More immigration counters, officials at airports 24x7 ahead of festival season

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Ahead of the peak tourist and festive season, the Union Home Ministry has directed that an adequate number of immigration counters and officials be made available round the clock at all international airports to minimise waiting time, officials said on Monday.

The directive was given to the Bureau of Immigration at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar here last week.

"Keeping in mind the peak tourist and festive season ahead, directions have been given to open adequate immigration counters and deploy more officials 24x7 at all international airports to minimise waiting time," an official said.

The home ministry has also stressed on popularising the Fast Track Immigration - Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) under which the immigration process of pre-verified Indian nationals and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders are fast-tracked.

According to the home ministry statistics, over 32 lakh e-visas were issued in 2024 to foreign nationals visiting the country -- most of whom came as tourists.

In 2024, as many as 4.7 lakh e-FRRO services were delivered by 114 check posts being functional under 12 Foreigners Regional Registration Offices across the country.

The government has also granted 5.45 lakh OCI cards last year to Indian-origin foreign nationals.

The Union Home Ministry has recently named 37 airports, 34 sea/river ports, 37 international land crossing points and six railway stations as the designated immigration posts for entry and exit of international passengers.

The home ministry has also made available the Fast Track Immigration - Trusted Traveller Programme in 13 major airports so far -- Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Kozhikode and Amritsar.

The programme ensures faster immigration clearance, and so far around three lakh people have registered under the programme. Out of them, 2.65 lakh availed the facility, officials said.

The FTI-TTP aims to facilitate international mobility with faster, smoother, secure immigration clearance. In the initial phase, it has been started for Indian nationals and OCI cardholders on a gratis basis.

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, another official said.

The FTI-TTP will eventually be launched at 21 major airports in the country. PTI ACB RT RT