The e-Arrival Card is India's online arrival form from the Bureau of Immigration. It's the digital version of the paper arrival/disembarkation card travellers used to fill on the plane — it's free, and you complete it online before you land.
If you're flying to India as an OCI cardholder or a foreign national, there's a quick online form to add to your travel checklist: the India e-Arrival Card. It collects your arrival information for immigration — and importantly, it's a free government service, completed in a few minutes on the official portal.
This guide explains what the e-Arrival Card is, who needs it, exactly what it asks, and how to fill it in — plus how it's different from Air Suvidha, and what OCI holders should check before they travel.
The Essentials
- What: India e-Arrival Card — the online arrival/disembarkation form
- Run by: Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs
- Who fills it: foreign nationals and OCI cardholders arriving in India
- When: before you arrive — within the window shown on the portal
- Where: the official portal at indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival
- Cost: free of charge
- Note: it's an arrival form — not a visa, and it doesn't replace one
What is the e-Arrival Card?
The e-Arrival Card is the online version of India's traditional arrival (disembarkation) card. Instead of filling a paper slip on the aircraft or in the arrivals hall, you complete the same information online before you travel, and present the confirmation at immigration.
It's managed by the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the portal makes the point clearly: this is for arrival information, not a visa. You still need a valid visa or OCI in your own right — the arrival card simply records your arrival details.
Who needs to fill it in?
India's arrival card has long been completed by foreign nationals arriving in the country, while Indian citizens travelling on an Indian passport have generally been exempt. As an OCI cardholder you travel on your foreign passport, so the arrival card generally applies to you, the same as for other foreign nationals.
Because this system is still rolling out, requirements can be updated from time to time. It's worth confirming the current position on the official portal close to your travel date.
e-Arrival Card vs Air Suvidha — what's the difference?
These are two separate forms, run by two different departments, and many travellers need both:
- e-Arrival Card — immigration arrival information, from the Bureau of Immigration. This is the form covered in this guide.
- Air Suvidha — a health self-declaration, from the Ministry of Health, currently linked to Ebola screening for international arrivals.
So if you're an OCI holder or foreign national flying to India right now, expect to complete the e-Arrival Card and, separately, the health declaration. We've covered the health form in detail in our Air Suvidha 2.0 guide.
When and where to fill it in
Complete the form on the official e-Arrival portal before you arrive in India. The portal lets you submit within a set window ahead of your flight, so fill it in close to departure once your travel details are final. There's no app to download — you do it straight from your phone or computer, and there's no fee.
What to keep ready
Have these to hand so you can finish in one go:
- Your passport (the one you'll travel on)
- Your purpose of visit (tourism, business, medical, employment, and so on)
- Your date of arrival and recent travel history (countries visited in the last 6 days)
- Your address in India — including state and district
- A valid email address and a contact number with ISD code
- Details for any family members travelling with you, if you're adding them
What the form asks
The e-Arrival Card is short and grouped into a few sections:
Personal details
- Full name (as in your passport)
- Nationality / region
- Passport number
- Purpose of visit
Arrival details
- Date of arrival (DD/MM/YYYY)
- Countries visited in the last 6 days — or tick "No Country Visited" if none
Address & contact details
- Your address in India, with state and district
- Email ID
- Contact number (ISD code and mobile number)
- An emergency contact number, if you'd like to add one
There's also an "Add Member" option, so a family travelling together can be added on the same submission. Before submitting, you confirm a short declaration that the information is true and accurate — giving false information can lead to denial of entry or other consequences, so check your details carefully.
How to complete it — step by step
Quick fill (optional)
The portal offers a "Quick Fill From Existing Data" option — enter your passport number and nationality, complete the captcha, and it can pre-fill details from your existing records to save time.
Personal details
Enter your full name exactly as in your passport, your nationality, passport number, and your purpose of visit.
Arrival details
Add your date of arrival and the countries you've visited in the last 6 days — or tick "No Country Visited" if that applies.
Address & contact
Enter your address in India with state and district, your email, and a contact number with ISD code. Add an emergency contact if you wish.
Add family members (if any)
Travelling as a family? Use "Add Member" to include each traveller on the same submission, rather than filling separate forms.
Declare & submit
Complete the captcha, tick the declaration confirming your information is true and accurate, and submit.
After you submit
Once submitted, keep your confirmation safe — download it, screenshot it, or print it. Carry it with you so you can show it at the immigration counter on arrival, alongside your passport and visa or OCI.
On arrival in India
Present your e-Arrival confirmation with your travel documents at immigration for a smoother, quicker clearance. Filling the form before you fly means one less thing to sort out after a long flight.
Travelling on an OCI card? Check this before you fly
The passport number on your e-Arrival Card needs to match the passport you actually travel on — and your OCI should reference that same current passport. If you've renewed your passport since your OCI was issued, your OCI may still show the old one, and that mismatch can cause problems at boarding or Indian immigration.
As a general guide: if your new passport was issued within the last 90 days, your OCI can usually be updated online by linking it to your new passport; beyond 90 days, a fresh OCI booklet (OCI Miscellaneous) through VFS is generally needed. The simplest approach is to sort your OCI before you book or fly. If you're not sure which route applies, check OCI linking or send us your OCI and new passport details and we'll guide you. (Our Air Suvidha guide explains the OCI-linking routes in more detail.)
Also worth knowing: carry your physical OCI card when you travel. An electronic OCI (e-OCI) has recently been introduced and is still rolling out, so check the official portal for the latest.
A few things worth knowing
- It's free: the e-Arrival Card is a free government service. Be cautious of any website asking you to pay a "fee" to fill it.
- It's not a visa: the arrival card records your arrival details only — it doesn't replace a visa or OCI.
- Fill it early: completing it before you fly avoids queues and connectivity issues on arrival.
- Need help with the form? The e-Arrival Helpdesk is on (+91) 82 7808 7808, or email indian-evisa@gov.in.
Frequently asked questions
Is the e-Arrival Card a visa?
Is there any fee for the e-Arrival Card?
Do Indian passport holders need to fill it?
I'm an OCI cardholder — do I need both the e-Arrival Card and Air Suvidha?
Can I add my family to one form?
Travelling to India? Get your OCI travel-ready.
The e-Arrival Card is quick and free to do yourself. Where it really matters is your OCI: if your passport has changed, your OCI should be linked to your current passport before you fly. Matrix Solutions handles OCI linking, OCI renewal, surrender, passport and visa services for UK-based Indians — clearly and correctly.
Source: Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs — e-Arrival Card portal (indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival). The e-Arrival Card is a free government service. Always confirm current requirements on the official portal before you travel. This article is for general guidance and is not legal advice.