India to End Physical Boarding Pass Stamping for International Departures from September 1

Physical boarding pass stamping to end from September 1

International travellers leaving India will see a small but important change at airports starting September 1. Passengers will no longer need to get their boarding passes stamped during immigration clearance, removing an extra step from the departure process. The Bureau of Immigration has introduced the change to make immigration procedures faster and more convenient for travellers. Under the new system, passengers can show either an electronic boarding pass on their phone or a printed copy, but immigration officers will no longer place a stamp on the boarding pass.

Immigration boarding pass stamping to end from September 1

Until now, international passengers could be asked to present their boarding passes during immigration clearance, with immigration officers stamping the document as part of the process. According to an internal communication by Delhi FRRO Deepak Yadav (viewed by HT), the requirement to stamp boarding passes will be discontinued from September 1. The Bureau of Immigration has also informed airport operators, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other stakeholders about the revised procedure, according to reports. The change removes an additional physical step that could sometimes cause inconvenience for passengers, particularly when stamps were unclear or difficult to read.

Indian airports will accept e-boarding passes at immigration

Under the revised process, international passengers will be able to show an e-boarding pass on their mobile phone at the immigration counter. This means travellers using digital boarding passes will not need to carry a printed copy specifically for an immigration stamp. Passengers who prefer a physical boarding pass can still carry one. However, it will no longer be stamped by immigration officials.

What the new rule means for international travellers

The change applies to international passengers departing from India and is aimed at simplifying immigration clearance by removing an unnecessary physical procedure. For travellers, the process will largely remain the same, except for one less thing to worry about at the immigration counter: there will no longer be a stamp on the boarding pass to collect before heading towards the departure gate.