Do I have to go through immigration for a connecting flight in Delhi?

Tips: If you transit to India within 24 hours of layover at the airport, it would be better to book the connecting flight on one ticket with the flight to India. A single booking allows you to connect from one flight to the next without having to clear immigration and re-claim your luggage personally.



At Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), the requirement for immigration depends on your flight path. If you are on an International-to-International connection and both flights are on a single ticket (one PNR) with luggage checked through, you generally stay "airside" and do not clear immigration; you simply follow the "International Transfer" signs to a security check. However, if you are transitioning from an International to a Domestic flight (or vice versa), you must clear immigration and customs at Delhi, as it is your first point of entry into India. Even for international-to-international transfers, if you have booked two separate tickets or need to collect and re-check bags, you will likely need to pass through immigration (requiring a valid visa or transit visa) to access the check-in counters. Always confirm your terminal, as international flights operate from T3, while domestic flights may use T1, T2, or T3, requiring a landside transfer.

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A port-of-entry is the first airport you land at in the US Even if you have a connecting flight, you need to go through the immigration procedure, pick up your luggage, re-check it and get on the next flight.

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When making a connecting flight in Delhi Airport, you should always allow for at least 1.5 hours between the scheduled arrival time of your first flight and the scheduled departure time of your second flight. In other words, it's best to have a gap of 90 minutes between flights.

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A direct flight is identified by a unique flight number. A transit flight, with a connection, has two distinct flight numbers. A flight that is not direct, or connecting flight, involves a change of aircraft.

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Yes, there might be exceptions, but most often than not the airline won't wait. What you can do is to try to avoid missing your connection. But if you do miss your connection, don't worry, the airline will book you on a new flight for free (if it's an airline-protected connecting flight).

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If your itinerary was purchased as one ticket (as in: you have only one itinerary and one confirmation number), and the connection time was too short and you miss the second (or third) flight, you can rest easy, no matter what happens. The airline will simply put you onto the next available flight, free of charge.

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