Airport face check-in

DigiYatra explained: how it works and your data

Published 3 November 2026Updated 3 November 2026

DigiYatra is a voluntary app that lets you pass Indian airport checkpoints by face instead of showing your ID and boarding pass. Your ID stays in a wallet on your phone, and the airport deletes what you shared within 24 hours.

Sourced 3 Nov 2026. Every fact below links to a Ministry of Civil Aviation release on the Press Information Bureau (PIB) or to the DigiYatra Foundation site, with each page's own date.

What DigiYatra is

The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched DigiYatra on 1 December 2022 at Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi airports. The launch release describes it as contactless, seamless processing of passengers based on Facial Recognition Technology, for domestic flights, and says it is voluntary in nature. A Lok Sabha reply of 2 February 2023 repeats that: "Digi Yatra is a voluntary facility". You can always queue and show your ID and boarding pass instead.

It suits anyone who flies domestic often: a consultant on a 7 am flight, a couple heading off for a long weekend, or a family that wants one less queue. The gain is speed. The PIB release of 30 May 2026 says it cut average airport entry processing from 15 seconds to 5 seconds per passenger.

How DigiYatra works, step by step

1. Install the app. The DigiYatra app is on Android and iOS, per the launch release.
2. Register once. The 2022 release says one-time registration uses "Aadhar based validation and a self-image capture". The DigiYatra Foundation now lists Aadhaar and Driving Licence as the supported domestic credentials.
3. Add your boarding pass. Your face is then linked to that flight, so the checkpoints know you are booked on it.
4. Share with your departure airport. Your data is shared "only for a limited time duration with the airport of travel origin", in the words of the 2023 Lok Sabha reply.
5. Walk through by face. At the enabled checkpoints, a camera matches your face instead of a staff member checking your ID. Carry your ID anyway, in case a gate is down.

Where DigiYatra works

The latest official count is in a PIB release of 1 November 2026: DigiYatra "has over 26.5 million users and has enabled more than 110 million journeys across 39 domestic airports", and "a further 25 domestic airports are planned to be covered by 2027".

The DigiYatra Foundation implementation page lists the airports, so check yours there before you fly. Even at a listed airport, a given terminal or gate may still be manual.

The international trial, November to December 2026

From November to December 2026, DigiYatra is running a trial for international departures. Here is what the PIB release and the Foundation's trial page say:

• Airports: Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai and Amritsar.
• Airlines: select international flights operated by Air India and IndiGo.
• Who can use it: Indian nationals with a chip-enabled e-passport. Foreign passport holders cannot take part in the trial.
• How to enrol: in the app (version 4.3.0 or later), scan the Machine Readable Zone of your e-passport, read the chip with your phone's NFC, take a selfie and verify the details.
• What it does not replace: you still carry your passport and complete airline document checks and immigration. PIB says the trial will feed a wider rollout in 2027.

What happens to your data

Three official texts describe the same design, with slightly different wording on the 24 hours:

The Foundation's homepage calls it "Privacy Preserving and secure technology using the concept of Self Sovereign Identity". On the trial page it explains how to delete an e-passport credential in the app: Identity Credentials, select it, Delete.

The open question. None of these pages says how a traveler can check that the airport copy was deleted. Digital rights writers have asked exactly that, for example MediaNama in February 2024. If that matters to you, use the manual queue: DigiYatra stays optional.

Families and other travelers

For the international trial, the Foundation says an adult may add a minor's e-passport credential where the "Add Minor's Credentials" feature is available, and manage the child's journey from the linked adult profile. We could not open an official rule for children on domestic flights, so check the app before you rely on it with kids.

What we could not confirm

• The full list of DigiYatra airports (the official count is 39 as of 1 November 2026).
• Rules for children and for foreign nationals on domestic flights.
• DigiLocker as a way to register.

Flying abroad after the trial? Check what you can bring home with our customs duty-free allowance calculator, and build a list with the packing list generator.

Sources

• PIB, Ministry of Civil Aviation, DigiYatra launch, 1 December 2022: pib.gov.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• PIB, Lok Sabha written reply, 2 February 2023: pib.gov.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• PIB, Rajya Sabha written reply, 5 February 2024: pib.gov.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• PIB, Digi Yatra crosses 10 crore usage, 30 May 2026: pib.gov.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• PIB, Digi Yatra begins international passenger trials, 1 November 2026: pib.gov.in, sourced 3 November 2026
• DigiYatra Foundation, homepage and International Passenger Trial: digiyatrafoundation.com, sourced 3 November 2026

See all posts