Indians won’t need to fill departure cards when flying abroad from July 1

Indians flying abroad won’t have to fill in departure cards, but those travelling by road, rail or sea routes will still need to follow similar procedures.

Indians flying abroad won’t have to fill out departure cards come July 1 as the Union home ministry has decided to discontinue the practice to save on time.

A flight takes off from the Chandigarh International Airport. The ministry’s new directive aims at cutting down passenger processing time. (HT File Photo)

So far, Indians had to fill in details such as their name, date of birth, passport number, address in India, flight number and date of boarding on the departure card.

The order announcing the change noted that this information was available in the system from other sources.

However, those leaving the country through rail, seaport and land immigration checkposts will still have to fill embarkation cards.

The customs department had earlier also done away with the need for Indians to fill a form declaring they were not carrying dutiable goods.

These measures are aimed at reducing time taken to clear immigration formalities.