Air Suvidha 2.0: the complete guide for UK passengers flying to India

If you are flying to India from the UK — whether on an OCI card, a visa, or any other status — there is a key step to complete before you board your flight: the Air Suvidha 2.0 health self-declaration. It is done online, takes around five minutes, and is submitted before departure.

Missing it does not necessarily prevent boarding, but it creates complications at the Indian immigration and health desk on arrival. This guide covers exactly what Air Suvidha 2.0 is, who needs it, what documents you need before you start, and what happens at the airport after you land.

What is Air Suvidha 2.0?

Air Suvidha 2.0 is a digital, contactless platform developed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in collaboration with Delhi Airport to handle health and travel-related declarations for international passengers arriving in India. It is the current version of the Air Suvidha system, updated to operate under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 and the joint directions of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The form is not specific to one airport — it applies at all international airports across India, including London Heathrow arrivals at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and all other major Indian entry points.

Who needs to complete Air Suvidha 2.0?

All international passengers arriving in India are required to complete the Air Suvidha 2.0 self-declaration form. This includes UK OCI holders, British citizens travelling on a visa, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), foreign nationals, and any other passenger on an international flight arriving at an Indian airport.

OCI card status does not exempt you. Visa type does not exempt you. If your flight is international and you are arriving in India, the form applies to you.

What does the form declare?

The Air Suvidha 2.0 self-declaration form is set by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. You declare your current health status and your travel history for the past 21 days — including any countries visited that are on the notified health-risk list (currently focused on Ebola-affected countries). You also provide your contact details, flight information, and destination address in India.

The form is submitted to the Airport Health Organisation (APHO) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. On arrival, an Airport Port Health Officer (APHO) reviews the declared information and may conduct a health screening based on what you have declared.

The paper form: the Self-Declaration Form (SDF)

Alongside the online portal, the same declaration exists as an official paper form — the Self-Declaration Form (SDF), issued by the Directorate General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Its heading states that it is to be filled by all international passengers, and it is handed in at the health and immigration counter on arrival. Cabin crew sometimes give it out during the flight, so it helps to know what it asks before you land.

The SDF has three parts. Part I — personal information: name, flight number, seat number, passport number, nationality, age, date and time of arrival, your port of origin, your final destination in India, and the places you plan to visit. Part II — your contact address in India for the next 21 days: house number, street or village, district or city, state, PIN code, and a contactable Indian mobile number. Part III — a short travel and health declaration: whether you have visited or transited any notified affected country in the last 21 days, an Ebola exposure-history question, and a tick-list of current symptoms (fever, headache, sore throat, and similar), followed by your signature and the date.

The notified affected countries on the current form are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, updated by the World Health Organization from time to time. For most passengers flying from the UK with no recent travel to those countries, Part III is a straightforward set of negative answers. Completing the Air Suvidha 2.0 submission online covers the same declaration digitally — the paper SDF is the version some passengers are asked to hand over at the counter.

What you need before you start

Have the following ready before opening the Air Suvidha 2.0 portal at https://airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in/:

• Your passport (number, nationality, date of birth, expiry date).

• Your flight number and your first airport of entry in India.

• Details of all countries you have transited through on your journey.

• Your address in India (where you will be staying) — or, if you are a foreign national without an Indian address, your foreign stay details.

• A valid email address and a mobile number — both are used for OTP verification and to send your acknowledgement.

If you are connecting through a third country (for example London → Dubai → Mumbai), include the transit country in your travel details. If you are unsure of the exact hotel or stay address in India and you are in the early stages of planning, confirm it before filling the form.

When to complete it

There is no fixed deadline on how many days before travel you need to complete Air Suvidha 2.0 — it can be submitted at any point before you board your flight. However, the official guidance strongly encourages completing it well in advance rather than at the last minute. Doing it the night before or the morning of your flight is sensible, when you have all your flight details confirmed and your India address confirmed.

Do not attempt to fill it at the departure gate — airport Wi-Fi, time pressure, and OTP verification steps make last-minute attempts unreliable.

What you receive after submitting

After successful submission, you receive a registration number and an acknowledgement. A confirmation email is sent to your registered email address containing your acknowledgement document. This document should be presented at the health desk on arrival at the Indian airport.

You can show the acknowledgement digitally on your device or carry a printed copy. Download or screenshot the confirmation before your flight in case you have limited internet access on arrival. The acknowledgement is separate from your boarding pass and travel documents — have it ready alongside them.

What happens at the airport on arrival in India

On arrival, proceed to the health desk before immigration (or as directed by airport staff). Present your acknowledgement to the health desk officer. Based on your declared information, an Airport Port Health Officer (APHO) may conduct a health screening — this could involve a temperature check or additional questions about health symptoms.

If you need to amend your declaration after submission, there is an amendment window on the portal. If that window has closed by the time you land, amendments are made through the health desk officer at the airport. Designated bio-bins are placed inside the airport for disposal of masks and PPE kits.

Travelling on OCI? Check your passport linking before you fly

The Self-Declaration Form is handed in at the health and immigration counter — the same point where an OCI holder's documents are checked. This is where an unlinked OCI can cause a hold-up: your OCI booklet carries a passport number, and Indian immigration expects it to match the passport you are travelling on.

If you have renewed your UK passport since your OCI was issued, your OCI should be linked to the new passport before you travel. An OCI still showing an old passport number, with no link done, can lead to questions at the counter. The linking is normally done online — OCI Link (£100) covers a straightforward new-passport update, ideally within about 90 days of the new passport's issue date. If that window has passed, or there is a name or detail change, it moves to the online OCI Passport Details Update (£125, e-OCI included) — no VFS visit.

If you are travelling soon and are not sure whether your OCI is linked to your current passport, WhatsApp Matrix Solutions your OCI and passport details and we will confirm what, if anything, is needed before you fly. Carrying both your old and new passport at the airport also helps immigration verify the chain while any linking is being sorted.

Providing false information

The Air Suvidha 2.0 consent step requires you to confirm that all information provided is accurate and complete. Providing false information in the self-declaration is an offence under Indian law. Declare your actual travel history, actual health status, and accurate contact and address details.