Faster immigration clearance programme in 7 more airports from Jan 16

New Delhi: A fast-track immigration process for pre-verified Indian nationals and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders will be rolled out at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and four other other major airports from Thursday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the 'Fast Track Immigration' Trusted Traveller Program' (FTI- TTP) at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin and Ahmedabad airports, the Union Home Ministry announced on Wednesday.

Shah will launch the programme for the seven airports from Ahmedabad on Thursday.

The home minister had launched the FTI-TTP on June 22, 2024, from Terminal-3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 'Fast Track Immigration - Trusted Traveller Program' is a significant initiative under the 'Viksit Bharat'@2047 vision. Its objective is to provide world-class immigration facilities to travellers, making international travel seamless and secure," the home ministry said in a statement.

In the initial phase, it has been started for Indian nationals and OCI cardholders on a gratis basis.

The FTI-TTP has been implemented through an online portal: https://ftittp.mha.gov.in.

To enroll in this program, applicants need to complete online registration by filling in their details and uploading the required documents on the portal.

The biometric data of the registered applicants will be captured either at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or while passing through the airport.

Registered travellers will need to scan their airline-issued boarding pass at the e-gate, followed by scanning their passport.

At both the arrival and departure points, the passenger's biometrics will be authenticated at the e-gates. Once this authentication is successful, the e-gate will automatically open, and immigration clearance will be deemed granted.

FTI-TTP will eventually be implemented at 21 major airports across the country.

The programme ensures faster immigration clearance and aims to facilitate international mobility with faster, smoother, secure immigration clearance.

The FTI-TTP is similar to the Global Entry Program offered by the United States that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travellers upon arrival in America in select airports, an official said.

It is designed for faster, smoother and safer immigration clearance for international travellers. Eligible passengers will be allowed to utilise e-gates and bypass regular immigration queues for a seamless journey.

The FTI registration will be valid for a maximum of five years or until the validity of the passport, whichever comes first. Biometrics is compulsory for the completion of the application processing.

The applicants may ensure a minimum passport validity of at least six months while applying for the FTI-TTP. The membership of programmer will be co-terminus with passport validity.

The programme will run on e-gates or automated border gates which will minimise human intervention in the immigration clearance process, the official said.

The programme will be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, Indian citizens and OCI cardholders will be covered and in the second phase, foreign travellers will be covered.

The objective of this programme is to make international travel easy and secured by developing world-class immigration facilities through an accelerated immigration pathway for international travellers screened through automated gates (e-Gates), another official said.

The FTI-TTP is implemented through an online portal and Bureau of Immigration will be the nodal agency for fast track immigration of various categories of travellers under this programme.

After necessary verification, a White List of 'Trusted Travellers' will be generated and fed for implementation through e-Gates. Biometrics of the 'Trusted Traveller' passing through e-Gates will be captured at the FRRO office or at the time of passage of the registered traveller through the airport.

Under the process, as soon as the 'registered passenger reaches the e-gates, he/she will scan his/her boarding pass issued by the airlines at the e-gates to get the details of his/her flight. The passport will also be scanned and biometric of the passenger will be authenticated at the e-gates.

Once the genuine identity of the passenger is established and biometric authentication done, the e-gate will open automatically and immigration clearance will be deemed to have been granted.

The Union home ministry also shared a support help desk email ID -- [e-mail].