Digi Yatra international trials have started at seven Indian airports for eligible Indian e-passport holders travelling on select Air India and IndiGo flights.
The facility will allow passengers to use facial recognition at airport checkpoints instead of repeatedly showing their documents at every designated touchpoint. The trials will run from November to December 2026 with a wider rollout in 2027.
From registration and eligible flights to check-in, boarding and immigration, here are 10 FAQs international passengers should know.
What is Digi Yatra international and how does it work at airports?
Digi Yatra is a digital facility that uses facial recognition to make airport entry and passenger verification easier. Until now, the facility has mainly been used by domestic air passengers. With the new trial, eligible Indian citizens travelling on selected international flights can also use it at participating airports.Instead of showing documents at every enabled airport checkpoint, passengers can use their face for identity verification. For this, they first need to create a digital identity using their chip-enabled e-passport through the Digi Yatra mobile application.
2) Is using Digi Yatra mandatory for international passengers?
The facility is voluntary. Passengers who do not want to use Digi Yatra can continue with the regular airport process.
3) Who can use Digi Yatra for international travel?
The international trial is currently open to Indian citizens who have a valid, chip-enabled e-passport. This includes Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), provided they are Indian citizens and meet the other requirements.
4) Can you use Digi Yatra instead of showing your passport at the airport?
No. Digi Yatra does not replace your physical passport or other required travel documents. The facility allows passengers to use facial recognition at selected airport checkpoints. However, passengers must still carry their original passports and follow the regular check-in, security and immigration procedures.
5) Which airports are offering international Digi Yatra?
The international trial is currently available at seven Indian airports. It includes Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi; Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai; Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru; Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad; Chennai International Airport, Chennai; Cochin International Airport, Kochi and Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar.
6) Which airlines and international flights are included in the trial?
The trial is currently available on selected international flights operated by Air India and IndiGo. Some of the routes included are:
IndiGo: Delhi-Bangkok, Delhi-Phuket, Mumbai-Bangkok and Mumbai-Phuket.
IndiGo: Chennai-Dubai, Chennai-Colombo, Hyderabad-Doha, Bengaluru-Kuala Lumpur and Kochi-Male.
Air India: Bengaluru-London.
The facility is not available on all international flights operated by these airlines.
7) Do you need an e-passport to use the facility, and are foreign nationals eligible?
The international trial is currently open to Indian citizens who have a valid, chip-enabled e-passport. Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) can also use the facility, provided they are Indian citizens and meet the other requirements.
Passengers must have a valid Indian e-passport, create a Verifiable Credential through the Digi Yatra app and travel on an eligible international flight from a participating airport. Also, the current international trial is meant for eligible Indian passport holders. Foreign nationals are not covered under the ongoing trial.
8) How can passengers register for the international Digi Yatra?
Passengers must first create a digital identity credential through the Digi Yatra mobile application. This credential is called a Verifiable Credential (VC).
– Open the Digi Yatra app and scan the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) of the e-passport.
– Use the smartphone’s Near Field Communication (NFC) feature to read the electronic chip inside the passport. The phone must support NFC.
– Take a selfie through the app for identity verification.
– The app checks the information and completes the verification process.
– Once the process is complete, the e-passport-based Verifiable Credential is stored in the passenger’s Digi Yatra wallet on the phone.
– Once passengers have created their digital identity and added their boarding pass, they can use facial recognition at designated Digi Yatra-enabled checkpoints.
9) Will Digi Yatra replace passports and immigration checks?
No. This is one of the most important things international passengers need to understand. Digi Yatra is meant to make passenger verification easier at selected airport touchpoints. It does not replace the existing international travel process. Passengers must still carry their physical passports and other required travel documents.
10) What passenger data does Digi Yatra collect, and can you withdraw consent?
The international trial uses information from the passenger’s e-passport, boarding pass and facial verification. When a passenger gives consent, the information needed to verify their identity and journey is shared with the participating departure airport.
The international trials come as Digi Yatra continues to expand across India’s domestic aviation network. The platform currently has more than 26.5 million users and has facilitated over 110 million journeys across 39 domestic airports. The government also plans to extend the facility to another 25 domestic airports by 2027.
