India to launch e-arrival cards for foreign travellers from October 1

 

 

Foreign nationals arriving in India will no longer need to fill physical disembarkation forms at immigration counters from October 1, the Ministry of Home Affairs said, as the government moves to digitise the arrival process. Travellers for work, tourism, study or business will have the option of submitting e-arrival cards online prior to their arrival.

 

The digital form will request information such as passport number, nationality, purpose of visit, contact details and local address in India. No additional documents will need to be uploaded. Indian citizens and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders are exempt from filling the e-arrival cards.

 

The Home Ministry has been using technology to streamline immigration procedures. Earlier this month, Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) at airports in Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Trichy, Kozhikode and Amritsar. The programme, launched in 2024 from Delhi, allows Indian citizens and OCI card holders to receive immigration clearance in around 30 seconds. According to a ministry statement, the FTI-TTP programme has been implemented at 13 airports, with upcoming airports in Navi Mumbai and Greater Noida also scheduled to offer the service.

 

The statement added that approximately 3 lakh travellers have registered on the FTI-TTP portal, with 2.65 lakh using the service during travel so far. Officials said the introduction of e-arrival cards is expected to reduce queues at immigration counters and make the entry process smoother for foreign visitors. The government has emphasised that the digital initiative is part of a broader effort to adopt technology in border management and improve the efficiency of immigration procedures.