What is the new fast-track immigration programme that will ease international travel?

The Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP), which the Centre says will ease international travel, has been extended to seven more airports. On Thursday (January 16), Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the programme at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Cochin airports from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad.

After the launch, Shah wrote on X that the facility would “allow the citizens and OCI [Overseas Citizen of India] cardholders registered under the programme to circumvent the queues in the airports and avail themselves of immigration clearance instantly by merely scanning their passports and boarding passes at e-gates.”

This comes after the initiative was launched at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi last June. The government plans to eventually introduce FTI-TTP at 13 other major airports across the country.

Let’s take a closer look.

What is FTI-TTP?

FTI-TTP is an initiative to make the immigration process smoother for international travellers. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, its aim is to “provide world-class immigration facilities to travellers, making international travel seamless and secure.”

Initially, the facility was launched for Indian citizens and OCI passengers arriving from other countries on a gratis basis, meaning free of cost for all flyers.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the programme is a key step towards the ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’ vision,” the home ministry said in a statement.

Last year, a senior MHA official told NDTV, “India is becoming an international destination and this programme is being introduced to make travel experience seamless and effortless for all. Eligible passengers will be allowed to utilise automated gates (e-gates) and bypass regular immigration queues for a seamless journey.”

How to enrol?

Flyers can visit the website https://ftittp.mha.gov.in to register for the programme. They need to fill in all the details online and upload the required documents.

After registration, applicants have to provide their biometric data either while passing through the airport or at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).

The registration for the FTI-TTP will be valid for five years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.

It must be noted that applicants with ECR (Emigration Check Required) passports, and those under 12 years and above 70 years of age are not eligible for the FTI-TTP programme.

According to the Bureau of Immigration under the MHA, for people between 12 to 18 years of age, the email and mobile number of parents or guardians can be used for registration.

The applicant will be enrolled only after the necessary verifications following which a white list of ‘Trusted Travellers’ will be created, as per Indian Express.

Documents needed to enrol

Applicants registering for the FTI-TTP have to upload a passport-size photograph in which their face including ears should occupy 3/4th of the space. The image, which should not be over six months old, should have a plain white background.

They also have to upload a scanned copy of their passport that has at least six months of validity, the front page consisting photo and personal information and the final page with family details.

For OCI cardholders, a scanned copy of the OCI card – both the first page (biographic details) and the last page (family and address details), separately – is required.

How the FTI-TTP works

Those registered under FTI-TTP will have to go to e-gates or automated gates at the airport. There, the travellers will have to scan their boarding pass issued by the airlines and then scan their passports.

“At both the arrival and departure points, the passenger’s biometrics will be authenticated at the e-gates. Once this authentication is successful, the e-gate will automatically open, and immigration clearance will be deemed granted,” the home ministry said.

The programme, which will reduce human intervention in the immigration process, is being implemented in two phases. In the first one, Indian nationals and OCI cardholders will be covered and foreigners will be included in the next.

With inputs from agencies