E-Paper
Sign In
India scraps physical boarding passes for international travellers from Sept 1: Media
Physical boarding passes will still be accepted, but immigration officers will no longer stamp them, according to an internal communication sent to Indian media
- PUBLISHED: Sat 22 Aug 2026, 9:37 PM
Passengers flying internationally from India will no longer need to carry a physical boarding pass or have it stamped at immigration counters from September 1.
Travellers can show an e-boarding pass on their smartphones for immigration clearance. Physical boarding passes will still be accepted, but immigration officers will no longer stamp them, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported, citing officials.
Recommended For You
“Passengers may produce their e-boarding passes at the Immigration counters for clearance. It may, however, be clarified that physical boarding passes will continue to be accepted at the Immigration counters, however, these will not be stamped,” Hindustan Times reported, citing an internal communication it has reviewed.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
The Bureau of Immigration (BOI), under India's Ministry of Home Affairs, has communicated the directive to airport authorities after finding that the existing stamping requirement was causing inconvenience to passengers.
“The matter has been examined by the Bureau of Immigration and it has now been decided to do away with the mandatory requirement of physical boarding passes and the stamping of boarding passes at Immigration counters, at all international airports in the country,” the internal communication read.
The change will apply at international airports across India and is aimed at streamlining the immigration process. Officials also cited instances of errors caused by improperly or incorrectly stamped boarding passes.
