Coming up in Bengaluru: Biometrics for Indians flying in from abroad

Indian citizens flying back to the country at Bengaluru airport may soon not need to wait in immigration queues to get their passports stamped. The Bangalore International Airport Pvt Ltd (BIAL) has proposed to develop a technology where Indian passport holders flying back to the country will simply need to use their biometrics like an iris scan to register their arrival.

Since immigration has a unified database, the passport will get “digitally stamped” and contain the same information as the physical stamp.

The proposal, BIAL MD and CEO Hari K Marar told TOI, has been sent to the to the home ministry’s Bureau of Immigration. If accepted and extended to other airports too after BIAL establishes the system, this could radically change the experience of Indian citizens flying back home by doing away with the need to queue up.

“We have written to the Bureau of Immigration, offering to do a proof of concept at our expense at Bengaluru airport. We will develop the technology for using biometrics to do immigration of Indians (passport holders) flying back to the country. We will use any biometric like thumb or palm print or iris for the purpose,” he said.

“Under the system, the passport will get digitally stamped when an Indian passport holder returns to the country. When he or she flies out of the country from any other Indian airport, the digital stamp will show what a physical stamp does,” Marar said.

The same technology can be used for an Indian passport holder flying out of the country. But for now, BIAL’s proposal is for Indians flying back to the country. “Let us develop this one at a time,” he added.