VISA : All foreign tourists visiting India must be in possession of a valid passport and visa. An Indian visa is readily available from Indian Consulate in the country of your origin. There are also certain parts of the region (see Restricted Area Permit under Tariff Information file) that require a special permit to visit. This will be advised to you at the time of booking the tour. Visa fees may vary from country to country. It is recommended to obtain a multiple Entry Tourist Visa since this simplifies the procedure for visiting neighbouring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka. Indians holding foreign passports would also have to obtain an Indian Visa before entering India.
HEALTH: Tourists coming to India via Africa and South America or any other yellow fever infected area must have yellow fever vaccination certificate. No other vaccination certificate is mandatory though you may like to consult your doctor for inoculation against typhoid, and meningitis. Inoculations for cholera and hepatitis A and anti-malarial pills are recommended.
EXCHANGE CONTROL FORMALITIES: Exchange Control formalities to be observed by foreign visitors coming to India are quite simple. There are 24 hour exchange facilities available at International airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. There are few regulations on certain items. Those relating to all key areas are summarised below:
(i) CURRENCY AND JEWELLERY
(a) FOREIGN CURRENCY: Foreign exchange comprising foreign currency notes/coins, travellers cheques, drafts drawn on banks in India or bank letters of credit can be brought into India without limit. However, if the total amount of foreign currency notes/coins or travellers cheques brought into India at one time exceeds US$10000/- or its equivalent, it is required to be declared by the holder to the Indian Customs authorities on arrival on a Currency Declaration Form (CDF). A copy of the CDF duly certified by the customs will be handed over to the declarant. This declaration facilitates easy conversion of foreign currency into Indian currency by the tourists and also reconversion of their unspent balances of Indian rupees into foreign currency at the time of their departure from India. Blank Currency Declaration Forms are available with the airport/seaport Customs.
(b) INDIAN CURRENCY: Bringing Indian currency of any denomination into India is prohibited. Foreign tourists' returning to India from Nepal are, however, permitted to bring with them unspent Indian currency which needs to be declared. There is no restriction on bringing into India of cheques/drafts issued by overseas bank and denominated in Indian rupees drawn on banks situated in India.
(c) PERSONAL JEWELLERY: Foreign tourists are permitted to bring with them their personal jewellery either worn on their person or as part of their personal effects in accordance with Customs Baggage Rules. The Rules, inter alia, require an endorsement by the Indian Customs on the tourists' passports about the jewellery brought by the latter. In order to facilitate Customs clearance of the same personal jewellery at the time of the tourist's departure from India, details thereof are endorsed on the tourist's passports at the time of entry.
CARRYING FOREIGN/INDIAN CURRENCY OUT OF INDIA:
FOREIGN CURRENCY:Foreign tourists are permitted to take out with them, in any form, unspent foreign exchange previously brought into India by them against the production of Currency Declaration Form, wherever issued at the time of arrival.
INDIAN CURRENCY: Taking out of any Indian Currency is prohibited. Foreign visitors going to Nepal from India can, however, take with them in denominations of Rs. 100/- and below, Indian currency acquired out of sale of foreign exchange brought into India by them.
PROCEDURE FOR ENCASHMENT OF FOREIGN CURRENCY:
A foreign visitor should present his/her travellers cheques or foreign currency notes to a branch of an authorised dealer or licensed money-changer alongwith the Currency Declaration Form (CDF) if one was filled up at the time of his arrival in India. Authorised dealer/money-changers will enter the amount of foreign currency encashed in the CDF and also issue an Encashment Certificate showing details of foreign currency encashed, rate of conversion and amount of rupees paid. Tourists are advised to obtain Encashment Certificates in their own names and necessary endorsements in the CDFs, where applicable, in order to facilitate easy reconversion into foreign exchange of the Indian currency left with them at the time of their departure from India. Authorised dealers / licensed money-changers have been advised to encash foreign currency instruments and to issue Encashment Certificates even in cases where a Currency Declaration Form filled up by a tourist cannot be produced for verification due to unavoidable circumstances. Unspent balances of Indian currency can be re-converted into foreign currency at the time of departure from India, only against Encashment Certificates, which are valid for 3 months from the date of their issue. In the absence of any Encashment Certificate, a maximum of Rs. 100/- will be allowed to be converted into foreign currency at the exit point. Mercury Travels is an authorised agent for exchange of Foreign Currency.
EXCHANGE RATES:
The rates for purchase and sale of UK Pound and US$ currency notes and foreign currency travellers cheques, where applicable, are quoted by authorised dealers/money-changers within the floor and ceiling rates worked out daily in accordance with guidelines prescribed by Reserve Bank of India. For other currencies, banks quote rates based on market conditions. Bank drafts and travellers cheques fetch better rates than currency notes. Currencies like UK Pound, US$ and Deutsche Mark are widely accepted.
(ii) PAYMENT OF HOTEL BILLS:
Foreign nationals have to pay their hotel bills in foreign exchange. They may also pay in rupees, provided the rupees are derived out of sale of foreign exchange to authorised dealers/licensed money-changers as evidenced by the production of Encashment Certificates. (See iii). International credit cards are accepted in most hotels.
(iii) TRAVEL WITHIN INDIA:
For travel within India, foreign tourists have to pay their fares in foreign exchange. All booking offices of Indian Airlines, all other private airlines and booking offices of Indian Railways at many important centres accept payment in foreign exchange from foreign tourists. Rail fares can be paid in Indian rupees on the production of the Encashment Certificates obtained earlier.(See procedure for encashment of foreign exchange)
(iv) BOOKING RETURN PASSAGE FROM INDIA:
Foreign tourists not holding return tickets purchased abroad may book their passage tickets for travel out of India through any airlines/shipping company or licensed travel agent. The passage fare has to be paid in foreign exchange or in Indian currency obtained in an approved manner.
(v) UNACCOMPANIED BAGGAGE:
Foreign visitors are required to pay charges for their excess baggage or freight on their unaccompanied baggage in foreign exchange. Payment in Indian rupees is also acceptable if supported by valid Encashment Certificates.
(vi) PURCHASE OF GOODS/ARTICLES BY FOREIGN TOURISTS:
Shops/emporia selling goods or providing services to foreign tourists are permitted to accept payment in foreign exchange against all major Credit Cards/ Bank Drafts, Travellers cheques. Foreign tourists are permitted by Indian Customs to take with them goods purchased in India without any value limit. There are restrictions on the export of antiquities and art objects more than 100 years old export of most wildlife product is prohibited or strictly regulated: therefore avoid buying any thing made of ivory, reptile skin, fur, musk, tortoise shells and any part of wild animals, provided the goods are purchased out of funds brought from abroad. The visitors have to complete a tourists questionnaire which is available with shops/travel agencies and submit it alongwith their Encashment Certificate. Some shops and emporia also undertake to send the goods abroad as unaccompanied baggage at the request of the tourists.
(vii) OPENING OF BANK ACCOUNTS:
A foreign tourist may open a temporary Rupee account with a bank in India by sale of foreign exchange brought or against remittance received from abroad. Such accounts can be maintained for a maximum period of 6 months and have to be closed before the account holders leave India.
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