India has launched a digital e-Arrival Card system for all foreign visitors from October 1, 2025. This move is intended to bring the immigration process up-to-date and speed it up by doing away with the old paper disembarkation cards and introducing an online submission system.
The e-Arrival Card is an electronic form that must be filled out by travelers 72 hours before reaching India. The form captures the necessary information, which includes:
Passport details
Details of the flight
Reason for visit
Address in India for local contact
Recent travel history (within the past 30 days)
When submitted, visitors are issued a confirmation, which they must show when arriving. This online method is designed to minimize paperwork and facilitate the entry process at immigration counters.
Visitors can obtain the e-Arrival Card via the Indian Visa Online official portal: indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival.
The form is easy to use and does not involve the uploading of any supporting documents. It is advisable to complete the form in advance for a seamless entrance into India.
Indian nationals and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders are exempt from this mandate. In addition, for a six-month transition period, both the electronic and paper forms of the arrival card will be honored. Thereafter, the paper form will be phased out completely.
Efficiency: By processing the pre-arrival info, the immigration counters will take less time to attend to passengers.
Environmental Impact: The whole paperless process has been endorsed; this is in harmony with India's vision of greener cohabitation.
Data Accuracy: The accuracy of the travel information is enhanced, and consequently, the whole system of resource allocation and management gets improved.
Traveler Convenience: The foreigners' entrance is facilitated by the entire procedure, and thus their landing is made more pleasant.
This move is a part of India's overall immigration digitization and process efficiency initiative that will lead to a quicker and more customer-oriented experience.