Important

Do & Dont`s:-

INDIAN VISAS


Almost everybody needs a visa to visit India. Tourist visas are valid for six months from the date of issue. However, if you wish to extend your stay, three-month extensions are routinely issued at the Foreigners' Registration Offices in all metropolitan cities and in all State and district capitals at the Office of the Superintendent of Police. Permits for travel to Sikkim, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep can also be obtained from the above offices.


TAX CLEARANCE CERTIFICATES


If you stay in India for more than 120 days you need a 'tax clearance certificate' to leave the country. This supposedly proves that your time in India was financed with your own money, not by working in India or by selling things or playing the black market. Basically all you have to do is find the Foreign section of the Income tax Department in Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai (Madras) or Mumbai (Bombay) and turn up with your passport, visa extended form, any other similar paperwork and a handful of bank exchange receipts (to show you really have been changing foreign currency into rupees officially ). You fill in a form and wait for anything from 10 minutes to a couple of hours. You are than given your tax clearance certificate and away you go. We have never heard from anyone who has actually been asked for this document on departure.


SPECIAL PERMITS


Even with a visa you are not allowed everywhere in India. Certain places require special additional permits. For Andaman Islands you need a permit in advance if you're arriving by ship. For those flying in, permits for a stay of up to 30 days are issued on arrival at the airport in Port Blair. Bhutan also requires a special permit but it is almost impossible to get a permit for entry into Bhutan unless you have high-up Indian connections or a personal friend in the Bhutanese aristocracy or if you're coming in through an organised tour. A permit for the Lakshadweep islands is also problematic. Only one island is currently open to foreigners. The North-eastern states too require foreigners to have a permit though even with one you are restricted in where you may go. For Sikkim, permits are much easier and are issued either while you wait or within two or three hours.


DOCUMENTS


· You must have a passport. It is the most basic travel document. In fact you should have your passport with you all the time. · A health certificate, while not necessary in India, may well be required for onward travel. · Student cards are virtually useless these days - many student concessions have either been eliminated or replaced by 'youth fares' or similar age concessions. Similarly, a Youth Hostel card (Hostelling International -HI) is not generally required for many Indian hostels. · There is not much opportunity to get behind the wheel in India, but if you do intend to drive then get an International Driving Permit from your local nations motoring organisation. These days motor cycles are more readily available, particularly in Goa, and an international Permit is useful if you rent one. An International Permit can also be used for other identification purposes, such as plain old bicycle hire. · It's worth having a batch of passport photos for visa applications and other uses. If you run out, Indian photo studios will do excellent portraits at pleasantly low prices.


CUSTOMS


The usual duty-free regulations apply for India; that is, one bottle of whisky and 200 cigarettes. Big electronic items such as video cameras are likely to be entered on a 'Tourist Baggage Re-Export' form to ensure you take them out with you when you go. It's not necessary to declare still-cameras, even if you have more than one. Note that if you are entering India from Nepal you are not entitled to import anything free of duty.





TIME


India is 5 1/2 hours ahead of GMT/UTC, 4 1/2 hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time and 10 1/2 hours ahead of American Eastern Standard Time. It is officially known as IST, Indian Standard Time and is consistent throughout the country.


BUSINESS HOURS


Shops, banks and post offices generally open at 10 am. However banks close for business at 2 pm and post offices at 5 pm. Shops of course are open till 9 pm, six days a week. Government offices work from 10 am to 6 pm five days a week - Monday to Friday.


COMMUNICATION


Local, interstate and international calls can be made with ease in any part of India. STD/ISD call booths with direct interstate and international dialling are freely available and are well signposted. Mobile telephones are available at all major cities. Should you require any further information, you can contact the cellular telephone operators at respective places.


CREDIT CARDS


All major credit cards are widely accepted in India. ATM facilities available in all major cities where you can use your card to obtain cash in rupees.


ELECTRICITY


The electric current is 230-240 V AC, 50 cycles. Sockets are of the 3-pin variety. Small immersion rods for boiling water, tea or coffee are available in the market as are mosquito zappers.

CURRENCY


The rupee (Rs.) is divided into 100 paise. There are coins of 10, 20, 25 and 50 paise and Rs.1, 2, and 5 as well as notes of Rs. 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500. You are not allowed to bring Indian currency into India. You can however, bring in an unlimited amount of foreign currency in either cash or in traveller's cheques. However, anything in excess of US$ 1O000 (US$ 2,500, if in cash only) must be declared on arrival.


Tipping


Tipping, in India, has a rather different connotation than in the West. The term baksheesh, not only encompasses tipping but a lot more besides. You 'tip' not so much for good service, but to get things done. Baksheesh, used judiciously, can open closed doors, find missing letters and perform other small miracles for you. Tipping is not necessary for taxis nor for cheaper restaurants, but if you're going to be using something regularly, a tip to begin with will give you many days of smiling service. Service is usually tacked-on in tourist restaurants or hotels. In this case, you can use the the normal 10% figure. In smaller places, where tipping is optional, you need only tip a few rupees, not a percentage of the bill.