New Delhi, Nov. 2 -- Digi Yatra has begun trials for international passengers at seven airports across the country, allowing eligible Indian nationals holding e-passports to use the facility at designated airport touchpoints while travelling on select international flights operated by Air India and IndiGo, the government said on Sunday. The trials, scheduled to run from November to December 2026, are being conducted at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Chennai and Amritsar airports. Passengers will be able to use the facility at terminal entry points, security hold areas and boarding gates, wherever the required infrastructure is available, the government said in a statement. HT had reported in September that the government was working to extend Digi Yatra to international departures. Feedback received during the trial period will inform the planning of a wider rollout in 2027, the government said. Unlike the domestic Digi Yatra system, which uses Aadhaar-based enrolment, the international facility will use electronic passports to create a digital identity credential. Eligible Indian nationals holding e-passports will have to create an e-passport-based Verifiable Credential (VC) through the Digi Yatra mobile application. The process involves scanning the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) of the e-passport, reading its embedded chip using the Near Field Communication (NFC) feature of a compatible smartphone, capturing a selfie and verifying the details. The photograph stored in passport chip is used as part of identity verification process. The credential is stored in the passenger's Digi Yatra wallet on the device and can be used at airport touchpoints enabled for the trials, the government said. The initial phase is restricted to departure-side airport processes. Immigration clearance will continue under the existing system, and passengers arriving on international flights will see no change. The facility will complement, not replace, existing travel procedures. Passengers must continue to carry their travel documents and complete all mandatory airline document checks, immigration procedures and other applicable travel formalities, the statement said. Hindustan Times had earlier reported that the international expansion would require software upgrades, security assessments and additional technology integration. Officials had said the initial rollout would focus on terminal entry, security and boarding, while integration with immigration would be taken up at a later stage. The ministry of civil aviation's policy document also envisages automated border control at departure and arrival as a subsequent phase. The international expansion is part of a broader push to digitise air travel. The government has already allowed passengers to use electronic boarding passes at immigration counters, doing away with the requirement to carry physical boarding passes for immigration clearance. Physical boarding passes continue to be issued by airlines....