Indians and OCI cardholders can expect seamless Immigration clearance at seven more airports now. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah will inaugurate the ‘Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Program’ (FTI- TTP) at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin and Ahmedabad airports on January 16, 2025 from Ahmedabad. Subsequently, FTI-TTP will be implemented at 21 major airports across the country.

The Home Minister had earlier launched the ‘Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Program’ on June 22, 2024, from Terminal-3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi.

The FTI-TTP is a significant step under the ‘Viksit Bharat’ 2047 initiative to provide world-class immigration facilities to travellers, making international travel seamless and secure. Initially, this facility was launched free of cost for Indian citizens and OCI cardholders.

Once Indian and foreign citizens with OCI cards enroll and become members of the Fast Track Immigration -Trusted Traveller Programme, their immigration clearance will be faster, easier, and more secure. The program membership will be for 5 years or till the validity of the Passport, whichever is less.

The FTI-TTP has been implemented through an online portal: https://ftittp.mha.gov.in. To enroll in the programme, the applicant has to register online on the portal by filling the details and uploading the required documents. One can sign up after successfully authenticating their identity through mobile OTP and email verification. One needs to ensure that the Passport is valid for at least 6 months at the time of applying for FTI-TTP.

Applicants found eligible, will need to provide Biometrics (fingerprint and face image) in addition to the required information as per the data fields provided in the application form. The enrolment to the programme shall be done after necessary verifications and fulfillment of eligibility.

Biometrics of the registered applicants will be captured at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or at the time of passage through the airport. The registered passenger has to scan the boarding pass issued by the airlines at the e-gates and then scan the passport.

The biometrics of the passenger will be authenticated at the e-gates. On such authentication, the e-gate will open automatically and immigration clearance will be deemed granted.

Applicants may enroll their biometrics at any of the designated International Airport in India or the nearest FRRO office as perthe prior appointment schedule which will be provided on the registered email.

The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Scheme requires registration of all Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) who were citizens of India on January 26, 1950 or later, or were eligible to become citizens of India on January 26, 1950.

OCI is not to be misconstrued with ‘dual citizenship’. OCI does not give political rights. Registered Overseas Citizens of India are not entitled to the privileges given on Indian citizens under Article 16 of the Constitution.