India to Launch e-Arrival Card for Foreign Visitors from October 1

From October 1, 2025, India will replace paper disembarkation forms with a digital e-Arrival Card for foreign travellers. The online form, available five days before arrival at indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival, requires details such as passport, purpose of visit, recent travel history, and contact information. Indian citizens and OCI cardholders are exempt. The move aligns with global trends and complements India’s Fast Track Immigration Programme, aimed at reducing queues and expediting arrivals.

From October 1, 2025, foreign travellers entering India will no longer need to fill out the traditional paper disembarkation forms. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is rolling out a mandatory digital e-Arrival Card to simplify immigration and cut down queues at airports.

What is the e-Arrival Card?

Previously, travellers provided personal and travel details such as passport number, purpose of visit, and local address on a paper form handed in at immigration. This will now be digitised. Travellers must complete the online process within five days of arrival via the official portal: (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival).

Information Required

The e-Arrival Card will ask for:

* Full name, nationality, passport details

* Date of arrival and purpose of visit (tourism, business, study, medical, employment, research, or conference)

* Countries visited in the last six days

* Address in India, email, phone number, and emergency contacts

No document uploads are required. Once completed, travellers receive a preview that may be presented upon arrival if requested.

Who Needs to Fill It?

Mandatory: All foreign nationals.

Exempt: Indian citizens and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders.

Part of a Wider Push for Faster Immigration

The e-Arrival Card follows other tech-driven projects, including the Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) Fast Track Immigration. Already available at 13 airports, this system allows registered Indian citizens and OCI holders to clear immigration in about 30 seconds without manual checks. Around 3 lakh travellers have signed up, with more airports set to adopt the system.

The Big Picture

By replacing paper forms with a digital version, India joins a global trend of streamlining border control. For foreign visitors, this move promises shorter queues, smoother arrivals, and less paperwork from October 1 onwards.