- The e-Arrival Card is mandatory for all foreign nationals, regardless of visa type (e-Visa, sticker visa, or other). Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders are exempt.
- For frequent flyers and business travelers, the shift promises faster clearance and fewer delays at busy airports like Delhi and Mumbai. It also brings India in line with regional neighbors that have already gone paperless, with Papua New Guinea preparing to launch a similar system soon.
Starting October 1, 2025, India will phase out the traditional paper disembarkation form for foreign travelers and introduce a digital e-Arrival Card. The new system requires visitors to complete the form online before reaching immigration, streamlining entry procedures at airports.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the e-Arrival Card will reduce paperwork, ease congestion at immigration counters, and cut waiting times for passengers.
What Is the e-Arrival Card?
For decades, foreign visitors to India were required to fill out paper forms listing personal, travel, and immigration details. From October, this process will go fully digital, in line with systems already in use in countries such as the UK, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Travelers must complete the e-Arrival Card online within five days before their arrival. A beta version is currently available at indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival for testing.
Information Required
The digital form will request details similar to the old paper version, including:
- Full name and nationality
- Passport number
- Date and purpose of visit (tourism, business, study, medical, AYUSH, employment, research, or conference)
- Countries visited in the past six days
- Address in India
- Contact and emergency details
Once submitted, travelers will receive a digital preview of their card, which may be requested on arrival.
Who Needs to Complete It?
The e-Arrival Card is mandatory for all foreign nationals, regardless of visa type (e-Visa, sticker visa, or other). Indian citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders are exempt.
How to Apply – Step by Step
Visit the official portal: indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival
- Fill in the required personal, travel, and contact details.
- Submit the form within five days of travel.
- Save your confirmation — digital or printed — as proof.
- Proceed through immigration as usual, where officers will access the digital record.
- No document uploads are needed; only typed information is required.
Why This Matters
For frequent flyers and business travelers, the shift promises faster clearance and fewer delays at busy airports like Delhi and Mumbai. It also brings India in line with regional neighbors that have already gone paperless, with Papua New Guinea preparing to launch a similar system soon.
Key Takeaway
From October 1, 2025, all foreign travelers to India must complete the digital e-Arrival Card before entering the country, marking the end of the paper disembarkation form. The system is in beta testing now and will later integrate with India’s e-Visa platform.
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