Rules changed for international passengers from September 1st:Immigration stamping will no longer be required on boarding passes

For Indian and foreign citizens traveling abroad from India’s major international airports, air travel rules are going to become easier from September 1. The Bureau of Immigration (BoI), which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has decided that the mandatory stamping of physical boarding passes at immigration counters is now being abolished. Know in QA – What are the new rules? About the benefits to passengers and future plans Question: What new rule is being implemented for international passengers from September 1? Answer: From September 1, passengers traveling abroad from all international airports in the country will not need to get their physical boarding passes stamped by immigration officials. Passengers will now be able to easily get immigration clearance by showing their e-boarding pass on their smartphone. Question: What if a passenger has a physical boarding pass? Answer: If a passenger brings a paper boarding pass with them, they will not be stopped. The physical boarding pass will remain fully valid, but immigration officials will not put any kind of stamp on it. Question: Why did the government and the Bureau of Immigration have to take this decision? Answer: According to officials, passengers faced a lot of inconvenience and spent time in queues due to the mandatory stamping of boarding passes. Additionally, sometimes it was difficult to read the boarding pass due to incorrect or unclear stamps. Considering these problems, the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to abolish this process. Question: Is the boarding pass still stamped during airport security checks? Answer: No. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) stopped the system of stamping boarding passes for security checks for both domestic and international passengers many years ago. This process was only ongoing at immigration counters, which is now being stopped from September 1st. Question: What is an e-boarding pass and how can passengers use it? Answer: When passengers web check-in from their airline’s website or app, they receive a digital boarding pass on their mobile. From September 1, passengers will be able to proceed by scanning the QR or barcode of this e-boarding pass on their smartphone at the immigration counter. Question: What is the plan regarding the immigration entry-exit stamp on passports? Answer: After boarding passes, the Bureau of Immigration is now planning to eliminate immigration stamping (arrival and departure stamps) on the passports of Indian passport holders. Currently, a pilot project for this is underway. After its successful completion, it will be implemented in different phases at all international airports in the country. Question: What benefits will international passengers get from this new decision? Answer: There will be 3 main benefits… Question: Will this system be implemented simultaneously at all international airports in the country? Answer: Yes, according to the instructions issued by the Bureau of Immigration, this system will be implemented at all international airports in the country from September 1st. Question: What other major changes can be expected in India’s immigration system in the future? Answer: In the coming time, preparations are underway to make the Indian immigration system fully automated and biometric-based. After the abolition of passport stamping, passengers will be able to obtain immigration clearance through e-gates and face recognition technology without any human intervention. Know what is e-boarding pass and DigiYatra?