When entering India, you must comply with the applicable entry regulations. Here's what you have to pay attention to before and after crossing the border and which documents you need for a trip to India.

For your entry into India, you will need to present a number of documents at the border. These include:

• The approval of your e-visa or visa
• Your passport, which is valid for at least six months after entry and contains two blank visa pages
• Proof of your residency in your home country (e.g., a copy of your ID or a recent bill)
• Proof of your occupation or studies (e.g., employer's letter, pension papers, or student ID)
• Proof of sufficient financial resources (e.g., a bank statement)
• Return or onward travel tickets
• Completed "Arrival Card"
• Completed "Self Declaration Form" (digital)
• If applicable: a letter of invitation or acceptance from a company or institution in India
• If applicable: tax certificates, copies of business licenses, business cards, and contact details of inviting companies in India

If you are traveling to India with minor children, take the following documents with you:

• Copy of passports of both parents or all custodians
• Copy of the child's birth certificate, which includes the full names, date of birth, and citizenship of both parents
• Notarized documents in English, certifying parenthood or custody

There are increased checks on travelers with children to protect minors, especially if one parent is traveling alone with them.

You will only find out if you meet all the requirements for entry into India at the border because the officials decide whether to approve your entry. This decision is made on the basis of the following questions:

• Do you have a valid passport with at least six months of validity after your arrival in India and at least two blank visa pages?
• Do your passport details match the dates on your e-visa approval or visa?
• Do you plan to leave India before your stay permit expires?
• Do you have a return or onward ticket?
• Do you have sufficient funds for your stay in India and your return or onward travel?
• Do you have sufficient ties to your home country?
• Do you not pose a threat to the country or the Indian people?
• Are you entering via the correct air or seaport (e-visa port of entry)?

Be prepared for a brief interview by the border guard and answer all questions briefly, accurately, and truthfully. If you have any difficulty understanding, let the officials know, and they will consider it.

To ensure the safety of travelers and the Indian population, arriving visitors to India must submit a number of personal details. This includes the "Self Declaration Form" and the "Arrival Card" to be filled out before the trip.

The Indian Ministry of Health requires all travelers to complete an Air Suvidha Self Declaration before traveling to India. The data requested are:

• Name
• Birthday
• Gender
• Flight number
• Seat number
• PNR number (Passenger Name Record)
• Nationality
• Passport number
• Upload of passport copy
• Date of arrival in India
• Upload of a negative PCR test result (72 hours before departure)
• Upload of a vaccination certificate
• The starting point of your trip (city, country)
• The airport in India where you will land
• Your first accommodation address in India and contact details
• Email address
• Symptoms of illness (if any)
• Existing medical conditions (if any)
• Travel history for the last 14 days
• Number of passengers traveling together

You will usually be asked by your airline to complete the Self Declaration. Print a copy for your travel records to present to border officials upon entry.

You will receive the Arrival Card to fill out during your trip or at the latest in the airport's waiting area. This card will ask for the following information:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Nationality
• Place of residence
• Passport number
• First overnight address in India
• Flight number, date of arrival/date of boarding
• Telephone number

Present the completed card to border officials upon arrival, along with the rest of your travel documents.

In addition to filling out the Self Declaration Form, your airline will also ask you for your Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) details. The data requested here includes name, gender, date of birth, nationality, place of residence, passport details, and your first overnight address in India.

Before entering India, you must fill out a customs form (Indian Customs Declaration Form) in which you state who you are and what goods you intend to bring into the country. The following data will be requested:

• Name
• Passport number
• Nationality
• Date of arrival
• Flight number
• Number of pieces of luggage (incl. hand luggage)
• The country you are arriving from
• The countries you have visited in the last six days
• The total value of the goods you are taking with you
• Items carried, such as jewelry, gold, meat, dairy products, fish, seeds, plants, fleas, satellite phones, Indian currency, foreign currency, and other means of payment

There are currently no mandatory vaccinations for travel to India unless you have been in a yellow fever area prior to your trip. In this case, you must provide proof of vaccination against yellow fever. Additional immunizations against COVID-19, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, and the standard childhood vaccinations are recommended.

For entry to India, no insurances are mandatory. However, we recommend that you obtain travel health insurance that will provide you with sufficient protection on the ground.

After being questioned by the border officials, you must make sure that they give you a stamp in your passport documenting the date of your entry and planned exit. This is important because, without the stamp, you can get into trouble when leaving the country.

After you have picked up your suitcase from the baggage carousel, you must pass through customs. The information on your Customs Declaration determines which of the two customs channels you will pass through:

• Green channel = no declarable goods in your luggage
• Red channel = goods to be declared in the luggage

Be sure to follow the import regulations and over-declare rather than under-declare, as there are stiff penalties for making false declarations on your Customs Declaration. Customs officials have the right to search all your luggage.

The import of food, plants, jewelry, and other goods into India is strictly regulated. You must also allow for quarantine periods, e.g., when bringing animals.

Means of payment of $ 5,000 or more must be declared when you enter India.

High-value items such as cameras, monitors, and computers must be declared.

Bringing two pets per passenger is allowed for people who are transferring their residence to India and have not been in the country for at least two years before. However, be aware of the required health certificates and quarantine periods when doing so.

You may only import certain plants into India, which the Plant Quarantine Information System has compiled into various lists. Visit the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage database for information on regulations for plants you plan to bring into India.

When entering India, you must declare any meat, meat products, fish, dairy, poultry products, as well as the fruit you are bringing with you.

Carrying certain items and goods is strictly prohibited for foreign visitors traveling to India. These include:

• Gold coins and bars
• Weapons and ammunition (more than 50 cartridges)
• E-cigarettes
• Pornographic material
• Indian currency
• Drugs / narcotics
• Counterfeit goods / fake designer goods
• Maps and literature misrepresenting India's external borders
• Wildlife products
• Counterfeit Indian currency bills, stamps, and coins
• Certain live birds and animals

You need a special permit to import some items, plants, or animals in India. These include:

• Live animals, including pets
• Endangered species of plants and animals, living or dead
• Any commercial goods
• Radio transmitters that are not approved for normal use
• Currencies that exceed prescribed limits
• Satellite phones
• Drones

There are certain exceptions to import regulations for Indian nationals, such as monetary amounts or the importation of weapons and ammunition.