Digi Yatra Is Set to Trial Facial Recognition for International Departures From October

Digi Yatra, India’s facial-recognition-based airport processing system, has so far applied only to domestic flights since its national rollout began in 2022, letting registered passengers move through entry, security and boarding checkpoints using their face rather than repeated physical document checks. That is due to change: reports in late September 2026 point to trials for international departures beginning between October and December 2026, at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi airports, the first step toward extending the system beyond domestic travel.

How the international version is expected to work

Because international travel requires passport verification rather than just a boarding pass, the international trial is expected to rely on e-passports: passengers would scan the passport’s photo page and use an NFC-enabled smartphone to read the chip embedded in the document, rather than the boarding-pass-based registration used for domestic Digi Yatra today. Reports on the trial describe the initial phase as covering passenger touchpoints such as terminal entry and security screening, with immigration and emigration procedures expected to remain separate during these early trials rather than being folded into the facial-recognition system itself.

What it replaces, and what it doesn’t

Digi Yatra’s domestic system has already cut average processing time at airport entry points, according to figures cited by outlets covering the rollout, and the international trial is being framed as an extension of that same efficiency push to departure halls that currently rely on manual passport and boarding pass checks at multiple stages. It is not expected to replace immigration counters themselves in this initial phase, where passport stamping and checks by the Bureau of Immigration continue as a separate step.

View on Google Maps →

Traveller tips

• This is currently reported as a trial phase, not a nationwide rollout; international Digi Yatra is not yet available at most Indian airports.
• Domestic Digi Yatra enrolment, through the official app, is separate from any international version and does not automatically carry over.
• Carry standard travel documents as usual for international departures, since passport and boarding pass checks continue regardless of which airport lanes are trialling the new system.
• Always confirm current procedures with your airline or the airport’s official channels before travelling, as trial details and participating airports can change.