Australia to India Flight – Did Airline Staff Verify Your QR Code?

I recently traveled from Brisbane to Mumbai, and my airline verified the QR code twice. The first check happened at the check-in counter, where the staff simply confirmed I had completed the e-Arrival Card. Before boarding, a gate agent also briefly looked at the QR code while checking travel documents.

They didn't scan it either time, but they wanted to see the confirmation screen. Once I reached Mumbai, immigration scanned the code electronically.

Based on my trip, having the QR code saved offline was helpful because the airport Wi-Fi wasn't very reliable. I also kept screenshots of the confirmation page in case I couldn't access my email.

My experience was a little different.

I flew from Perth to Bengaluru with a stop in Singapore. The airline staff checked my passport and OCI Card but didn't ask about the QR code at all during check-in. However, after arriving in India, the immigration officer requested the QR code before processing my entry.

From talking to other passengers, it seemed the checks varied depending on the airline and even the airport staff on duty. I wouldn't worry too much if it isn't requested before boarding, but I'd definitely have it ready because it may be needed later.

I flew from Melbourne to Delhi in June 2026 with my family. During check-in, the airline agent asked whether we had completed the India e-Arrival Card. They didn't actually scan the QR code, but they did ask us to show the confirmation page on our phones before issuing our boarding passes.

When we landed in Delhi, the immigration officer scanned the QR code at the counter. The whole process took less than a minute.

I'd still recommend keeping both a digital and a printed copy. My phone battery was getting low by the time we landed, so having the paper copy gave me some peace of mind.