Official System: India Digital e-Arrival Card (Disembarkation Card for Foreigners)
2026 Quick Answer
All foreign nationals (including tourists, business travelers, students, medical visitors, and employment visa holders) as well as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI / e-OCI) cardholders entering India via international airports or seaports. Travelers must submit the India Digital e-Arrival Card (Disembarkation Card for Foreigners) (Within 72 hours (3 days) before arrival). This digital declaration replaces: Paper Disembarkation Card for Foreigners.
Follow this exact countdown schedule before arriving in India so your QR code is ready prior to airline check-in.
| Timing Before Arrival | Window Status | Required Traveler Action |
|---|---|---|
| Before 3-day official window | Too Early | Prepare your passport and itinerary, or pre-submit early with NomadicMart (from $29) so our queue files automatically as soon as the window opens. |
| Within 72 hours (3 days) before arrival | Window Open | Ideal submission window. Complete your India Digital e-Arrival Card (Disembarkation Card for Foreigners) with passport, transport, and accommodation details to receive your digital confirmation. |
| 24 hours to 3 hours before departure | Priority Window | Submit immediately before airline check-in closes and save a screenshot or PDF of your e-Arrival confirmation offline. |
| At departure gate / India arrival | Final Cutoff | Airlines and border control officers verify e-Arrival completion prior to boarding or at the port of entry. |
Compliance tip: Governed by the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 (effective September 1, 2025) and the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which officially launched the digital e-Arrival Card on October 1, 2025.
Compliance tip: Can be submitted strictly within 72 hours (3 calendar days) prior to the scheduled date of arrival in India (inclusive of today + up to 3 days in advance).
Compliance tip: Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders ARE legally classified as foreign nationals under Indian immigration law and MUST complete the e-Arrival Card prior to arrival.
Compliance tip: Up to 5 additional traveling family/group members (6 travelers total per submission) can be added to a single primary declaration using the 'Are any other members travelling with you?' option.
Compliance tip: The portal enforces a strict client-side AES-CBC encrypted submission payload (`POST /arrivalcard/dcard/save`) and rejects copy/paste/cut/drop across all form inputs on the official site.
Eligible Passports: Operational at 8 major international airports (DEL, BOM, MAA, CCU, BLR, HYD, COK, AMD) for pre-registered Indian Nationals and OCI Cardholders (`ftittp.mha.gov.in`). Standard foreign nationals clear via staffed Bureau of Immigration counters where their e-Arrival Card is automatically retrieved by passport scan.
How Airport Clearance Works: Operational at 8 major international airports (DEL, BOM, MAA, CCU, BLR, HYD, COK, AMD) for pre-registered Indian Nationals and OCI Cardholders (`ftittp.mha.gov.in`). Standard foreign nationals clear via staffed Bureau of Immigration counters where their e-Arrival Card is automatically retrieved by passport scan.
| Code | Port of Entry | Mode | 2026 Operational Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEL | Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi (DEL) | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card and FTI-TTP biometric e-Gates (Indian citizens & OCI) |
| BOM | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai (BOM) | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card and FTI-TTP biometric e-Gates |
| BLR | Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR) | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card and FTI-TTP biometric e-Gates |
| MAA | Chennai International Airport (MAA) | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card and FTI-TTP biometric e-Gates |
| CCU | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata (CCU) | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card and FTI-TTP biometric e-Gates |
| HYD | Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad (HYD) | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card and FTI-TTP biometric e-Gates |
| COK | Cochin International Airport, Kochi (COK) | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card and FTI-TTP biometric e-Gates |
| AMD | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad (AMD) | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card and FTI-TTP biometric e-Gates |
| GOI | Manohar International Airport (Mopa, GOX) & Dabolim Airport (GOI), Goa | Air | All 31+ designated e-Visa international airports in India support the digital e-Arrival Card |
| TRV | Thiruvananthapuram (TRV), Kozhikode (CCJ), Kannur (CNN) & Amritsar (ATQ) International Airports | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card via passport linkage at BoI counters |
| PNQ | Pune (PNQ), Jaipur (JAI), Lucknow (LKO), Varanasi (VNS) & Guwahati (GAU) International Airports | Air | Supports e-Arrival Card via passport linkage at BoI counters |
| IN-12 | Mumbai, Cochin, Mormugao (Goa), Chennai, New Mangalore & Port Blair International Seaports | Sea | 6 designated international cruise/seaports supporting digital e-Arrival and e-Visa clearance |
| ICP | Attari/Wagah, Haridaspur, Raxaul, Jogbani, Moreh & Dawki Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) | Land | Land border ICPs primarily utilize paper Disembarkation Cards and manual register verification alongside digital passport checks |
Fill out your passport details, flight/vessel number, 6-day Yellow Fever travel history, and Indian stay address (State & District) within 3 calendar days prior to landing in India. Up to 5 accompanying family members can be included on one form.
Upon submission, your e-Arrival Card is linked directly to your passport number in the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) database and a downloadable PDF confirmation receipt is sent to your email.
Proceed to the Foreigners / e-Visa / OCI immigration counter (or FTI-TTP e-Gate for enrolled OCI holders). When the officer scans your passport, your digital e-Arrival Card loads automatically—keep the PDF on your phone or printed as a backup.
Regional & Border Corridor Advisory (Asia-Pacific):
Governed by the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 (effective September 1, 2025) and the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which officially launched the digital e-Arrival Card on October 1, 2025. Can be submitted strictly within 72 hours (3 calendar days) prior to the scheduled date of arrival in India (inclusive of today + up to 3 days in advance). Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders ARE legally classified as foreign nationals under Indian immigration law and MUST complete the e-Arrival Card prior to arrival. Up to 5 additional traveling family/group members (6 travelers total per submission) can be added to a single primary declaration using the 'Are any other members travelling with you?' option. The portal enforces a strict client-side AES-CBC encrypted submission payload (`POST /arrivalcard/dcard/save`) and rejects copy/paste/cut/drop across all form inputs on the official site. Full Name (`applname`) must contain letters and spaces only (`^[a-zA-Z ]+$`, max 200 characters)—hyphens, apostrophes, periods, and digits are rejected and must be replaced with spaces. Passport Number (`passport`) must be strictly 6 to 15 alphanumeric characters without spaces or special symbols (`^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$`). Includes a mandatory 6-day Yellow Fever endemic country travel history screen covering 43 designated African and South/Central American countries; if none were visited, travelers select 'None' (`NON`). Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) e-Gates are operational for pre-registered biometric Indian citizens and OCI cardholders at 8 major airports (DEL, BOM, MAA, CCU, BLR, HYD, COK, AMD), while regular foreign tourists use staffed BoI counters where their passport scan automatically retrieves the e-Arrival record.
You must submit the India e-Arrival Card within 72 hours (3 calendar days) before your scheduled date of arrival in India. The system only unlocks your arrival date once it falls within the 3-day window.
Yes. Under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, OCI cardholders hold foreign passports and are legally classified as foreign nationals for disembarkation reporting. All OCI travelers must submit the e-Arrival Card within 72 hours before arriving in India.
No. The e-Arrival Card only replaces the paper Disembarkation Card handed out on flights. You must still hold a valid Indian e-Visa, regular sticker visa, or OCI card prior to boarding your flight to India.
That question specifically screens for travel to the 43 WHO-designated Yellow Fever endemic nations in Africa and South/Central America within the 6 days preceding arrival. If you did not visit any of those 43 countries, simply select 'None' (NON).
Yes. A primary applicant can add up to 5 accompanying family or group members (6 travelers total) on a single submission if they share the same flight, arrival date, and address in India.
The official Bureau of Immigration portal strictly accepts English letters and spaces only in the Full Name field. Replace any hyphens or apostrophes with a single space so that it matches the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) format on your passport.