Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the ‘Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Program’ (FTI-TTP) on Thursday (January 16), with the launch taking place from Ahmedabad. The program will be rolled out at airports in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, and Ahmedabad.
This follows the Home Minister’s earlier launch of the FTI-TTP on June 22 last year at Terminal-3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi. The FTI-TTP is a key initiative under the ‘Viksit Bharat’@2047 vision, aimed at providing world-class immigration facilities for travelers, ensuring seamless and secure international travel.
Initially, the program is being offered free of cost to Indian citizens and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders.
How can travellers apply for Fast Track Immigration?
The FTI-TTP operates through an online portal: https://ftittp.mha.gov.in. To enroll, applicants must register online by providing their details and uploading the necessary documents.
Their biometric data will be captured either at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or when passing through the airport.
FTI-TTP will be introduced at 21 major airports across India, with the first phase launching at seven key airports: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.
How will Fast Track Immigration work?
Once registered, travelers will scan their airline-issued boarding pass at the e-gate, followed by a passport scan. At both arrival and departure points, their biometrics will be authenticated at the e-gates. Upon successful authentication, the e-gate will automatically open, granting immigration clearance.
The FTI-TTP is implemented through an online portal and Bureau of Immigration will be the nodal agency for fast track immigration of various categories of travellers under this programme.
What are the benefits of FTI-TTP program?
The FTI-TTP program aims to streamline immigration processes by providing faster, smoother, and secure clearance for international travelers. Similar to the U.S. Global Entry Program, it allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to bypass regular immigration queues using e-gates. The program is designed for quicker and safer immigration procedures, with a registration validity of up to five years, or until the passport expires.
Biometrics are required for application processing, and applicants must ensure their passport is valid for at least six months. The program will be implemented in two phases: initially for Indian citizens and OCI cardholders, and later for foreign travelers. Automated border gates will minimize human involvement in immigration clearance.