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I recently traveled to India from the UK and completed the new India e-Arrival Card online about two days before my flight. I received the confirmation email and downloaded a copy on my phone, just in case. This was my first time using the e-Arrival Card system, so I wasn't sure what to expect at immigration.
I landed in Delhi last week, and while everything eventually went smoothly, I noticed some passengers were processed much faster than others. I wasn't sure whether that was because of the e-Arrival Card, different passport types, or simply the number of people arriving at the same time.
I'm a British citizen traveling on an Indian e-Visa. At immigration, the officer scanned my passport, asked about the purpose of my visit, and briefly looked at my arrival confirmation before stamping my passport. The entire process took around 20 minutes from joining the queue, but the actual counter interaction lasted only a couple of minutes.
I'm curious about other travelers' experiences. How long did immigration take after completing the India e-Arrival Card? Did anyone notice faster processing because they had already submitted their details online? Also, did anyone have to show a printed copy, or was the digital confirmation enough?
I understand that waiting times can vary depending on the airport, arrival time, and immigration workload, but I'd like to hear some recent experiences from people arriving in India.
I traveled from the USA through New York to Hyderabad last month. My family completed separate e-Arrival Cards for each traveler before departure.
Immigration itself was fairly quick once we reached the counter, but we spent nearly 40 minutes waiting because several flights had arrived together. The officer asked standard questions about the purpose of our visit and where we would be staying.
In my case, nobody collected a paper copy. I showed the confirmation QR code on my phone when requested, and that was accepted without any issue. Based on my experience, the e-Arrival Card helps ensure your information is already available, but it doesn't guarantee a shorter overall immigration wait since staffing levels and passenger volume vary from airport to airport.
My experience was slightly different. I flew from Australia into Bengaluru and arrived early in the morning. I had already completed the India e-Arrival Card, but the officer never asked to see the confirmation. They simply scanned my passport, verified my e-Visa electronically, and stamped my passport.
The entire immigration process took around 12–15 minutes, including waiting in line. I think the biggest factor is how busy the airport is rather than the arrival form itself.
One thing I'd recommend is keeping the confirmation email available offline. My mobile signal wasn't great immediately after landing, so having a downloaded copy gave me peace of mind even though it wasn't requested.
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I arrived at Mumbai from Canada about three weeks ago and had a similar experience. I completed the India e-Arrival Card before departure and kept both a PDF copy and a screenshot on my phone.
The immigration officer didn't ask many questions. They scanned my passport, checked my visa, confirmed my hotel location, and processed everything within about three minutes at the counter. Most of my waiting time was simply standing in the immigration line because several international flights landed around the same time.
From what I observed, having the e-Arrival Card completed meant there wasn't any additional paperwork to fill out after landing, which probably saved a little time. Whether it shortens the queue itself is another matter since that depends on airport traffic.