Digi Yatra trials for international passengers begin: Check eligible airlines and passenger requirements

Digi Yatra is a digital identity verification system for airport journeys. In the international trial, eligible Indian citizens with e-passports can use a digital credential at enabled terminal entrances, Security Hold Areas and boarding gates. It matters because it may make passenger verification faster and more convenient at those points.

Before travelling, passengers create an e-passport-based Verifiable Credential in the Digi Yatra app. They scan the passport’s Machine-Readable Zone, read its electronic chip with a compatible phone’s NFC feature, take a selfie and verify their details. The credential is then stored securely in the Digi Yatra wallet on the device.

The trial runs through November and December 2026 at seven airports. It covers selected international services operated by Air India and IndiGo. Passengers must still carry passports and required documents, complete airline verification and undergo immigration and other mandatory checks.

Eligibility is currently narrow. The facility is available to Indian citizens who hold e-passports and have created the required Verifiable Credential through the Digi Yatra mobile application. The trial does not cover every international passenger or every international flight operating from the participating airports.

Air India and IndiGo are the participating airlines named for the initial trial. The seven airports are Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, Cochin International Airport in Kochi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, Chennai International Airport and Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar.

Passengers can use the facility only where trial infrastructure is available. The Ministry of Civil Aviation will use passenger feedback during November and December 2026 to help shape a wider rollout planned for 2027.

The international Digi Yatra trial has a defined but limited footprint. It is being conducted at seven airports across India. These are Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Chennai and Amritsar. The number seven is the clearest measure of the airport scale.

Two airlines are involved at the initial stage: Air India and IndiGo. However, the trial does not apply to every international service operated by them. Passengers can use it only on selected international flights and at designated touchpoints where the required infrastructure has been installed.

The article does not provide a numerical count of the international flights covered. The trial will continue through November and December 2026. Passenger feedback is expected to guide a wider Digi Yatra rollout in 2027, while domestic expansion is also planned at another 25 airports.

Passengers must first use the Digi Yatra mobile application to create an e-passport-based Verifiable Credential. This credential is the digital identity document used during the trial. It must be prepared before the passenger reaches a participating airport touchpoint.

The process starts with scanning the e-passport’s Machine-Readable Zone. A compatible smartphone then reads the passport’s embedded electronic chip through Near Field Communication, or NFC. The passenger also takes a selfie and verifies the displayed details. After completion, the credential is securely stored in the Digi Yatra wallet on the passenger’s device.

The stored credential can then be used at enabled terminal entry points, Security Hold Areas and boarding gates, wherever infrastructure is available. Creating the credential does not remove the need to carry the physical passport or complete airline document checks, immigration and other required travel formalities.

Digi Yatra is intended to make passenger verification more convenient at airport points where the trial is enabled. These include designated terminal entry points, Security Hold Areas and boarding gates. The digital credential can reduce repeated identity-verification steps at those locations.

For example, an eligible passenger on a selected Air India or IndiGo international flight may present the Digi Yatra credential at an enabled entry point or gate. The credential comes from the passenger’s e-passport and is stored in the app wallet after verification. Its use depends on the required airport infrastructure being available.

The system supplements, rather than replaces, existing procedures. Passengers must continue carrying their passports and other required travel documents. They must also complete airline document verification, immigration checks and all other mandatory travel formalities. Digi Yatra does not exempt travellers from international travel requirements.

Digital identity verification supplements existing controls because airport travel involves more than confirming a passenger’s identity. Digi Yatra can provide a convenient way to verify an eligible traveller at certain airport touchpoints. It is therefore a helpful layer in the process, not the complete travel process.

The trial uses information from an e-passport, including its Machine-Readable Zone and electronic chip, along with a selfie and verified details. This creates a credential for use at enabled entry points, Security Hold Areas and boarding gates. It does not replace the physical passport or all documents required for a journey.

International passengers must still undergo airline document verification, immigration checks and other mandatory formalities. Those procedures remain necessary under the trial’s rules. The Ministry of Civil Aviation is collecting passenger feedback through December 2026 before considering a wider rollout, so the current system is explicitly designed as a supplement.

An e-passport is a passport with an embedded electronic chip containing passport information. Its Machine-Readable Zone, or MRZ, is the coded text area that scanners read to identify the document. NFC is short-range wireless technology that lets a compatible smartphone read the passport’s chip.

In the Digi Yatra process, the passenger scans the MRZ, reads the chip through NFC, takes a selfie and verifies the details. The selfie is biometric information because it represents the traveller’s facial features. Together, the passport data and selfie help the app establish that the person presenting the document matches the identity details used to create the credential.

The resulting Verifiable Credential is stored in the Digi Yatra wallet and used at enabled airport touchpoints. The article describes this as digital identity verification, not a replacement for official controls. Passengers must still carry passports, complete airline checks and undergo immigration formalities.