India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has quietly expanded its Fast Track Immigration–Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) to another gateway: Surat International Airport. Late on 30 January the airport opened dedicated counters where international passengers—Indian nationals and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card-holders—can register fingerprints and facial biometrics. Once verified, travellers receive a digital credential that unlocks automated e-gates already in use at 13 major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
FTI-TTP is India’s answer to programmes such as Global Entry (US) or Registered Traveller (UK). By shifting identity checks to a pre-travel stage and relying on e-gates rather than manual stamping, the government hopes to cut average immigration clearance from eight minutes to under 30 seconds. Officials emphasise that the system is distinct from the domestic-only Digi Yatra platform; FTI-TTP data are stored on MHA servers and shared with immigration and security agencies in real time, addressing concerns about watch-list hits and document fraud.
For travellers or corporate mobility teams seeking extra hands-on help navigating India’s new FTI-TTP requirements, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its dedicated India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the company assists with everything from aligning passport or OCI details to handling government fee payments and tracking application milestones in real time—ensuring employees arrive at the e-gate with every prerequisite already cleared.
![Surat Airport Joins India’s Fast‐Track Immigration Network With Biometric Registration]()
For corporate mobility managers the expansion is meaningful. Surat is an emerging diamond-trading and textile hub whose exporters make frequent short-haul trips to the Gulf, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Enrolling key employees in FTI-TTP reduces dwell times, improves on-time performance for tight connections in Mumbai or Delhi, and limits exposure to congested queuing areas—an occupational-health priority after COVID-19.
To register, travellers create an account on the FTI-TTP portal, upload passport and OCI details where applicable, pay a one-time ₹2,000 fee, and book an in-person biometric appointment. The credential is valid for five years and can be renewed online. The MHA says nearly 220,000 users have signed up since the scheme’s July 2024 launch; analysts expect enrolment to cross the one-million mark once Tier-2 airports such as Surat come fully online.
In the medium term, the ministry plans to integrate FTI-TTP with Advance Passenger Information and risk-based screening engines so that low-risk passengers can walk directly from aircraft to kerbside. Airports in Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram and Jaipur are next in line, signalling that seamless borders are moving beyond India’s metros.
FTI-TTP is India’s answer to programmes such as Global Entry (US) or Registered Traveller (UK). By shifting identity checks to a pre-travel stage and relying on e-gates rather than manual stamping, the government hopes to cut average immigration clearance from eight minutes to under 30 seconds. Officials emphasise that the system is distinct from the domestic-only Digi Yatra platform; FTI-TTP data are stored on MHA servers and shared with immigration and security agencies in real time, addressing concerns about watch-list hits and document fraud.
For travellers or corporate mobility teams seeking extra hands-on help navigating India’s new FTI-TTP requirements, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its dedicated India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the company assists with everything from aligning passport or OCI details to handling government fee payments and tracking application milestones in real time—ensuring employees arrive at the e-gate with every prerequisite already cleared.
For corporate mobility managers the expansion is meaningful. Surat is an emerging diamond-trading and textile hub whose exporters make frequent short-haul trips to the Gulf, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Enrolling key employees in FTI-TTP reduces dwell times, improves on-time performance for tight connections in Mumbai or Delhi, and limits exposure to congested queuing areas—an occupational-health priority after COVID-19.
To register, travellers create an account on the FTI-TTP portal, upload passport and OCI details where applicable, pay a one-time ₹2,000 fee, and book an in-person biometric appointment. The credential is valid for five years and can be renewed online. The MHA says nearly 220,000 users have signed up since the scheme’s July 2024 launch; analysts expect enrolment to cross the one-million mark once Tier-2 airports such as Surat come fully online.
In the medium term, the ministry plans to integrate FTI-TTP with Advance Passenger Information and risk-based screening engines so that low-risk passengers can walk directly from aircraft to kerbside. Airports in Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram and Jaipur are next in line, signalling that seamless borders are moving beyond India’s metros.
