India Fast Track Immigration (FTI-TTP): Eligibility and How to Apply

(DELHI, INDIA) — India has expanded its Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) to 13 major airports, widening access to dedicated e-gates for pre-approved Indian citizens and OCI cardholders and cutting immigration clearance times from over 30 minutes to seconds.

The program, launched on June 22, 2024, at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, has recorded over 300,000 registrations and 260,000 travelers using it as of September 2025. Peak-hour queues have fallen by up to 70%.

FTI-TTP gives pre-verified, low-risk travelers access to automated immigration clearance through biometric authentication. Participants use e-gates for both arrivals and departures where available, bypassing regular immigration lines.

Launch and Expansion

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport was the launch site, with operations beginning at Terminal 3. Since then, the program has spread to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli and Kozhikode.

Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the latest expansion on September 12, 2025, when five new airports joined the network: Lucknow, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli and Kozhikode. The rollout took the total to 13 airports.

The government has positioned the system as a faster, free alternative for eligible travelers at a time when international air traffic is rising. India recorded a 60% rise in international traffic to 8.1 crore passengers in 2024.

Eligibility and Enrollment

FTI-TTP currently serves Indian nationals and Overseas Citizens of India cardholders. Phase 2 plans to include foreign nationals remain pending.

Enrollment is valid for five years or until passport expiry, whichever comes first. Travelers do not receive physical passport stamps through the system, because the program uses electronic passport stamping instead.

For Indian citizens, eligibility requires a valid passport with at least six months validity at the time of application. OCI cardholders can also apply if they hold valid OCI cards.

Applicants must also clear security and immigration checks. The system is designed for low-risk travelers, and authorities verify whether an applicant has any adverse immigration history or security concerns before granting approval.

The government has said enrollment is free of charge. It has also warned that agents charging fees, including ₹5,000 for “express” service, are unauthorized.

How the Application Process Works

The application process begins online through the official portal. Applicants create an account using email or mobile verification through a one-time password, then submit personal details and upload a scanned passport, a passport-sized photograph, and an OCI card if applicable.

The passport must meet the six-month validity requirement. The photograph must follow Indian standards of 35x35mm with a white background.

Applicants receive an instant acknowledgment by email or SMS after submitting the online form. The Bureau of Immigration then reviews the documents, a step that takes 7-15 days.

Once approved, travelers receive notice by email or SMS and move to the biometric stage. They must schedule fingerprinting and a facial photograph at a Foreigners Regional Registration Office, an FRRO office, or a participating airport enrollment center.

Delhi Airport offers dedicated lanes for biometric submission. After biometrics are captured, activation is immediate and travelers can use the e-gates.

What Happens at the Airport

At the airport, the process is automated. Travelers scan their boarding pass and passport, then complete facial or iris recognition and, if prompted, fingerprint verification.

When the system matches the traveler’s data, the gate opens and the passenger proceeds without officer interaction. The full process takes seconds.

Officials have linked that speed to the program’s biggest selling point. FTI-TTP has reduced processing times from over 30 minutes to seconds and has processed over 260,000 clearances.

Airports in the Network

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport has handled heavy volumes since the launch. The airport remains central to the program because it served as the first operating site and the initial test bed for wider expansion.

The wider list of participating airports reflects a push to cover India’s busiest international hubs. Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport operates the system at Terminal 2, while Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, Chennai International Airport, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, Cochin International Airport in Kochi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad have also joined.

The newly added airports broaden the network beyond the biggest metros. Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow, Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar, Trivandrum International Airport in Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli International Airport and Calicut International Airport in Kozhikode entered the system on September 12, 2025.

Future Expansion Plans

The expansion is part of a wider target to reach 31 airports by 2027. That plan sits within India’s Viksit Bharat @2047 vision, which aims to build the country into a global aviation hub.

Upcoming integrations include Navi Mumbai and Jewar (Noida) airports once they open. Pune (Lohegaon) was in advanced talks as of February 2026, which could make it the 14th site.

Further additions to Goa, Jaipur and Varanasi are slated for mid-2026. Those airports are expected to extend coverage to more high-traffic routes and more frequent international travelers.

Pune has drawn attention because of its growing outbound market. The Pune-Dubai route recorded 338,000 international passengers in 2025, up 65%.

Practical Limits and User Benefits

For users, one practical limitation remains passport validity. If a passport expires, the enrollment ceases to apply, which means travelers need to renew the passport before relying on the system again.

The government has sought to tie the program more closely to passport and OCI services. Shah proposed on-site FTI-TTP registration integrated with passport and OCI issuance, a move aimed at reducing duplicate visits and lifting enrollment.

Officials have also pushed awareness campaigns as registrations climbed. A Bureau of Immigration celebrity promotion on January 1, 2026, featuring Sushmita Sen and Rani Mukerji, aimed to increase public familiarity with the system and repeat the warning against unauthorized agents.

The figures reported for participation show steady growth, though different official counts have appeared in circulation. As of early 2026, enrollment was cited in a range of 150,000-300,000, including 18,000 OCI cardholders, while the September 2025 milestone put registrations at over 300,000 and usage at 260,000 travelers.

That growth has come despite a narrow eligibility pool. Foreign nationals still cannot use the system, and land border support is not part of the program.

OCI cardholders stand to benefit from shorter processing on arrival and departure because they can combine their OCI status with e-gate access. The program leaves visa processes unchanged but speeds clearance after landing or before departure.

Frequent international travelers are among the clearest beneficiaries. The system is designed for repeated use by passengers who cross borders often and want to avoid long waits at staffed immigration counters.

Businesses also gain from faster passenger movement, particularly for corporate travel and conferences. Meetings-sector users have praised the reduction in bottlenecks.

The government has also promoted the security angle. Because only pre-vetted travelers can enroll and because the e-gates rely on facial recognition and fingerprint scanners, officials have presented the system as a way to reduce fraud while speeding legitimate travel.

Compared with similar schemes abroad, India’s version is free. FTI-TTP has been contrasted with the U.S. Global Entry program, which costs $100-$120, and with the EU EES system, which is free for eligible users at major EU hubs.

India’s program remains narrower in eligibility than some foreign counterparts because it is limited to Indians and OCI cardholders. Even so, the absence of an application fee has become one of its central features.

Travelers who need proof of movement for visas or banking can request alternative confirmation from the Bureau of Immigration because no physical passport stamp is issued at the e-gates. Electronic records serve as the primary immigration record.

That shift marks a practical change for passengers used to paper-based proof of entry and exit. It also puts more weight on digital records and the traveler’s ability to obtain confirmation when another authority asks for it.

The enrollment timeline is relatively short by government standards. The four-step process, from online application through activation after biometrics, typically takes a few weeks to one month.

For travelers planning a trip, timing matters. Applying before travel and renewing an expiring passport first can avoid a failed or interrupted enrollment.

The system’s growth from 1 airport in 2024 to 13 by September 2025 has turned Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from a pilot site into the starting point for a national network. With 31 airports targeted by 2027 and international traffic already at 8.1 crore passengers in 2024, the government is betting that Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme access and more e-gates will become a standard part of crossing India’s busiest borders.