Digital disembarkation card
Oct 1, 2025 | 9:29 pm
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Delta
Posts: 397
Digital disembarkation card
Looks like the little slips of paper to fill out at the airport with your passport and arrival flight details are being done away with. Instead, passengers will have to fill out this form (called "e-arrival"):
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/
News articles report this is in effect from October 1.
E.g., https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../124200355.cms
Edit 1: Seems like it can be filled out up to 72 hours in advance. The form does not ask for the incoming flight number.
Edit 2: Different news articles vary in suggesting that OCI holders do or do not need to fill out this form.
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/
News articles report this is in effect from October 1.
E.g., https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../124200355.cms
Edit 1: Seems like it can be filled out up to 72 hours in advance. The form does not ask for the incoming flight number.
Edit 2: Different news articles vary in suggesting that OCI holders do or do not need to fill out this form.
Last edited by Bandicoot; Oct 1, 2025 at 9:58 pm Reason: Updates to basic info
Oct 2, 2025 | 1:12 am
#3
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Looks like the little slips of paper to fill out at the airport with your passport and arrival flight details are being done away with. Instead, passengers will have to fill out this form (called "e-arrival"):
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/
Oct 2, 2025 | 6:17 pm
#5
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First thing I checked was to see if it required a seat number( I had flashbacks of filling our Air Suvidha's during Covid). Glad its not there.
They should have got rid of these form's completely, It may make immigration faster but check-in slower. They already have all this information. I hope they get rid of the the boarding pass on arrival requirement too
They should have got rid of these form's completely, It may make immigration faster but check-in slower. They already have all this information. I hope they get rid of the the boarding pass on arrival requirement too
Oct 2, 2025 | 9:34 pm
#6
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It appears it can be submitted 72 hours in advance, and the form does not ask for any details of your flight. So it shouldn't really affect check-in at all. Haven't seen anything to indicate that airlines will be required to check for this.
Between passenger manifest info from the airlines, and the info submitted when applying for a visa, almost everything they ask for in this form should already be available to the immigration authorities. Perhaps the only missing piece is the declaration of "which countries have you visited in the last X days". Also, conceivably your local address could be different from what you had proposed in your visa application. Guess they want these things on file, for whatever reason.
Between passenger manifest info from the airlines, and the info submitted when applying for a visa, almost everything they ask for in this form should already be available to the immigration authorities. Perhaps the only missing piece is the declaration of "which countries have you visited in the last X days". Also, conceivably your local address could be different from what you had proposed in your visa application. Guess they want these things on file, for whatever reason.
Oct 4, 2025 | 9:30 am
#8
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Unclear! Different news articles are saying different things and meanwhile there is nothing official on this matter on the government web sites.
I sent an e-mail asking about this to the contact address listed on the E-visa web site, but no response yet.
I'm flying to India shortly. I'm going to fill the online form in anyway, it's unlikely they'd object to someone filling it in if they don't have to (OCI), and it's better than facing any undue delays at immigration because I didn't fill it out when I was supposed to.
As always, the rule of thumb with paperwork in India is, "the more the merrier".
I sent an e-mail asking about this to the contact address listed on the E-visa web site, but no response yet.
I'm flying to India shortly. I'm going to fill the online form in anyway, it's unlikely they'd object to someone filling it in if they don't have to (OCI), and it's better than facing any undue delays at immigration because I didn't fill it out when I was supposed to.
As always, the rule of thumb with paperwork in India is, "the more the merrier".
Oct 4, 2025 | 11:50 am
#9
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
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OCI and Indian passport holder are exe
https://eoilima.gov.in/docs/e-Arrival%20Card.pdf
https://eoilima.gov.in/docs/e-Arrival%20Card.pdf
Beginning October 1, 2025, India has replaced the physical arrival (disembarkation) card for foreign
travelers with a digital e-Arrival card. All foreign nationals entering India must complete the online form
within 72 hours of their arrival.
What you need to know about the new system
Who must fill it out?
All foreign travelers, including those with an e-Visa, tourist visa, business visa, or student visa.
Indian passport holders and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders are exempt from this
requirement.
How to apply: The e-Arrival card can be completed through the following official platforms:
o Indian Visa Online portal: indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/
o Bureau of Immigration website: boi.gov.in/boi/
o Indian Visa "Su-Swagatam" mobile app
When to apply: You can submit the form up to 72 hours before your flight.
Required information: The digital form requires the same information as the previous paper version,
including:
o Passport and visa details
o Date of arrival and flight details
o Purpose of visit
o Your address in India
o Contact information, including email and phone number
o Emergency contact information
At the airport: After submitting the form online, you will receive a digital confirmation, possibly
including a QR code or reference number. While you should save this confirmation on your phone or
print it, your information will be pre-loaded into the immigration system, which should speed up the
clearance process.
Transition period
For the initial six months, a transition period is in place where physical arrival cards will still be accepted,
though travelers are strongly encouraged to use the new online system for a faster and more efficient
experience
travelers with a digital e-Arrival card. All foreign nationals entering India must complete the online form
within 72 hours of their arrival.
What you need to know about the new system
Who must fill it out?
All foreign travelers, including those with an e-Visa, tourist visa, business visa, or student visa.
Indian passport holders and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders are exempt from this
requirement.
How to apply: The e-Arrival card can be completed through the following official platforms:
o Indian Visa Online portal: indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/
o Bureau of Immigration website: boi.gov.in/boi/
o Indian Visa "Su-Swagatam" mobile app
When to apply: You can submit the form up to 72 hours before your flight.
Required information: The digital form requires the same information as the previous paper version,
including:
o Passport and visa details
o Date of arrival and flight details
o Purpose of visit
o Your address in India
o Contact information, including email and phone number
o Emergency contact information
At the airport: After submitting the form online, you will receive a digital confirmation, possibly
including a QR code or reference number. While you should save this confirmation on your phone or
print it, your information will be pre-loaded into the immigration system, which should speed up the
clearance process.
Transition period
For the initial six months, a transition period is in place where physical arrival cards will still be accepted,
though travelers are strongly encouraged to use the new online system for a faster and more efficient
experience
Oct 5, 2025 | 2:56 pm
#10
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
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People on my flight today had the new form all printed out with a qr code while boarding and deplaning. The FAs still handed out the paper forms and the desks with the forms were still in DEL.
Oct 5, 2025 | 4:46 pm
#11
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,818
PS The above GoI link provided by Oliver2002 says OCI holders are exempt. But it also provides a GoI link https://boi.gov.in/boi/ and that web site has a running "What;'s New" text strip (one line of text moves from right to left...don't know the right term for that), and that says OCI holders need to fill out the form.
And incidentally, OCI holders are foreigners, so it makes no sense to say that all foreign travelers must fill out the form and then say OCI holders are exempt, as stated on https://eoilima.gov.in/docs/e-Arrival%20Card.pdf
Last edited by SeeBuyFly; Oct 6, 2025 at 3:58 pm
Oct 7, 2025 | 8:57 pm
#14
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Dar-e-Salam
Posts: 45
Assuming OCIs now have to file this. Some official indian sources such as CGI San Francisco
are also stating the following on their website
he Disembarkation Card can now be filled and submitted online through:
However after successful account registration, when I finally try to login, the app gives me an error message: "Please update to the latest version of the app".There is no latest version of the app as this is the only latest version of the app.
Quite pathetic.
are also stating the following on their website
he Disembarkation Card can now be filled and submitted online through:
- ...
- Or via the “Indian Visa Su-Swagatam” Mobile App
However after successful account registration, when I finally try to login, the app gives me an error message: "Please update to the latest version of the app".There is no latest version of the app as this is the only latest version of the app.
Quite pathetic.
Oct 8, 2025 | 2:13 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Delta
Posts: 397
Thanks, oliver2002 for the official bulletin stating that OCIs need not submit the form.
My own experience - landing at BOM a few days ago: FAs still handed out the paper forms on the flight, most people filled those out or grabbed them from the desks in the hallway before immigration. The hallways still have the big signs about filling the form being mandatory, btw. In the immigration hall itself, there were smaller notices, some mounted on the tape barricades that guide you down the lanes to immigration, with a QR code and saying it's faster / more efficient to use the online form. Essentially they don't seem to care currently at BOM whether you use the paper form or the online one.
In my own case, I had the digital file (PDF) from the online submission available on my phone, but the officer processed me without asking for it. After he stamped my passport I asked him if he needed to see the PDF, and he just shook his head, which left me uncertain whether he meant that it wasn't needed because he had all the information from the online submission anyway, or that OCIs did not need to fill it out in the first place. Nothing in the notices at the airport said anything about OCIs being exempt, btw.
My own experience - landing at BOM a few days ago: FAs still handed out the paper forms on the flight, most people filled those out or grabbed them from the desks in the hallway before immigration. The hallways still have the big signs about filling the form being mandatory, btw. In the immigration hall itself, there were smaller notices, some mounted on the tape barricades that guide you down the lanes to immigration, with a QR code and saying it's faster / more efficient to use the online form. Essentially they don't seem to care currently at BOM whether you use the paper form or the online one.
In my own case, I had the digital file (PDF) from the online submission available on my phone, but the officer processed me without asking for it. After he stamped my passport I asked him if he needed to see the PDF, and he just shook his head, which left me uncertain whether he meant that it wasn't needed because he had all the information from the online submission anyway, or that OCIs did not need to fill it out in the first place. Nothing in the notices at the airport said anything about OCIs being exempt, btw.