Pack for the festival,
clear the border.

Documents

• Check your passport against your destination's validity and blank-page rules, and renew early if it is close. Renewals go through Passport Seva.

  Official Source: Passport Seva online portal

• Get your visa or e-visa only from the destination country's official embassy or government site. Your nearest Indian mission is on MEA's list of missions and posts.

  Official Source: Indian Missions/Posts abroad

• Keep one printed set and one offline copy on your phone: passport photo page, visa, tickets, insurance policy and bookings.

  Our tip

Money and forex

• Forex you buy for a private visit abroad (except to Nepal and Bhutan) counts toward the RBI Liberalised Remittance Scheme limit of USD 250,000 per person per financial year (April to March), from all sources together.

  Official Source: Liberalised Remittance Scheme: FAQs

• Indian currency notes: a resident may take out up to ₹25,000 per person (other than to Nepal and Bhutan), unless RBI notifies another amount.

  Official Source: FEMA (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations, 2015

• Going to Nepal or Bhutan: notes of ₹100 or less are fine; notes above ₹100 are allowed up to a total of ₹25,000.

  Official Source: Currency notes to and from Nepal and Bhutan (Dec 2025) · FEMA (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations, 2015

• Carry two cards from different banks and switch on international use in each bank's app before you fly.

  Our tip

Health and insurance

• Look up your destination's vaccines and health notices well before you go.

  Official Source: Destinations: travel health notices and vaccines · Travel and health

• Visiting a yellow-fever country? You will need a valid yellow fever certificate when you come back to India. It is valid from 10 days after vaccination, and photocopies or scanned/digital versions aren't accepted. Without it you can be quarantined for up to 6 days.

  Official Source: Yellow fever vaccination

• Buy travel insurance that covers medical care abroad and the activity you are going for (sailing, ballooning, a desert burn), and check whether your visa asks for it.

  Our tip

Phone and power

• Keep your Indian SIM active (on roaming or a small pack) so bank OTPs still reach you, and use a local or travel eSIM for data.

  Our tip

• Indian plugs are mostly Type D (230 V, 50 Hz). Pack a universal adapter, since most destinations use different sockets.

  Official Source: Plugs and sockets (IS 1293)

Customs and coming home

• Taking a new camera, drone or laptop abroad and bringing it back? Declare it to Customs before you leave and get an export certificate, so it isn't treated as new goods on return.

  Official Source: Baggage (Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2026

• Coming back by air or sea, residents may bring in articles up to ₹75,000 duty-free, plus one new laptop if 18 or over. Allowances can't be pooled between travellers.

  Official Source: Baggage Rules, 2026 (Notification 14/2026-Customs (N.T.))

• Declare cash on arrival if foreign currency notes exceed USD 5,000 or all foreign exchange together exceeds USD 10,000. Dutiable goods can be declared in advance on the Atithi app.

  Official Source: FEMA (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations, 2015 · Baggage (Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2026

• Since June 2026 every international arrival, Indian citizens included, fills the Air Suvidha self-declaration before landing and shows the acknowledgement at the airport health desk. Check the portal: this rule is temporary.

  Official Source: Air Suvidha 2.0 self-declaration · Air Suvidha self-declaration for all international arrivals (25 Jun 2026)

If something goes wrong

• Save your nearest Indian embassy or consulate address and number before you go.

  Official Source: Indian Missions/Posts abroad

• For consular help or a complaint, register it on MEA's MADAD portal, which covers all Indian missions.

  Official Source: MADAD: consular grievances