India e-Arrival Card for US Citizens – Recent Experiences

I traveled through Bengaluru Airport last month as a U.S. citizen married to an Indian citizen.

My airline specifically included a reminder email about the e-Arrival Card before departure. I completed it through the official system about two days before my flight.

Immigration was quick because the officer already had my information electronically. The entire process took less than ten minutes.

One tip: save both a PDF copy and a screenshot. A traveler near me couldn't access the confirmation email because of a network issue and had to spend extra time retrieving it.

Overall, the system seemed much smoother than the old paper arrival forms.

I flew from San Francisco to Mumbai in April. The process was easier than I expected.

I completed the e-Arrival Card about 48 hours before departure. Nobody at check-in spent much time reviewing it, but they did verify that I had completed it. Immigration officers in Mumbai scanned the QR code and checked my passport.

One thing I noticed was that many travelers were trying to fill out the form at the last minute. That created unnecessary stress.

The requirement appears to apply to foreign passport holders regardless of whether they're visiting on a visa or OCI status. Requirements can change, though, so I would verify the latest rules before traveling.

I traveled from Chicago to Delhi in May 2026. I completed the e-Arrival Card the day before departure and received a QR code confirmation.

At O'Hare, the airline agent asked whether I had completed the arrival form. They didn't scan the QR code but did ask me to show the confirmation on my phone. Immigration in Delhi was fairly smooth and took around 15 minutes.

A few people ahead of me hadn't completed the form and were being directed toward assistance counters. Based on what I saw, having it done in advance definitely saved time.

From my experience, I'd recommend taking a screenshot of the confirmation page in case airport Wi-Fi is slow.