International passengers departing from India will no longer need to have their boarding passes stamped at immigration counters from September 1, as the Bureau of Immigration moves to accept electronic boarding passes displayed on smartphones at all international airports.
The new procedure was communicated through an internal directive issued by Deepak Yadav, an official at the Delhi Foreigners Regional Registration Office, according to a Hindustan Times report. The communication was shared with key stakeholders, including international airport operators and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Physical boarding passes still accepted
Officials separately told the Press Trust of India that passengers traveling abroad will be allowed to present e-boarding passes on their smartphones for immigration clearance. The Bureau of Immigration, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, decided to end the stamping practice after finding that it caused inconvenience to passengers. Officials also pointed to cases in which improper or incorrect stamps made boarding passes difficult to read.
Physical boarding passes will continue to be accepted after September 1, but immigration officials will no longer stamp them. The requirement for stamped physical boarding passes at immigration counters at international airports has therefore been withdrawn, officials said. Airport operators and other aviation stakeholders have been asked to brief their staff on the new procedure before it takes effect.
CISF stamping already discontinued
The CISF stopped stamping boarding passes during passenger security checks several years ago, according to security officials. The practice was discontinued for both domestic and international passengers, with boarding passes used only for clearance during security checks.
The immigration stamping process was separate and is now also being discontinued. The Bureau of Immigration is also planning to end immigration entry and exit stamping for Indian passport holders. Officials said a pilot project is currently underway, after which the measure is expected to be introduced across Indian airports.
