Chinese embassy’s May 2025 guidance also describes paper immigration and customs cards for travellers who have not completed the electronic declaration.[3] That guidance should not be recast as a new mandatory electronic visa. Check current portal and carrier instructions before departure.
This article was checked on 23 October 2026; the system was launched earlier. Confirm separate arrangements for seaports, private flights or unusual itineraries rather than assuming that airport instructions apply.
Official sources
General policy information; individual circumstances and the competent authority’s requirements govern each application.