PASSPORT, VISA

Citizens of all countries need to have a valid passport and an entry, transit or tourist visa obtained from the Indian Mission in their country. Tourist visa is normally valid for 120 days. Visa extensions can be got by applying to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, Ph: 4693334, 4612543, 4617649. The letter should then be handed over at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office at Hans Bhavan, Tilak Bridge, near ITO, Ph: 3319489 / 8179. It is open from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and 2 pm to 4 pm. (It is closed on weekends & national holidays). Those wishing to visit a neighbouring country like Sri Lanka or Nepal, and then coming back to India, should obtain a double/multiple entry visa.

REGISTRATION

All foreigners are required to get themselves registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) which is situated in Hans Bhavan, Tilak Road, near the Income Tax Office (ITO). The building is very close to India Gate.

INCOME-TAX CLEARANCE

If the stay exceeds 120 days, an income-tax clearance certificate, issued by the Foreign Indraprastha Estate, Ph: 3317826, will be required.

HEALTH REGULATIONS

Yellow fever inoculation certificate is compulsory for those who have travelled across Africa, or Papua New Guinea in the last six days. The certificate becomes valid 10 days after the innoculation. No immunisation against small pox or cholera is required. Those without the yellow certificate are liable to be quarantined for up to six days. Inoculation Centres for yellow fever: Palam Airport on Tue. & Thur. between 2 pm-4 pm, Ph: 5653408.
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Wed. & Sat. between 11 am-12 noon, Ph: 3365525 and at the International Inoculations Centre, Town Hall, Parliament Street.

CUSTOMS CLEARANCE

Those without any dutiable goods or high value articles or foreign exchange more than US$ 2500 or unaccompanied  baggage which need to be declared, can walk through the Green channel. All others need to pass through the Red Channel. Goods up to Rs. 750 (Rs. 6000 for persons of Indian origin) for personal use or as gifts, like 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 gms. tobacco and liquor up to 32 oz(0,95) litres, are exempt from duty. Other things include cameras with five rolls of films, some jewellery, a pair of binoculars, one portable musical instrument, a radio set, tape recorder, portable typewriter, one perambulator, and also professional equipment which has to be taken back.Other high value articles can be brought in only after giving an undertaking that they will be taken back. Bringing in of firearms, drugs and narcotics are not allowed. Beyond the free baggage limit, the duty rate is 52 per cent--50 per cent plus 2 per cent special duty.
Those not entitled: Persons from Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China do not get any free allowances, while in the case of nationals of Sri- Lanka and the Maldives, it is Rs. 6000 if they stay for more than three days and Rs. 3000 if the stay is less.
Tourist Baggage Form: On arrival, a TBRE(tourist baggage re-export form) is to be shown with the entered articles to Customs for verification at the time of departure.
Landing certificate: It is required if you are expecting unaccompanied baggage as also for mishandled baggage.
Bringing in currency: Any amount in the form of currency, travellers cheques and the like can be brought in and the same amount can be taken back. In case the amount exceeds US$ 10000 in the form of currency notes, travellers cheques or bank notes and / or currency notes alone of  more than US$ 2500, they have to be declared on arrival on the Currency Declaration Form (CDF), duly attested by the Customs Officer.
Indian Currency: No Indian currency can be brought in or taken out, and while remitting money to India the full address of the bank should be given.
Money changing: The unit of currency is the rupee and all money should be changed with authorised money changers available at various places. You should insist on a receipt which will help in reconverting the money whenever you desire so. It is better to avoid touts who may offer higher sums than the prevailing value.
Export Curbs: All articles brought in can be taken back. From India one can take back souvenirs worth Rs. 1,00,000 in value and more than that after getting permission from the Reserve Bank of India. Jewellery or precious stones of high value need an advance RBI permit as also appraisal by the Customs Appraiser at the airport in advance.
Antiquities, art objects: Restrictions exist on art objects more than 100 years old. Any doubts should be got cleared from Director, Antiquities, Archaeological Survey of India, Janpath, Ph: 3017220, Export of wildlife items is prohibited and in some cases regulated.
Foreign Travel Tax: Rs. 500 and only Rs. 150 for citizens of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka-- payable at the time of departure.

ARRIVAL, LEAVING THE AIRPORT

Transport of various sorts is available at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. These include autorickshaws, taxis and even buses most of which are operated by private operators. There is also a prepaid taxi service and it is advisable that this facility is made use of as it proves to be the most economical. Connaught Place is about 23 km. from the airport. For those who arrive by train, there are taxis and autorickshaws besides cycle rickshaws for leaving the station.Normally most of the indicators are written in Hindi, English, Punjabi and Urdu.

GETTING ACQUAINTED

Delhi is spread over an area of 1500 sq. kms., is 216 metres above sea level and has a population of around 10 million. One of the greatest assets, is that one can move around at one's chosen pace.

CLIMATE

Summers are very hot, though the humidity levels are not much as in Calcutta and Bombay. Temperatures in the summer months can touch 45 degrees Celsius with May and June being the hottest months. Rains are spread over a month from early July and humidity levels at this time can cause uneasiness. The winter months October-end to February-end are cold and dry and the minimum temperatures can go as low as 3 degrees Celsius in late December and January. Heavy woollens are ideal during this time and can give a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment. Weather bulletins and forecasts are given regularly over the television and in the newspapers and are normally accurate as they are based on satellite information.

TIME DIFFERENCE

The standard time for India is calculated from Allahabad and is common to all cities in the country. Indian Standard Time (IST) is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of London, 4 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Paris, about 10 hours and 30 minutes ahead New York, 3 hours and 30 minutes behind Tokyo and 4 hours and 30 minutes behind Sydney. Some newspapers give information on this also.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu are most commonly spoken. In hotels and restaurants the staff speak English while the tourist guides are also well versed with the language. Indians being friendly can always help tourists who may not understand any other language than English.

TIPPING

Tipping is common for porters in hotels as also the stewards and bearers and tourist guides, though it is not the practice with taxi and auto drivers and other means of transport within the city. The standard amount in hotels and restaurants is 10% of the total bill.

SMOKING

Smoking is banned in public places, public transport and government offices, inside cinema halls and theatres located in the state of Delhi. In several other places, boards prominently display the ban on smoking. Most hotels and restaurants have separate smoking zones.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography is not permitted at the airport, military installations and other places where such notices are put up.

BUYING LIQUOR

Delhi observes dry days on most nationals and even some local holidays and shops are closed on the 1st and 7th of every month. Various brands of imported liquor are now available in the market also through outlets run by the Delhi Tourism and Delhi Industrial Corporation. All big hotels serve liquor and so do several restaurants. Dry days are not applicable to hotels and restaurants.

FOOD

Choicest variety of all kinds of Indian food is available and several restaurants within hotels as also outside sell select food of different states. Most of the hotels also serve continental food. In fact the variety in food is unlimited and Delhi is among the best places in the country as far as picking and choosing food goes.

There is almost nothing that is not available in Delhi and within the very recent past outlets of big international names in footwear and clothes have sprung up all over the city. And for one wanting to shop only for Indian goods the variety is almost mind-boggling. In fact as far as shopping is concerned, Delhi could well be termed the world within a city.

DOCTORS/ HOSPITALS

Several government-run hospitals and nursing homes have day and night emergency services and chemist shops in some areas operate the night through. The chemist outlet at the Super Bazar in Connaught Place is open throughout the night and in case of an emergency, it would be the ideal place to shop for medicines.

INSECTS, DISEASES

Mosquitoes are common in summer and malaria and some waterborne diseases can affect those who are not careful with the water they drink. Though the system of keeping mosquito nets is not very prevalent, it is advisable to carry mosquito repellant creams and other such devices that can keep this insect at bay.

WATER AND ELECTRICITY

Water is a problem in summer, though it is not the case in winter. Water trolleys selling refrigerated water are located at various points in the city especially next to bus stops and the water is normally clean. However it is advisable to purchase mineral water available in bottles which are not very expensive by world standards. Electricity is on the 220 volts supply and power shutdowns in the peak of summer and very common. However most restaurants and hotels have installed generators and they normally do not face any problems of the kind.

BANKING HOURS

Most banks are open from 1000 hrs. to 1400 hrs. from Monday to Friday and up to 12 noon on Saturdays. Some branches of banks are also open on Sundays and many others have the ATM facility. There are several foreign banks located mostly in and around Connaught Place. The foreign banks include American Express, Bank of America, Hong Kong Bank, Bank of Tokyo, Banque Nationale de Paris, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered, Citibank and Mercantile Bank, among others.

CREDIT CARDS

American, Citibank, Master Charge Visa and Diners Club credit cards are generally accepted by large establishments including hotels, shops and airlines.

TELEPHONE, TELEGRAPH FACILITIES

There are several authorised centres for ISD and STD calls as also private outlets in several areas of the city. Full rates are charged from 0800 hrs. to 1900 hrs. On Sundays and national holidays, the charges are 50% of the normal.Charges are also 50% from 0700 hrs. to 0800 hrs. and 1900 hrs. to 2030 hrs. daily. The tariff from 0600 hrs. to 0700 hrs. and from 2030 hrs. to 2300 hrs. is 1/3 the rate and from 2300 hrs. to 0600 hrs. it is 1/4 of the rate. To send a telegram or fax, contact the international telegraph office (Ph: 3362881 / 2754). The telecom centre at Arunachal Building, Barakhamba Road has all telecom facilities including fax from 1000 hrs. to 1900 hrs. on all days except Sundays and public holidays. Bureaufax facilities are available at the main telegraph offices. The Eastern Court Post Office on Janpath has a multimedia telecom centre that offers desk-top video conferencing, high speed transfer and other related facilities.

POSTAL FACILITIES

Foreign air mail rates are Rs. 11 for a letter, Rs. 6.50 for aerogrammes, Card, Rs.7. Inland postal rates are: Rs.2 for a letter, postcard containing printed communication, Rs. 1.50, letter postcards, Re. 0.75 and ordinary postcard, Re. 0.25.

Speed post and courier services: There is a well developed system of courier services where packets can be sent to any part of the world. Besides this, there is the government's own speed post service which is linked to several parts of the world and is much cheaper than the private services. It is available at several post offices.

MOVING AROUND

IN THE CITY

TAXIS / AUTORICKSHAWS

They are metered and the tourist should ensure that the meter is flagged down before he starts (see taxi and auto fare chart). Rates some time change and the new charts are available with all drivers. Extra charges are payable for halting, baggage and vehicles engaged between 2300 hrs. and 0500 hrs.(it is 20% extra for autos and 25% for taxis). Complaints about overcharging or misbehaviour can be registered at Ph number 3319334 (during office hours) or 3014896.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Ring Railway, a number of trains both in the clockwise and anti-clockwise directions are run by Northern Railway and they originate and also terminate at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station.Delhi Transport Corporation runs a large fleet of buses operating in the entire city. Some of them on certain routes are available at all the railway stations and the Interstate bus terminal. The peak time hours are from 0700 hrs. to 2200 hrs., with the frequency being slightly lower from 1300 hrs. to 1430 hrs. Night service buses are also available on selective routes and they also operate from the railway stations. The timings are from 2300 hrs. to 0500 hrs. The fare ranges from Re. 1 to Rs. 5 for ordinary ;buses ;and a flat Rs. 5 and Rs. 7 on some buses.

RENT A CAR

Several private operators in the city offer this facility. If one has a valid driving license, there are several outlets which provide self driven cars.

SIGHTSEEING

Chauffeur-driven cars can be hired or one can go on a conducted tour which is the best way to see various places of interest in the least possible time. There are also private operators apart from the tours conducted by the India Tourism Development Corporation (Ph: 3322336) or Delhi Tourism Development Corporation (Ph: 3313636, 3314229).

TOURIST OFFICE / GUIDES

English speaking guides approved by the Tourism Department of the Indian Government are available at all important tourist spots. The Tourists Office of the government located at 88, Janpath, C.P., Ph: 3320005. 3320342, also helps in arranging guides. All relevant information can be sought for travelling around and visiting the entire country.

TRAVELLING IN INDIA

There are a number of facilities for travelling within the country. Those wishing to visit certain border areas have to get special permission which can be obtained from the Ministry of Home Affairs office at Loknayak Bhavan, Khan Market from Mon. to Fri. 1000 hrs. to 1700 hrs. (Ph: 4612543, 4693334, 4617469).

RAIL TRAVEL / RESERVATIONS

Northern Railway reservation and enquiry computerised information office is located in the IRCA building close to New Delhi station. For enquiries about second class berths and seats call 3348787 and for 1st class AC, AC.

INDRAIL PASS

To provide facilities for the foreign tourists, the Indian Railways have introduced the Indrail Pass, by which small budget visitors can travel from any point to any point without route or train restrictions within the period of validity. This facility is only for foreigners and is also valid on the Shatabadi and Rajdhani trains. Details can be got from the International Tourist Bureau, 1st floor, New Delhi railway station on the Paharganj side (Ph: 3734164, 3346804, Fax: 3343050, Timings: 0730 hrs. to 1700 hrs. for bookings and assistance).

PALACE ON WHEELS

A fabulous experience is provided by the train called the Palace on Wheels which is a befitting example of the best in luxury, but is however operative only during the winters (October through March) and takes one through a scintillating and captivating journey of Rajasthan. Bookings can be done at the office of Rajasthan Tourism in Bikaner House, close to India Gate.

AIR SERVICES

Indian Airlines and of late, several private airlines have been given licenses to operate air services from the capital and also to the capital from various important cities.