Air Suvidha Form 2.0: 2026 Travel Requirements for Passengers Flying to India

By Oscar MikeUpdated 11 November 20269 min read

If you flew to India during the pandemic, you likely remember the Air Suvidha portal. That original COVID-era health declaration was quietly retired in February 2023. In its place, India has now rolled out the Air Suvidha form 2.0, a reinstated digital health self-declaration that applies to every international passenger landing at an Indian airport, alongside the separate mandatory e-Arrival Card for immigration.

Australian travellers heading to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru or any other Indian city need to know what has changed, what to fill in, and when to do it. Getting this wrong could mean a long wait at the immigration counter, extra health-desk screening, or in some cases being pulled out of the queue entirely.

What Is Air Suvidha 2.0?

Air Suvidha 2.0 is India’s reinstated online health self-declaration platform, operated jointly by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with support from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). It is a contactless, digital version of the paper Self-Declaration Form (SDF) that passengers used to hand to the health officer on arrival.

Unlike the 2020–2023 version, the new Air Suvidha form 2.0 was brought back in response to a Bundibugyo virus (Ebola) outbreak that the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May 2026. It is not a visa, and it is not the e-Arrival Card. It is a health surveillance measure under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.

At a glance

What it is: A free online health self-declaration.
Who files it: Every international arrival, any nationality.
When: Within 24 hours before you land in India.
Proof: An emailed acknowledgement with a registration number.

Air Suvidha 2.0 vs the e-Arrival Card: What’s the Difference?

Most Australians searching for the “new Air Suvidha” are actually running into several separate forms. Here is how they split out:

Form	What it covers	Deadline	Issued by
Air Suvidha 2.0	Health self-declaration — 21-day travel history, exposure to notified Ebola-affected countries, symptoms	Within 24 hours before arrival	Ministry of Civil Aviation
e-Arrival Card	Immigration declaration — replaces the paper disembarkation card	Within 72 hours before arrival	Bureau of Immigration
ATITHI	Customs declaration — dutiable goods, excess currency, drones, restricted items	Before arrival (if applicable)	Indian Customs
e-Visa / visa	Your actual entry authorisation	Approved before you board	Ministry of Home Affairs

You can be asked for all four on the same trip, so treat them as a checklist, not a single step. If you are not sure which travel documents apply to your specific trip, our full checklist breaks it down by trip type.

Who Needs to Fill the Air Suvidha Form 2.0?

The rules apply to almost everyone flying in from Australia:

Foreign nationals, including Australian passport holders
Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders
Indian citizens returning on an Indian passport
Travellers entering by air, sea or land
Visitors on tourist, business, student, medical or employment visas
Travellers using an Indian e-Visa

The health self-declaration is nationality-neutral. If you are stepping off an international flight at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad or any other Indian airport, you are expected to submit it.

When to Submit the Air Suvidha 2.0 Form

The Air Suvidha 2.0 submission window is tight: complete the form online within 24 hours before your scheduled arrival in India. The e-Arrival Card has a more generous 72-hour window, so most travellers submit the e-Arrival Card first and the Air Suvidha form 2.0 on the day they fly.

Expert tip

Fill the Air Suvidha form 2.0 as soon as you check in at your Australian departure airport in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide. Airport Wi-Fi is usually stable enough, and you are not relying on patchy in-flight internet to type passport numbers or recall a 21-day travel history at 38,000 feet.

What the Air Suvidha Form 2.0 Asks For

The form is short and focused on health and recent movement. Have these ready before you open the portal:

Passport details — full name, passport number, nationality, with at least six months of validity from your arrival date
Visa confirmation — your Indian visa approval or e-Visa reference
Flight details — airline, flight number, PNR, seat number if known, departure country and entry airport in India
Address in India — state, city, street and PIN code where you will stay on your first night
21-day travel history — every country you visited or transited in the last 21 days; this is the field that matters most, because Ebola’s incubation period can run up to 21 days
Exposure and symptoms — whether you have been to a notified Ebola-affected country, and whether you have fever, bleeding, body aches or breathing difficulty
Contact email — for the acknowledgement and registration number
OCI card details, if applicable

Important

The Government of India has notified three Ebola-affected countries at the time of writing — the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. If you have transited through any of them in the past 21 days, your declaration will trigger a secondary health check at the Airport Port Health Officer (APHO) desk on arrival. This is a government health declaration, so answer honestly and completely. A false declaration is an offence under Indian law.

Where to Submit It: The Official Air Suvidha 2.0 Portal

Only use the official Ministry of Civil Aviation portal at airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in. The Indian government does not charge a fee for the Air Suvidha form 2.0 or the e-Arrival Card. Several unofficial sites have popped up offering to “fill the form for you” for AUD 30–80. These add no value, sometimes mishandle personal data, and almost always ask for the same information you would type yourself in ten minutes.

Once you submit, the portal issues a registration number and emails an acknowledgement. Save a copy to your phone, screenshot it, and if you want a safety net, print a backup. On arrival in India you may be asked to show it at the health desk before you reach immigration.

The Air Suvidha Form 2.0 Is Not Your Visa

This is the most common point of confusion for first-time users. The Air Suvidha 2.0 declaration is a health check, and the e-Arrival Card is an immigration declaration. Neither of them grants you entry to India on its own.

Australian passport holders still need a valid Indian tourist visa, business visa or e-Visa to enter the country. For most tourism and short business trips, the Indian e-Visa is the easiest route. Applications are handled online and most are approved within a few days.

Expert tip

Carry a printed or offline digital copy of three things when you fly: your visa approval, your Air Suvidha 2.0 acknowledgement, and your e-Arrival Card QR code. Phone batteries die, airport Wi-Fi drops out, and an immigration queue in Delhi at 5am is not the place to find out.

ATITHI: The Separate Customs Declaration

Some Australians get confused when they hear about ATITHI. It is a different form again. ATITHI covers Indian customs declarations for travellers carrying dutiable goods, cash above the declared limit, drones or certain other restricted items.

Most tourists and family visitors only need the e-Arrival Card and the Air Suvidha form 2.0. If you are travelling with large amounts of gold jewellery, high-value electronics beyond the free allowance, or carrying foreign currency above the Indian customs free limit (roughly AUD 7,500, or the equivalent of around USD 5,000), you may need ATITHI as well. Check the current threshold on the Indian Customs website before you fly, as the declared limit is set in USD and converts to AUD at the day’s rate.

What Happens If You Skip the Air Suvidha Form 2.0

Skipping the form is not an outright visa refusal, but it will slow you down significantly:

You may be pulled out of the immigration queue and asked to complete the Air Suvidha 2.0 form on the spot
Airport Wi-Fi may be slow or unavailable, especially after a long-haul arrival from Australia
Your airline may ask for proof of submission at check-in in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth
Providing false information on the self-declaration is an offence under Indian law
Peak-season arrivals see longer waits, so any delay compounds quickly

The Australian Government’s Smartraveller India page is a useful place to confirm current entry requirements before you fly, alongside the official Air Suvidha 2.0 portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Air Suvidha form 2.0 mandatory for Australians travelling to India?

Yes. Every international passenger arriving in India, including Australian passport holders, NRIs and OCI cardholders, is expected to submit the Air Suvidha 2.0 health self-declaration within 24 hours before arrival.

Is there an Ebola outbreak in India?

No. There is no Ebola outbreak inside India. Air Suvidha 2.0 is a precautionary screening measure designed to identify and isolate any imported case early, prompted by the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in Central Africa.

Is there a fee for the Air Suvidha form 2.0?

No. The official Air Suvidha 2.0 form is free of charge. If a website is asking you to pay, you are on the wrong portal.

Where do I fill the Air Suvidha 2.0 form?

On the Ministry of Civil Aviation's official portal at airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in. Bookmark it before you travel.

Do Indian citizens also need to fill the Air Suvidha form?

Yes. The health self-declaration is nationality-neutral and applies to Indian citizens returning home, NRIs, OCI cardholders and foreign nationals alike. The e-Arrival Card is the form that exempts Indian passport holders, not Air Suvidha 2.0.

Can I fill the Air Suvidha form 2.0 after landing in India?

Technically yes, but you will be asked to step aside and complete it at the airport health desk before you can proceed. This defeats the purpose of the pre-arrival system and can add significant waiting time.

What if my flight is delayed or rebooked?

Submit a new Air Suvidha 2.0 form with your updated flight details. The old submission is tied to your original flight record.

Do children need their own Air Suvidha 2.0 submission?

Yes. Every traveller, including infants, needs an individual submission. Parents or guardians can complete the form on behalf of minors.

What if I am only transiting through India?

Passengers staying inside the international transit area at an Indian airport, without clearing immigration, are generally exempt. If you are leaving the airport, you need the form.

Do I also need the e-Arrival Card if I fill the Air Suvidha form 2.0?

Yes. The two forms cover different purposes — health screening and immigration declaration — and are filed on different portals with different deadlines (24 hours and 72 hours respectively).

Before You Fly to India

Give yourself a quiet ten minutes with your passport, itinerary and Indian address before you complete the Air Suvidha form 2.0 and the e-Arrival Card. Save the acknowledgement and QR code where you can open them offline, and double-check the passport number matches the one you are travelling on. A few minutes of preparation at home saves a long wait in Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.

Need help booking your flights to India, or sorting travel insurance and visa support alongside the Air Suvidha 2.0 paperwork? Our Airways Travel consultants deal with this every week — get in touch and we will walk you through it.

Oscar Mike

Travel & Tourism Specialist

Oscar Mike writes about travel and tourism for Airways Travel, with a focus on the paperwork and planning that trips up Australian travellers heading overseas. His work covers entry requirements and visa rules, airline and airport policy, fare trends on the Australia–India and Australia–South Asia routes, and destination guides for families flying long-haul. He spends a lot of time reading government travel notices so you do not have to, and turns them into plain-English guides you can act on before you get to the check-in desk.