KOCHI: International travellers arriving at the Kochi airport can soon enjoy a seamless immigration process through self-authentication at specially-designed smart gates at the immigration counters, thereby enabling them to complete the process in just 20 seconds.
Kochi airport will become the second airport after the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, to implement the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’s prestigious ‘Fast Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme’ (FTI-TTP), aimed that expediting the immigration clearance for eligible Indian nationals and foreign nationals holding OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) cards.
“Implementing FTI-TTP at Kochi airport’s immigration counter will ensure a fast, safe, and seamless process. Cochin International Airport is proud to collaborate with the Bureau of Immigration to facilitate fast-track biometric smart travel at our immigration counters. The biometric authentication process will reduce the immigration verification process time from 4 minutes to just 20 seconds,” Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) managing director S Suhas said.
Following the roll-out at Delhi International Airport in June, CIAL has begun an infrastructure makeover at the immigration area, dedicating eight lanes to biometric e-gates. The fast-track immigration gates will be deployed this week, with testing starting on Monday, followed by the official launch next month.
To be beneficiaries, the applicants must complete a one-time registration process, on the MHA portal, upload necessary documents, and enrol biometrics (fingerprint and face image) at the Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office or help desks set up in the immigration area. Upon successful verification through mobile OTP, travellers can use the smart gates, bypassing long queues at the departure/arrival immigration counters by self-scanning their passports and using the face recognition system. This eliminates the need for human interaction or fact-checking during immigration.
The Bureau of Immigration at Cochin International Airport has already established an enrolment facility at the FRRO office within Kochi airport premises and help desks at the immigration area.