Foreign travellers landing in India no longer need to scramble for paper disembarkation forms at immigration counters. From October 1, the government has made the entry process completely digital with the launch of the mandatory e-Arrival Card for non-Indian nationals.
The online form, available through the Bureau of Immigration website, the Su-Swagatam app, and the Indian Visa Online portal, asks for only essential details such as passport number, nationality, purpose of visit, contact information, and a local address in India. There is no fee and no requirement to upload documents. Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders are exempt, Economic Times reported.
Officials say the move is designed to streamline immigration and reduce bottlenecks at airports, where long queues at arrival counters have often been a pain point for international travellers.
According to a report by Economic Times, the digital card complements the government’s larger push toward technology-driven border management, including the Fast Track Immigration, Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP).
Launched earlier this month at five more airports, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Trichy, Kozhikode, and Amritsar, the programme is now active at 13 airports across the country, with Navi Mumbai and Greater Noida next in line.
Data shows that nearly 3 lakh people have signed up for FTI-TTP, and over 2.65 lakh have already used it, cutting their clearance time to just 30 seconds, reported Economic Times
With both initiatives running in parallel, India is positioning itself as a tourist- and business-friendly destination, offering faster, smoother entry for foreign visitors while giving returning Indians and OCI holders a frictionless travel experience.
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