Key points
- India will stop accepting paper arrival cards on March 31, 2026
- From April 1, 2026, Delhi International Airport will accept only the e-Arrival Card
- Delhi airport confirmed the change in a March 21, 2026 announcement
- Other Indian airports are expected to follow, but only Delhi's deadline is confirmed
India moves to a digital-only arrival card
India will discontinue paper arrival cards on March 31, 2026. From April 1, 2026, Delhi International Airport will accept only the e-Arrival Card, according to an announcement the airport made on March 21, 2026. Travelers heading to India will need to complete the card online.
What changed
The shift to a digital arrival card began in October 2025, when the e-Arrival Card system launched. That start date opened a roughly six-month transition period, giving travelers and airlines time to adapt to the digital format. The March 31 deadline marks the end of that gradual move from physical to fully digital processing.
What travelers should know
Delhi International Airport has formally confirmed the requirement for its facilities. Other Indian airports are expected to introduce similar measures after this transition, though only Delhi’s deadline has been officially confirmed so far. In a LinkedIn post, the airport said “foreign nationals arriving in India should” be ready for the digital-only requirement.
