New Delhi: In a major procedural reform aimed at streamlining international passenger departures, the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to discontinue the mandatory physical stamping of boarding passes at immigration counters across all Indian international airports, effective September 1.
Under the new directive, international travellers will simply need to present their digital or e-boarding passes on mobile devices to obtain immigration clearance, officials confirmed on Saturday.
The decision follows extensive feedback and operational assessments addressing recurrent commuter grievances regarding delays at immigration checkpoints. The physical stamping requirement frequently contributed to long queues and prolonged transit times. Additionally, authorities noted practical complications arising from faint, misaligned, or illegible ink stamps, which often impeded subsequent verification down the departure channel.
Clarifying the operational scope, officials stated that while the mandate for stamping is being eliminated, passengers who still prefer carrying physical, printed boarding passes may continue to do so. However, immigration officers will no longer apply ink seals to the documents.
The move brings immigration protocols in line with domestic security measures. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), responsible for airport security, had previously phased out boarding pass stamping during pre-embarkation security checks for both domestic and international departures several years ago.
Furthermore, immigration authorities are actively conducting a pilot project to eliminate the physical stamping of Indian passports at entry and exit gates. Once testing and systems integration are complete, this fully automated, digital processing framework is expected to be rolled out across international airports nationwide.