DIAL sets up biometric registration kiosks for immigration processing

These kiosks will cut time taken by immigration agent/officer by 50 per cent

The Delhi airport has installed five biometric registration kiosks at the international arrival pier for faster immigration processing of foreign nationals who have obtained a visa without submitting their biometric information during the application process.

This is the first time such kiosks have been set up at any airport in India.

GMR Group-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which operates the Delhi airport, said that it has set up five such kiosks, and would soon open another five.

“These kiosks are specifically designed for foreign nationals arriving in India with a visa where biometric information was not collected during the application process,” it mentioned.

“The kiosks, established by DIAL, would be operated under direct supervision of the Bureau of Immigration (BOI). After registering biometric at the kiosk, time taken by immigration agent/officer at the counter will be minimised by more than 50 per cent,” it added.

The Bureau of Immigration works under the Union home ministry.

Previously, visa-holding passengers arriving in Delhi without biometric registration were required to utilise the designated immigration counters, resulting in an average wait time of 4-5 minutes per passenger. During peak hours, these queues could lead to even longer delays, DIAL noted.

The Delhi airport, India's largest, handled a total of 73.67 million passengers in 2023-24 (FY24), recording a 12.8 per cent year-on-year growth amid a strong demand for air travel.