No more paper cards! India introduces e-arrival card for foreigners
Starting October 1, 2024, if you're a foreign traveler heading to India, you can forget about those old paper disembarkation cards at the airport.
Instead, just fill out a quick e-arrival card online before travel. The goal? Make immigration way faster and cut down on waiting around.
Indian citizens and OCI cardholders don't need to worry about this step.
How to fill the e-arrival card
The e-arrival card is a simple online form—no document uploads needed.
You'll enter basics like your passport number, nationality, reason for visiting, where you're staying in India, and how to contact you.
It's all part of India's push to use tech for smoother travel.
The e-card is part of India's tech-driven travel push
This new e-card is part of the government's efforts to reduce airport delays through technology.
Earlier this month, Union home minister Amit Shah launched the Fast Track Immigration - Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP), which was first introduced in Delhi in 2024 and now at 13 major airports—including Mumbai and Chennai.
Over 265,000 travelers have already breezed through immigration in just 30 seconds using the FTI-TTP.