Barely three months after India quietly activated biometric e-gates for its Fast Track Immigration–Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) at Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, a new problem has surfaced: non-resident Indians (NRIs) can no longer prove exactly how many days they spent in the country. A viral discussion posted on 28 March 2026 in the r/nriFIRE forum captures the dilemma—CA firms are refusing to finalise tax returns without the traditional ink arrival/departure stamps, and the online ‘travel history’ report maintained by the Bureau of Immigration still shows multi-week lags. Under India’s tax law, the difference between 119 and 120 days of physical presence can mean losing NRI status and facing tax on global income. “The e-gates are fantastic from a passenger-experience perspective, but they have broken a critical evidentiary trail,” warns Rajesh Garg, partner at Big-4 firm EY India. Similar issues arose when Singapore removed passport stamps in 2022, but it simultaneously rolled out an instant digital entry record. India’s system has no such real-time API yet.
![Indian e-gates spark compliance headache for NRIs as passport stamps disappear]()
Travellers seeking a streamlined way to stay on top of documentation can leverage VisaHQ’s services. The company’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) consolidates immigration updates, sends renewal reminders, and can even help secure certified entry–exit records or assist with RTI filings—giving NRIs and global employers added confidence until the government’s own digital history becomes fully reliable.
The Ministry of Home Affairs says it will release a downloadable ‘Immigration Status Certificate’ in April, but advisers recommend stop-gap measures now: insist on a manual stamp at the assisted-immigration counter; keep boarding passes and e-tickets for every trip; and, if necessary, file an RTI request for your movement record well before the July 31 tax-return deadline. Multinational employers should alert assignees whose tax equalisation depends on counting days and update global-mobility policies to cover the cost of obtaining certified travel histories. Companies that rely on the 183-day rule under Double Tax Treaties may also need to revise shadow-payroll calculations until the digital record becomes reliable. In the medium term, the episode highlights the importance of integrating border-control innovation with downstream compliance workflows. India’s FTI-TTP enrolment has crossed 600,000 travellers according to airport officials, and the number is projected to reach 2 million by 2028—making a robust digital audit trail non-negotiable.
Travellers seeking a streamlined way to stay on top of documentation can leverage VisaHQ’s services. The company’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) consolidates immigration updates, sends renewal reminders, and can even help secure certified entry–exit records or assist with RTI filings—giving NRIs and global employers added confidence until the government’s own digital history becomes fully reliable.
The Ministry of Home Affairs says it will release a downloadable ‘Immigration Status Certificate’ in April, but advisers recommend stop-gap measures now: insist on a manual stamp at the assisted-immigration counter; keep boarding passes and e-tickets for every trip; and, if necessary, file an RTI request for your movement record well before the July 31 tax-return deadline. Multinational employers should alert assignees whose tax equalisation depends on counting days and update global-mobility policies to cover the cost of obtaining certified travel histories. Companies that rely on the 183-day rule under Double Tax Treaties may also need to revise shadow-payroll calculations until the digital record becomes reliable. In the medium term, the episode highlights the importance of integrating border-control innovation with downstream compliance workflows. India’s FTI-TTP enrolment has crossed 600,000 travellers according to airport officials, and the number is projected to reach 2 million by 2028—making a robust digital audit trail non-negotiable.
