No boarding pass stamping at immigration for international flyers from Sept 1

Starting from September 1, passengers flying internationally from India will no longer need to carry a physical boarding pass or have it stamped at immigration counters, as per an internal communication reviewed by HT. The Bureau of Immigration has informed all stakeholders, including international airport operators and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), of this decision. The aim is to streamline the immigration clearance process for convenience.

According to an internal communication from Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) in Delhi Deepak Yadav, the requirement of presenting a physical boarding pass and obtaining a stamp from an immigration officer will no longer be mandatory at all international airports in the country. The current practice of demanding physical boarding passes has reportedly caused inconvenience, and there have been instances of errors in reading passes due to improper or incorrect stamping.

The Bureau of Immigration has examined the matter and has now decided to eliminate the mandatory requirement of physical boarding passes and their stamping at Immigration counters across all international airports in the nation. Passengers will now be able to present their e-boarding passes at the Immigration counters for clearance. It's important to note that while physical boarding passes will still be accepted, they will not be stamped.

The Bureau of Immigration has instructed airport and aviation stakeholders to inform their staff about this change, which will take effect from September 1. Neha LM Tripathi, a Special Correspondent with the National Political Bureau of Hindustan Times, covered this story. She focuses on the aviation and railways ministries, as well as travel trends, with 13 years of experience in journalism.