Guide · India travel
India e-Arrival Card: the 2026 guide
Flying to India on a foreign passport? Before you land you file the India e-Arrival Card, the digital landing card that replaced the paper form foreign nationals filled in on arrival. This guide explains who needs it, when to fill it, what it asks for and how to avoid the mistakes that cause trouble at immigration. The official form is free.
What is the India e-Arrival Card?
The India e-Arrival Card is the digital landing card for foreign passport holders arriving in India. It replaced the paper landing (disembarkation) card that foreign nationals used to fill in on arrival; the paper cards were withdrawn in April 2026.
It is completed online on the official Government of India e-Arrival Card service, run by the Bureau of Immigration, and it is free there. Once it is submitted you receive a confirmation with a QR code, which you show at immigration when you land.
It is not a visa. The e-Arrival Card is the immigration landing card. You still need a valid visa, e-Visa or OCI card to enter India; the card sits alongside those documents and does not replace any of them.
Who needs to fill the e-Arrival Card?
In short, foreign passport holders entering India:
- Visa and e-Visa holders travelling on a tourist, business, medical or student visa or e-Visa.
- OCI cardholders travelling on a foreign passport. Holding an OCI does not skip this step.
- Children and infants. Each traveller has their own card, so a family of four files four cards.
- Indian passport holders do not file it.
If you are unsure whether it applies to your trip, for example because of the passport you are travelling on, check before you fly — message us and we confirm before you pay anything.
Do OCI card holders need an e-Arrival Card?
Yes. OCI and e-OCI cardholders travelling on a foreign passport file the e-Arrival Card, like other foreign passport holders, and show its QR code at immigration.
The card is separate from your OCI: it does not link to your OCI record or update it. If your OCI still shows an old passport number, that needs its own OCI Link, filed separately from the arrival card.
OCI holders also complete Air Suvidha 2.0, the health self-declaration — OCI status does not exempt you from it. Our guide to Air Suvidha 2.0 for OCI holders covers that form.
How early can I fill the e-Arrival Card?
The card is only accepted inside the 72 hours before your arrival in India, counted from your arrival time in India. A card submitted before that window opens is not accepted, so wait until you are inside the 72 hours and then submit it.
In practice that means filing it in the three days before you land. If your flight lands at 09:00 on a Saturday in India, the window opens at 09:00 on the Wednesday before, Indian time.
Air Suvidha 2.0 has a shorter window: within 24 hours before arrival. The two forms are different, so keep the two windows separate in your planning.
What details does the form ask for?
These are the details collected for each traveller, so have them to hand before you start. The official form can change, so check it before you fly.
| Detail | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Full name as in the passport | Exactly as printed in the passport you are travelling on. |
| Nationality | The nationality of the passport you are travelling on. |
| Passport number | The number of the passport you will show at immigration — not your OCI number. |
| Date of birth | As printed in the passport. |
| Arrival date and flight number | Your arrival into India, as on your booking. |
| Purpose of visit | For example tourism, business or medical treatment. |
| Address in India (state and district) | Where you will stay in India. |
| Countries visited in the last 6 days | All the countries you have been in during the six days before arrival. |
| Email address and contact numbers | Your email address and phone numbers. |
| An emergency contact | Someone who can be contacted if needed. |
When we file it for you, there are no documents to upload. Either way, have each passport to hand so the names, numbers and dates match exactly.
How to fill the e-Arrival Card step by step
The steps below describe the information you give rather than the exact screens, which can change, so check the official form before you fly. Use the official e-Arrival Card service run by the Bureau of Immigration; the form there is free.
- 1
Wait for the 72-hour window
Check your arrival time in India and work back 72 hours. Earlier than that, the card is not accepted.
- 2
Open the official e-Arrival Card service
Start a separate card for each traveller, children and infants included.
- 3
Enter the passport details
Full name, nationality, passport number and date of birth, exactly as printed in the passport you are travelling on.
- 4
Add your arrival
Your arrival date and the flight number, as on your booking.
- 5
Add your visit details
Purpose of visit and your address in India, with the state and district.
- 6
List recent travel
The countries you have visited in the last six days.
- 7
Add contact details
Your email address and contact numbers, and an emergency contact.
- 8
Check the details against the passport, then submit
Read each field against the passport before you submit: a spelling slip in the name or a wrong passport number is easy to miss.
- 9
Keep the confirmation
Save the confirmation with its QR code on your phone, and print a copy if you like a paper backup.
Do I need to print the e-Arrival Card?
Keeping the confirmation on your phone is usually enough, and a printed copy is a good backup. Airlines may ask to see it at check-in, and you show it at immigration in India.
When we file it for you, we email a confirmation PDF for each traveller, usually within hours of submission, so you can save it to your phone or print it for the journey.
What happens at the airport?
- At check-in. The airline may ask to see the e-Arrival Card confirmation, so have it ready with your passport and visa, e-Visa or OCI.
- On arrival, the health desk. Air Suvidha 2.0 is presented at the health desk, typically before the main immigration queue. An Airport Port Health Officer may carry out a brief health screening based on what you declared.
- At immigration. Show your passport, your visa, e-Visa or OCI, and the e-Arrival Card QR code. The Bureau of Immigration advises that the digital e-OCI can be presented at immigration check posts and to airlines; where possible, carry your physical card as well.
If you hold an OCI and your passport has changed, immigration checks that the passport number on your OCI matches the passport you are travelling on. If your OCI is still linked to an old passport, carry both the old and new passport so the chain can be verified, and contact us before you travel if there is any doubt.
Common mistakes
- Flight number. Enter the flight number for your arrival exactly as it appears on your booking. On a connecting journey, check before you fly which flight number the form wants — message us if unsure.
- Arrival date in Indian time. The 72-hour window is counted from your arrival time in India. If you fly overnight, you may land the day after you leave, so use the date and time of landing in India, not the date of departure.
- One card per traveller. Each traveller files their own card, children and infants included. One card for a whole family is not enough.
- OCI number instead of passport number. The form asks for your passport number. Enter the number of the passport you are travelling on, not the number printed on your OCI card.
- Filing too early. A card submitted before the 72-hour window opens is not accepted.
- Mixing it up with Air Suvidha. Air Suvidha 2.0 is a separate health declaration with a 24-hour window. Filing one does not cover the other.
Travelling from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia or UAE
From the UK. British passport holders file the e-Arrival Card, as do OCI holders travelling on a British passport. If your flight lands the day after you leave, count the 72 hours from your landing time in India, not your departure. Our UK traveller guide to Air Suvidha 2.0 and the e-Arrival Card puts both forms side by side.
From the USA. US passport holders, including OCI holders on a US passport, file the card before landing. The service is completed online, so it works the same from anywhere in the United States. Our page for OCI holders and travellers in the USA covers OCI Link and the e-Visa too.
From Canada. Canadian passport holders file the card within the 72 hours before arrival in India; on a long journey, the date you land may not be the date you leave. See our page for travellers in Canada.
From Australia. Australian passport holders file the card too, counting the 72 hours from arrival time in India rather than Australian time. See our page for travellers in Australia.
From the UAE. If you live in the UAE and travel on a foreign passport, including an OCI holder's foreign passport, you file the card; Indian passport holders do not. See our page for residents in the UAE.
Questions about the e-Arrival Card
Does the India e-Arrival Card cost anything?
No. The official e-Arrival Card form, run by the Bureau of Immigration, is free, and there is no government fee. If you would rather not fill it yourself, we fill, check and submit each traveller's card inside the 72-hour window and email the confirmation, for £20 per traveller.
Is the e-Arrival Card the same as Air Suvidha?
No, they are two different forms. The e-Arrival Card is the immigration landing card for foreign passport holders, filed within 72 hours before arrival. Air Suvidha 2.0 is a health self-declaration for all international arrivals, Indian citizens included, completed within 24 hours before arrival. It can change at short notice, so check it before each trip.
Do Indian passport holders fill the e-Arrival Card?
No. The e-Arrival Card is for foreign passport holders entering India, OCI cardholders included. Indian passport holders do not file it. They do still complete Air Suvidha 2.0, the health self-declaration that applies to all international arrivals. If your family travels on a mix of passports, each foreign passport holder files their own card.
Will the e-Arrival Card update my OCI to my new passport?
No. The e-Arrival Card is separate from your OCI and does not link to it or update it. If your OCI still shows an old passport number, that needs its own OCI Link, filed separately. Until it is done, carry both your old and new passport so immigration can verify the chain.
Can one person fill the e-Arrival Card for the whole family?
One person can prepare the cards, but each traveller needs their own card, children and infants included. Have each passport to hand so each card matches its holder. When we file for a family, you order one card per traveller and we submit the whole family together, with a confirmation for each traveller.
Where do I fill the India e-Arrival Card?
On the official Government of India e-Arrival Card service, run by the Bureau of Immigration, where it is free. It is completed online, inside the 72 hours before your arrival in India. If you prefer, we complete, check and submit it for you for £20 per traveller, and you can order before the window opens.