India GOIndia e-Arrival Card: how to fill it in
Since 1 October 2025, foreign nationals arriving in India, OCI cardholders included, submit a digital arrival card online in the 72 hours before landing. It replaces the paper disembarkation card, takes a few minutes on the official portal or the Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app, and it is not a visa.
Who fills it in
Every foreign national entering India, whatever the visa: e-Visa, tourist, business, student, any other. The official visa portal also names OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders.
Not required: holders of Indian passports.
The card is arrival information for immigration. It does not replace a visa, and a visa does not replace it: you need both.
If you connect through a third country, the 72-hour window counts back from your arrival in India, not from your first departure.
👣 Where it fits in your trip
The arrival card is the last piece of paperwork before the flight, and the easiest one. The full sequence for a visitor on an e-Visa looks like this.
- Visa
Apply 4 to 120 days before arrival and wait for the ETA to show GRANTED. See the India visa guide.
- Bookings
Have your first address in India and your flight number fixed: the card asks for both.
- e-Arrival Card
Fill it in within the 72 hours before landing and save the confirmation.
- Immigration
Show your passport, the printed ETA and, if asked, the card confirmation. Fingerprints and a photo are taken, and the visa is stamped.
When and where
Use only the official platforms below. The official form is marked as a free service of Indian Immigration. Search results also show look-alike sites that 'help' with the form for a fee.
| When | Within the 72 hours before arrival in India. The day before your flight is the easiest moment. |
| Indian Visa Online | indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival |
| Bureau of Immigration | boi.gov.in |
| Mobile app | Indian Visa Su-Swagatam, the official app for iOS and Android. |
✅ What to have at hand
The digital form asks for the same details as the old paper card. Gather them before you start, ideally in one note on your phone. The form on indianvisaonline.gov.in also has an 'Add Member' button for people travelling together.
- Passport and visa details — Full name as in the passport, passport number, nationality and date of birth, plus your visa details if asked. Use the passport you are flying on.
- Arrival date and flight — Flight number and the airport you land at.
- Countries visited in the last 6 days — The form asks for them. This matters for yellow fever rules if you have been in an endemic country.
- Purpose of visit — The same purpose as on your visa.
- Address in India — Your first hotel or your host's address.
- Your contacts — Email and phone number.
- Emergency contact — Phone number of someone to reach if something happens; the form has a field for it.
👣 Filling it in step by step
The form takes a few minutes. Accuracy matters more than speed: the embassies ask travellers to make sure everything is correct and up to date, to avoid delays at immigration.
- Check the window
Open the form no earlier than 72 hours before your scheduled landing time in India.
- Open an official platform
indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival, boi.gov.in or the Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app. Type the address yourself.
- Enter passport and visa details
Copy them from the passport and the ETA letter, not from memory.
- Add flight, purpose and address in India
Arrival date, flight number, purpose of visit, where you will stay.
- Add contacts and an emergency contact
Email, phone, and a person to call in an emergency.
- Review and submit
Check the passport number and dates letter by letter before you send.
- Save the confirmation
You get a digital confirmation, possibly with a QR code or reference number. Save it on your phone offline or print it.
Mistakes that slow you down
- Filling it in too early. Outside the 72-hour window the form is not for your trip yet. Set a reminder for the day before departure.
- Details that do not match the passport. A swapped digit in the passport number or a wrong date of birth is an easy way to turn a quick check into a conversation.
- An old flight number. If the airline moves you to another flight before departure, make sure the details on the card are still accurate and up to date.
- A confirmation that lives only in your email. Airports and roaming do not always get along. Save it offline.
- Paying a third-party site. The official platforms are listed above; anything else is a middleman.
At the airport
Your details are pre-loaded into the immigration system, which is meant to speed up clearance. Keep the confirmation ready next to your passport and printed ETA, and expect fingerprints and a photo at the immigration desk. Keep the confirmation saved offline on your phone or printed, in case an officer asks for it.
Watch out for look-alike sites
The card is filled in on government platforms: indianvisaonline.gov.in, boi.gov.in or the Su-Swagatam app. A site on another domain asking for money to 'process' your arrival card is an intermediary, and you would be handing it your passport details.
❓ Questions people ask
Is the e-Arrival Card a visa?
No. The official portal calls it arrival information, not a visa. You still need a valid visa or e-Visa.
Do OCI cardholders need it?
Yes, according to the Indian visa portal and the Embassy of India in Manila. Some early notices said OCI holders were exempt; follow the portal.
Can I fill it in a week before the trip?
No. The window opens 72 hours before arrival.
I have a 1-year or 5-year e-Visa. Do I fill it in every trip?
Yes. The card is arrival information submitted within 72 hours before arrival, so each entry needs its own card.
I forgot to fill it in. What now?
If you have not landed yet, you are still inside the window: fill it in on the app during a layover or before boarding. Do it before arrival rather than counting on a paper card at the airport.
Do I need to print the confirmation?
Embassy guidance says to save it on your phone or print it. A printout helps if your battery dies.
Do Indian citizens fill it in?
Not if they travel on an Indian passport.