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Credit cards
American Express, Master
Charge, Visa and Diners Club credit cards are generally accepted by
large establishments including hotels, shops, and airlines.
Electricity
Voltage in most places
is 220 volts AC, 50 cycles, although some areas also have DC
supplies.
Photography
Travelers to India find
ample themes with varied subjects for photography from faces to
monuments, wildlife, festivities, scenic beauty, etc. However,
formalities in respect to protected monuments and the wildlife
sanctuaries are:
Special permission of the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi,
is required for use of tripod and artificial light.
Photography in the
wildlife sanctuaries is allowed on payment of a prescribed fee.
Photography is prohibited in tribal areas.
Communications
Fax/Telex/Telegram:
International 24-hours service from large hotels and telegraph
offices in major cities.
Telephone: Telephone
calls to most countries are now direct. There are telephone
facilities between the most cities and towns.
Internet: Internet
facilities are available in most hotels otherwise every city has
cyber cafes and cyber clubs which charge less than $1 per hour.
The international direct
dialing code for India is +91 plus city code.
Money
Currency: Rupee = 100
Paise. Coins are in denominations of 10, 25 & 50 Paise & l, 2 & 5
Rupees. Notes are in denominations of Rs 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100,
500 and 1000.
Currency Regulations
Foreign Currency. There
are no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency or travelers’
cheques a tourist may import, provided a Declaration Form is
completed on arrival, This will facilitate the exchange of imported
currency as well as the export of unspent currency on departure.
Cash, bank notes and travelers’ cheques up to US$2.500 or equivalent
need not be declared at the time of entry. Any money in the form of
traveler cheques, drafts, bills, cheques, etc. which tourists wish
to convent into Indian currency should be exchanged only through
authorized money changers.
Tourists are warned that
changing money through unauthorized persons is not only illegal but
also involves the risk of receiving counterfeit currency.
To
exchange foreign money other than through banks or authorized money
changers is an offence.
Please note that no
Indian currency what so-ever can be imported or exported, except for
Rupee traveler cheques. Banks abroad do keep Rupee balances with
their agents in India and are able to draw upon these balances to
issue Rupee traveler cheques to intending tourists.
There are 24 hour
exchange facilities available at all big cites and international
airports.
Custom Regulations
All personal objects
which are required in India are free from duty. Under this heading
fall personal jewelry, presents up to a value of Rs. 600, 200
cigarettes, 50 cigars and 0.95 l alcoholic beverages.
Professional
material and articles which have a high value can only be imported
duty free if the traveler gives a written undertaking that these
articles will be re-exported.
Those without any dutiable goods or high value articles or foreign
exchange more than US $2,500 or unaccompanied baggage which need to
be declared, can walk through Green Channel.
All others need to pass
through the Red Channel. Goods up to Rs 750 (Rs. 12,000 for persons
of Indian origin) for personal use or as gifts are exempt from duty.
Beyond the free baggage limit, the duty rate is 52% plus 2% special
duty.
Airport Tax
Passengers embarking on
journey to any place outside India will have to pay an airport tax
of Rs. 300. For journey to Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka and the Maldives = Rs. 150.
Public Holidays
There are many festivals and
special events in India, but only a few of these are full public
holidays. These are: 26 Jan Republic Day, 15 Aug. Independence Day,
2 Oct. Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday. For dates of other holidays and
festival please contact Tourist Offices in
India.
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