diff --git a/src/components/Search/SearchRouter/SearchRouter.tsx b/src/components/Search/SearchRouter/SearchRouter.tsx
index 87dd1439bf89..3cd971e50535 100644
--- a/src/components/Search/SearchRouter/SearchRouter.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Search/SearchRouter/SearchRouter.tsx
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import type {SearchQueryItem} from '@components/SelectionListWithSections/Search
 import {isSearchQueryItem} from '@components/SelectionListWithSections/Search/SearchQueryListItem';
 import type {SelectionListHandle} from '@components/SelectionListWithSections/types';
 import useDebouncedState from '@hooks/useDebouncedState';
+import useFocusAfterNav from '@hooks/useFocusAfterNav';
 import useKeyboardShortcut from '@hooks/useKeyboardShortcut';
 import useLocalize from '@hooks/useLocalize';
 import useOnyx from '@hooks/useOnyx';
@@ -474,6 +475,7 @@ function SearchRouter({onRouterClose, shouldHideInputCaret, isSearchRouterDispla
     });
 
     const modalWidth = shouldUseNarrowLayout ? styles.w100 : {width: variables.searchRouterPopoverWidth};
+    const autoFocus = useFocusAfterNav(textInputRef);
 
     return (
         <View
@@ -512,6 +514,7 @@ function SearchRouter({onRouterClose, shouldHideInputCaret, isSearchRouterDispla
                     selection={selection}
                     substitutionMap={autocompleteSubstitutions}
                     ref={textInputRef}
+                    autoFocus={autoFocus}
                 />
             </View>
             {shouldShowList && (
diff --git a/src/hooks/useFocusAfterNav/index.native.ts b/src/hooks/useFocusAfterNav/index.native.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a9a2563b34e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/useFocusAfterNav/index.native.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import {useFocusEffect} from '@react-navigation/native';
+import CONST from '@src/CONST';
+import type UseFocusAfterNav from './type';
+
+/** We added a delay to focus on text input to allow navigation/modal animations to get completed,
+see issue https://github.com/Expensify/App/issues/65855 for more details */
+const useFocusAfterNav: UseFocusAfterNav = (ref) => {
+    useFocusEffect(() => {
+        const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
+            ref.current?.focus();
+        }, CONST.ANIMATED_TRANSITION);
+
+        return () => clearTimeout(timeoutId);
+    });
+    return false;
+};
+
+export default useFocusAfterNav;
diff --git a/src/hooks/useFocusAfterNav/index.ts b/src/hooks/useFocusAfterNav/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..64e5300e7dfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/useFocusAfterNav/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import type UseFocusAfterNav from './type';
+
+const useFocusAfterNav: UseFocusAfterNav = () => {
+    return true;
+};
+
+export default useFocusAfterNav;
diff --git a/src/hooks/useFocusAfterNav/type.ts b/src/hooks/useFocusAfterNav/type.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..379dadbde120
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/useFocusAfterNav/type.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import type {RefObject} from 'react';
+import type {AnimatedTextInputRef} from '@components/RNTextInput';
+
+type UseFocusAfterNav = (ref: RefObject<AnimatedTextInputRef | null>) => boolean;
+
+export default UseFocusAfterNav;