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Passport & Visa |
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All visitors
to India must be in possession of a
valid passport. |
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All visitors
also need visas, except citizens from
Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. |
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Carry your passport
with you at all times. |
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Visas can be
obtained from the Indian Embassy or
High Commission in your home country.
Ask for a multiple-entry visa, in case
you want to make a quick trip to a neighboring
country. |
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Visas are usually
issued without much difficulty if you
meet the application requirements. These
are: sufficient funds for the duration
of your stay, a valid passport,ID photos,
and a company letter for business travelers.
The length of visas varies, allowing
visitors to stay in India for anything
from 15 days to six months. |
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In
addition to a visa, you may need a special
permit to visit certain protected or
restricted parts of the country, such
as areas in Sikkim, Ladakh, the Andaman
Islands, Lakshadweep and some northeastern
hill states. Permits are available at
foreign registration offices, immigration
offices, and Indian Embassies, Consulates
and High Commissions. For Sikkim you
will need a trekking permit. If you
have a visa for Bhutan, you'll also
need a transit permit to cross the border.
This permit is available from the Ministry
of External Affairs. |
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Public
Holidays |
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India has a
wide range of holidays and festivals,
due to its religious and regional variations.
Most Indian holidays follow the lunar
year, so the dates vary from year to
year. It is best to check the dates
of the public holidays with an Indian
embassy or consulate before traveling.
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Peak
Seasons of INDIA |
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The peak tourist
season is from mid-September through
to March, as the cooler winter months
are from November to February. But as
long as you take the weather into account,
India is a year-round destination. Expect
crowds at popular tourist spots and
be sure to make reservations well in
advance. |
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September to
March is the best time to visit the
plains and the southern regions. If
you want to visit the northern Himalayan
region, rather plan your trip between
April and August (late spring and summer).
The monsoon rains are heaviest in July
and August. For trekking in the northern
parts of the country, June is the best
time to travel. |
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Communications |
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As a general
rule, the postal service in India is
excellent. Mail to destinations in Europe,
North America, Australia or New Zealand
takes about 10 to 14 days. A Speed Post
service is also available, which usually
takes just a few days. |
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Post offices
are open Monday to Friday from 10:00
to 17:00, and on Saturday morning. Larger
post offices may have longer hours.
Large hotels sometimes also sell stamps.
When mailing something in India, ask
the clerk to rank your mail in front
of you, as unranked stamps are sometimes
removed. |
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The telephone
system is usually quite good, but the
quality of the telephone lines is dependent
on the weather. Local and international
calls can be made from 'STD/ISD' (standard
trunk dialing/international subscriber
dialing) phone booths. These can be
found in shops or other businesses.
They are quick and easy to use, and
are sometimes open all day. Your bill
must be paid on completion of your call/s.
Many of these booths also have fax machines
for public use. |
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Electricity
The standard electricity supply is 220
volts AC, 50 cycles. Although electricity
is widely available throughout the country,
breakdowns and blackouts are common.
Be sure to pack candles or a torch.
Sockets usually have three round pins.
European plugs will fit loosely into
the sockets, but because they are slightly
smaller, bad connections are possible.
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Health |
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A good medical
insurance policy is essential when visiting
India, because medical treatment can
be very expensive. Be aware that health
care facilities in India are limited.
However, there are state-operated facilities
in towns and cities, and urban areas
also have private consultants and specialists.
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Most doctors
in India speak English. Ask your hotel
to help you get a doctor in a medical
emergency. Some of the bigger hotels
have their own doctor on call. In case
of minor medical problems, a pharmacy
will usually be able to help you. Pharmacies
are easy to locate as almost every market
has one. Most medicines can be obtained
without prescription, but make sure
you check the sell-by date. |
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No vaccinations
are legally required. However, it is
recommended to have meningitis, typhoid
and hepatitis A injections before visiting
India. Make sure that you are up to
date with tetanus boosters as well.
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Take an extra
pair of glasses and a copy of your prescription
as well, as lost or broken glasses can
be difficult to replace. If you wear
contact lenses, consider wearing glasses
for the duration of your stay in India,
because the dust and heat can become
quite irritating for contact lens wearers.
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A basic health
rule is not to drink the water! Not
even the ice. Unless you're absolutely
sure, always assume that the water is
untreated. Use water from containers
with a proper seal, or purify it by
boiling or treating it chemically. The
water in Calcutta is extremely polluted.
Take special care, because gastric disease
is endemic here. |
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If mosquitoes
do bite you, try not to scratch the
bite as infection and tropical ulcers
can easily set in. Also try to stay
away from bees, wasps, leeches and snakes!
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AIDS is a problem
in India, as in most places, so take
the necessary precautions. You may want
to carry your own syringes and transfusion
kit. |
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Safety
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Generally speaking,
India is a safe country to visit. Crime
levels are well below those of Western
countries and violent crime is unusual.
However, tourists are always obvious
targets for thieves. |
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Bihar is notorious
for its absence of law and order. Kidnappings,
banditry, murder and rape are common
occurrences. Be careful when traveling
here, especially at night. |
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It's advisable
to make a copy of your passport, visas,
airplane ticket and other important
documents to make it easier to get replacements
if they are lost or stolen. Also keep
a record of the serial numbers of your
travelers cheques, and a copy of your
travel insurance policy. |
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Make sure that
your travel insurance policy covers
you against theft. If you do get robbed,
report it to the police. You will need
a police report if you want to file
an insurance claim. |
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Flooding is
India's major natural hazard. By early
July, the monsoon (seasonal wind) rages
throughout the whole country, bringing
moisture with it. |
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Usually it comes
from the southwest, but the southeastern
coast gets the short and very wet northeastern
monsoon. This monsoon brings rain from
mid-October to the end of December.
The monsoon can be very destructive,
resulting in floods, homelessness and
even death, as well as causing poor
road and rail conditions. |
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Duty
Free Customs Allowance |
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Visitors are
not allowed to bring Indian currency
into India or take any of it out (except
when going to Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan
or Sri Lanka). There is no limit on
the amount of foreign currency or travelers'
cheques you can bring into the country,
but amounts exceeding USD10,000.00 must
be declared upon arrival. |
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Government
of India offers various benefits to
bonafide travelers and tourists, and
their personal items can be imported
duty free as part of baggage. The list
of these items include: |
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› Personal
Jewellary
› One Camera,
Binoculars
› One Laptop/notebook
computer.
› One electronic
diary
› One portable
typewriter.
› One portable
CTV (Color Television)
› One music
system including compact disc player.
› One perambulator.
› One tent
and other camping equipment.
› One portable
receiving set (Transistor Radio).
› Sports
equipment, such as fishing outfit, tennis
racket, one gulf set (14 pieces). |
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