India's e-Arrival Card — mandatory from 1 October 2025

From 1 October 2025 the Government of India has made the e-Arrival Card mandatory for all foreign nationals arriving in India — including OCI cardholders, who had been exempt from the arrival-card requirement since 2017. The form is filed online within 72 hours before your flight at indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/, the Bureau of Immigration's free portal. It generates a QR-coded acknowledgement that is presented at airline check-in and at Indian immigration, replacing the old paper Disembarkation Card that used to be distributed on the plane. This page covers the 2026 position — who has to file, when, how, and what it replaces.

The rule in one paragraph

Effective date: 1 October 2025.
Who: All foreign nationals, including OCI cardholders and foreign passport holders on any Indian visa category.
When: Within 72 hours (3 days) before the scheduled flight to India. The window opens 72 hours before departure and closes at arrival.
How: Online at the official Government of India e-Arrival Card portal.
Output: A QR-coded acknowledgement / electronic filing receipt.
At immigration: Present the QR code (on phone or printed) alongside passport and visa / OCI card.

Why the change

From 2017 onward, India had progressively exempted OCI cardholders and e-Visa holders at paperless- immigration airports from filling an arrival card. That regime is now reversed. Under the e-Arrival Card notification the same data that used to be captured on paper — or skipped entirely at e-Gates — is captured digitally before the passenger arrives.

The policy reason stated by the MHA is to pre-populate immigration systems so counter processing is faster and to integrate arrivals data across Customs, Immigration and Health surveillance. The practical effect for travellers is one more step in the pre-departure checklist.

Who must file the e-Arrival Card

Foreign nationals on e-Visa — yes.
Foreign nationals on paper visa — yes.
OCI cardholders — yes (new requirement as of 1 October 2025).
PIO cardholders (legacy) — yes, to the extent still travelling on a PIO card, though PIO is no longer a valid travel document in 2026.
Visa on Arrival arrivals (Japan / Korea / UAE) — yes.
Diplomatic / official passport holders — usually handled under a separate protocol; check the mission's guidance.
Infants and minors — a separate entry or a parent-linked entry on the same filing, depending on the portal's form.

Who is not required to file

Indian citizens (Indian passport holders) — not required under the current notification, as the e-Arrival Card is a foreign-nationals measure.
Transit passengers who do not pass through Indian immigration (remain airside for a connecting flight at a transit-permitted airport) — not required.

The 72-hour window

Opens 72 hours before the scheduled departure time of the India-bound flight.
Closes when you arrive at Indian immigration.
Early filing (more than 72 hours ahead) is not accepted — the portal rejects submissions outside the window.
Late filing (on arrival at the counter) is possible via airport kiosks in an emergency, but the entire point of the scheme is to file before boarding, and airlines are expected to check the acknowledgement at departure-country check-in.

Plan to file the day before travel or the morning of travel — inside the 72-hour window, comfortably before airline check-in.

What the form asks

The e-Arrival Card captures the same core data the old paper card did:

Full name (as on passport).
Date of birth.
Nationality / passport number and validity.
Visa details — e-Visa reference / paper visa number, OCI registration / U-visa number.
Flight number, airline, port of embarkation, arrival date and time.
Purpose of visit — tourism, business, medical, employment, study, returning, OCI visit, etc.
Intended duration of stay.
Address in India — hotel, host address, own property details.
Health / travel history declarations where applicable.

Fill carefully — the address in India is the most-often-missed field, and counter officers do check it.

How to file

The portal

The official Government of India e-Arrival Card portal is run by the Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, and is hosted at:

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/

The service is free of cost. Type the URL directly — do not click sponsored search-ad results or third-party sites that mimic the government page. The scam-site problem that affected e-Visas now affects the e-Arrival Card too. See fake India visa alert.

Step by step

Go to https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/ during the 72-hour pre-flight window.
Enter passenger details — passport, visa / OCI, flight, stay-address.
Submit.
Receive the QR-coded acknowledgement on screen and by email.
Save / print the QR code and take a backup screenshot.
Present the QR at airline check-in (if asked) and at Indian immigration on arrival.

What the QR code does

The QR code encodes the filing reference. Scanned at the immigration counter or e-Gate, it pulls up the filed record, the officer confirms details against the passport, and stamps entry — no paper form, no repeated data entry.

At the Indian immigration counter

With the e-Arrival Card filed:

Show passport + visa / OCI + QR code.
Officer scans the QR; record loads.
Biometrics captured where required (e-Visa first-timers; foreign nationals; OCI e-Gate enrolment).
Entry stamp applied.
Exit to baggage claim.

Without the e-Arrival Card (for a required category):

Passenger is redirected to a filing kiosk / counter to file on the spot.
Additional time at immigration (5–15 minutes or more at peak).
Repeated declarations increase the likelihood of scrutiny on later trips.

Airlines at departure may refuse boarding for required categories without proof of filing; this is becoming more consistent as the requirement beds in.

What it replaces (and what it does not)

Replaced

The paper Disembarkation Card (Form D) formerly filled in-flight and handed to the immigration officer.
The "no card needed" exemption for OCIs at paperless-immigration airports (2017–2024 position).
The arrival-side declaration for e-Visa holders that had been automated at paperless counters.

Not replaced

Customs Declaration (ATITHI) — still needed separately by passengers carrying dutiable goods, undeclared-threshold currency, drones, etc. See Indian customs duty-free allowance.
FRRO registration — still an in-country obligation for foreign nationals on long-term visas (student, employment, research, business beyond specified durations).
The e-Visa / ETA itself — the visa approval is a separate document that grants entry permission. The e-Arrival Card is the arrival declaration.
OCI card — still required as the travel document for OCI holders.

So the pre-departure document stack for a foreign visitor in 2026 is:

Valid passport.
e-Visa / paper visa / OCI card / VOA eligibility — as applicable.
e-Arrival Card filing and QR code — filed 72 hours or less before flight.
Customs declaration via ATITHI — if carrying dutiable goods.

Common confusions

"I filled the ATITHI customs app, isn't that enough?"

No. ATITHI is the customs declaration for dutiable goods / currency / drones. The e-Arrival Card is a separate immigration declaration. Both exist in parallel; most international travellers need the e-Arrival Card and a minority also need ATITHI.

"I'm an OCI — I thought I was exempt from arrival cards?"

You were, between 2017 and 2024. The 1 October 2025 notification removed the exemption. OCIs now file the e-Arrival Card alongside foreign nationals of all other categories.

"I have a 5-year e-Tourist Visa — do I file every trip or once?"

Every trip. The e-Arrival Card is per-trip, filed within 72 hours of that specific flight.

"I'm arriving by land from Nepal — does it apply?"

The notification's primary rollout is at air ports of entry. Land-border crossings have historically maintained paper forms; check the specific Immigration Check Post's current practice. Where the portal accepts land-border arrivals, file; where not, expect the paper Disembarkation Card.

"I'm an Indian citizen — do I file?"

No. The e-Arrival Card is for foreign nationals (including OCIs, who are legally foreign citizens). Indian passport holders are not covered by this notification.

Consequences of not filing

For required categories:

Airline boarding refusal at the departure-country check-in — airlines are expected to verify the QR acknowledgement as part of pre-boarding documentation. Some may not enforce consistently in the early months, but this will tighten.
Delay at Indian immigration — redirected to filing kiosk; longer queue; possible penalty at the officer's discretion.
Repeat issue on future trips if the pattern persists.

For non-required categories (Indian citizens):

No consequence — you are not required to file.

If the portal is down or the 72-hour window has just closed

Portal outage — document the outage (screenshot timestamp, error message) and attempt filing as soon as it is restored. At immigration, present the outage evidence and file on the arrival-side kiosk.
Missed window (flight delayed, app crashed, couldn't access internet abroad) — there is an on-arrival filing option at kiosks / counters at most international airports, with longer processing time.
In-flight filing — not usually available; mid-air internet is not reliable for portal filing.

What to carry regardless

With or without the e-Arrival Card QR code in hand, the immigration counter wants:

Passport (6+ months residual validity).
Visa / OCI card / e-Visa ETA printout.
Return ticket or onward travel evidence.
Address in India (hotel / host / residence).
Sufficient funds (rarely asked, but be ready).

Paper backups of the e-Arrival Card QR and the visa documents are useful in case your phone battery dies or data connectivity is limited on arrival.

Common pitfalls

Filing too early. The 72-hour window is firm — earlier filings are rejected.
Assuming OCIs are still exempt. The post-1 October 2025 rule applies to OCIs.
Confusing e-Arrival Card with e-Visa. Two separate filings; e-Visa grants entry permission, e-Arrival Card is the arrival declaration.
Confusing e-Arrival Card with ATITHI. Immigration vs Customs; parallel and distinct.
Using a third-party site that mimics the official portal. Fraud sites target this precisely. Use only the official Government of India portal.
Incomplete India-address field. Leads to officer challenge at the counter.
No QR backup. Phone battery dies; carry a printed copy.
Assuming the airline won't check. Airlines are expected to verify at check-in; enforcement is increasing.
Last-minute filing with poor connectivity at a foreign airport. File from home / hotel, where WiFi is reliable.
Filing for the wrong flight / date after a schedule change. If the flight is rescheduled to outside the original 72-hour window, re-file.

Checklist — arriving in India in 2026

Confirm your category — Indian citizen (no filing), foreign national / OCI / PIO (filing required).
During the 72 hours before your flight, file the e-Arrival Card at indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/ — free of cost, run by the Bureau of Immigration.
Receive and save the QR-coded acknowledgement — screenshot and print.
At the departure-country airline check-in, present the QR code with your passport and visa / OCI.
On arrival in India, present passport, visa / OCI and QR code at the immigration counter or e-Gate.
Proceed to baggage claim after entry stamp.
If carrying dutiable goods, file the ATITHI customs declaration separately and use the Red channel.
If on a long-term visa, complete FRRO registration within the applicable window at indianfrro.gov.in.

Summary

The e-Arrival Card became mandatory for all foreign nationals arriving in India, including OCI cardholders, on 1 October 2025.
Indian citizens are not required to file.
Filing window: within 72 hours before the scheduled flight. Filed online at indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/ (the Bureau of Immigration portal, free of cost); generates a QR-coded acknowledgement.
The QR code is presented at airline check-in and Indian immigration.
Replaces the paper Disembarkation Card and the 2017-era OCI exemption.
Does not replace the e-Visa, the OCI card, the ATITHI customs declaration, or FRRO registration — these remain separate.
Airlines are expected to verify the e-Arrival Card at departure check-in; enforcement will tighten over 2026.

For the e-Visa / ETA regime that grants entry permission in the first place, see India e-Visa and visa on arrival. For OCI card mechanics, see OCI card — complete guide. For customs-side declarations, see Indian customs duty-free allowance. For post-arrival in-country obligations on long-term visas, see applying for OCI in India and the country-specific visa guides.