New Delhi: International passengers departing from Indian airports will no longer be required to get their physical boarding passes stamped at immigration counters from September 1, according to officials.

The Bureau of Immigration (BOI), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has communicated the decision to airport authorities, ending the mandatory practice of stamping boarding passes for immigration clearance at international airports across the country.

E-Boarding Passes To Be Accepted

Under the new system, passengers travelling abroad can present their e-boarding passes on smartphones for immigration clearance. The move is aimed at making the process more convenient for international travellers.

Officials said the BOI reviewed the existing procedure after receiving reports that physical stamping was causing inconvenience to passengers. There were also instances where boarding passes could not be read properly because of improper or unclear stamping.

The BOI has therefore decided to discontinue the mandatory requirement of physical boarding passes and their stamping at immigration counters.

Physical Boarding Passes Still Valid

Passengers who prefer to carry a physical boarding pass will still be allowed to do so. However, immigration authorities will not stamp the physical boarding pass from September 1.

Officials also clarified that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) had already stopped stamping boarding passes during individual frisking several years ago. Boarding passes are required to be produced for security and immigration clearance as applicable.

Immigration Stamping Pilot Also Underway

The authorities are also working on a separate pilot project concerning the stamping of immigration entry and exit for Indian passport holders.

Officials said the pilot exercise is being conducted before the system is rolled out more widely. The measure is expected to be operationalised across Indian airports after the pilot is completed.

The latest decision is expected to simplify the departure process for international passengers and reduce the dependence on physical documents during immigration clearance.

Bengaluru Airport User Fee Cut

In another aviation-related development, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has reduced the User Development Fee (UDF) at Bengaluru International Airport.

Under the revised charges, the UDF has been fixed at Rs 300 for domestic passengers and Rs 997 for international passengers for the five-year control period ending March 2031.

AERA has also introduced the incremental Average Revenue Requirement (ARR) framework for the airport. Under this system, the airport operator can recover costs for high-value capital expenditure projects from passengers after the projects are completed, unlike the earlier system where the User Development Fee could be recovered before project completion.