India to end boarding pass stamping at airports for international travellers from September 1

“Passengers flying out of Indian airports will not be required to hold a bodily boarding cross as immigration authorities have determined to dispose of the stamping of this doc from September 1,” officers mentioned on Saturday (August 22, 2026).

“As a substitute, passengers travelling overseas must produce an e-boarding cross on their smartphones for immigration clearance,” the officers advised PTI.

The Bureau of Immigration (BOI) beneath the Ministry of Residence Affairs (MHA) has lately communicated the official directive to airport authorities after the company discovered that the bodily stamping of boarding passes for immigration functions was inflicting “inconvenience” to passengers.

“Situations of errors in studying boarding passes resulting from “improper or incorrect” stamping have been additionally being reported and, therefore, it was determined to dispose of this process,” the officers mentioned.

“The matter has been examined by the BOI and it has now been determined to dispose of the obligatory requirement of bodily boarding passes and the stamping of boarding passes at immigration counters in any respect worldwide airports within the nation,” the officers mentioned quoting the directive.

They, nonetheless, mentioned bodily boarding passes will proceed to be accepted however won’t be stamped by the immigration authorities from September 1.

Safety officers added that boarding passes of worldwide travellers have been additionally not being stamped by the Central Industrial Safety Drive (CISF) throughout particular person frisking they usually have been purported to be solely produced for clearance by immigration authorities.

“The boarding cross stamping by CISF for each home and worldwide passengers was stopped a few years in the past,” they added.

The officers mentioned a pilot mission to dispose of the stamping of the immigration entry and exit for Indian passport holders can also be deliberate to be completed away with after a pilot train on this context is accomplished. “The measure is quickly anticipated to be operationalised throughout Indian airports,” they mentioned.