General Information  

Passport and Visas

All foreign national travelling to India need a valid passport and visa. Tourist Visa : The application for a tourist visa should be made out of the prescribed form and submitted together with two passport size photographs to the Embassy of India. Any frequent traveller to India should apply for a visa allowing entry for a longer period, but every visit should not last longer than six months. Stay period beyond six months should be registered in the FRRO or the nearest police station.

Restricted and Protected Areas

These area’s were earlier restricted, but are now open to tourists. Which means that foreign tourists can visit these areas without any restricted area permit:

Darjeeling (West Bengal), entire Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura.  


Foreign Tourists still require restricted area permit to visit the following areas:

Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshwadeep, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and certain areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Restricted area permit can be obtained from Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, Indian Missions Abroad, Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRRO) in India, resident Commissioners of respective State Governments based in Delhi and Home Commissioners of each state capitals

Application for restricted permit has to be made at least six weeks in advance. For Andaman and Nicobar Islands, entry permit can be obtained from the Chief Immigration officers in Madras, Calcutta and Port Blair. Restricted area permit for Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands can also be obtained on the spot.

Health regulation

No vaccination certificate is required for entry into India except the persons travelling through Yellow fever epidemic countries (Certain African and Latin American Countries) are required to have yellow fever vaccination certificate conforming to International Health regulations.

Language

English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political and commercial communication. Hindi, the national language is the primary tongue for 30% of the population. Hindustani, a popular variant of  Hindi/Urdu and is spoken widely throughout Northern India.

Tourist Guides

English speaking government approved guides are available at all major tourist centers. French. German, Spanish. Italian, Japanese or Russian speaking guides can be arranged on request according to their availability. Unapproved tourist guides are not allowed access to protected monuments and tourists should make sure that the guide has a license which has been approved by the Department of Tourism.

Time Zone

The time difference in India is GMT + 5 ½ hours. This is the time difference throughout the year.

Electricity

Voltage at most places is 220 V AC, 50 Hz, though a few area have a DC supply as well. Tourists are advised to check the supply before using their appliances.

Photography

Photography with still and video camera is permitted at all monuments. A special license is needed to photograph ancient monuments using a flash and tripod.  The license can be issued by the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi and concerned Archaeology departments. Photography in tribal areas is not permitted.

Currency Restrictions

There are no import restrictions on money or traveler’s cheques brought into the country. Cash, Bank Note or travellers’ cheques upto a value of USD 10,000 or equivalent, need not be declared on entry into the country. Tourists are advised to exchange cash or traveller’s cheques only in Banks or authorised exchanges and retain the receipts. This allows for re-exchange of currency on departure.

Airport Tax

Passengers embarking on journey to any place outside India from a custom’s airport will have to pay an airport tax of INR 500. However for journeys to Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives  - INR 150 if they are returning back to India.

India - a travellers' paradise | popular tours | travel tips | contact us