Stamping of boarding passes for immigration clearance to be discontinued from Sept 1

Physical boarding pass stamping to end from September 1

International passengers departing from India will no longer need to get their boarding passes stamped at immigration counters from September 1. According to an X (formerly Twitter) post shared by national broadcaster DD News, the Bureau of Immigration has introduced the change to make the process faster and more convenient for international travellers.

Under the revised process, passengers will be able to show an electronic boarding pass on their phone or a physical copy, but immigration officers will no longer stamp the boarding pass. The move removes an additional physical step that was considered inconvenient and could also create problems when stamps were unclear or difficult to read.

Physical boarding pass stamping to end for international passengers

Under the current system, international passengers may be required to present their boarding passes during immigration clearance.

Immigration officers could stamp 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.

Airport staff and passengers are expected to be made aware of the change before it takes effect.

E-boarding passes will be accepted

Passengers will be able to show their e-boarding passes at immigration counters under the new system. This will allow travellers using digital boarding passes on their mobile phones to complete the process without needing a physical copy.Those who prefer a printed boarding pass can still carry one. However, the document will no longer receive an immigration stamp.The change will apply to international passengers departing from India and is expected to simplify the immigration clearance process by removing the need for an additional physical procedure at the counter.