Exchanging currency at Delhi Airport

Indian Passport holder at the International Departure Terminal

   You are traveling to a foreign country and you want to buy foreign currency

i) You can convert maximum of Rs. 49,999 in cash to a foreign currency.

ii) After the security check, the limit of Indian rupees that can get converted to foreign currency drops to Rs. 25,000

iii) If you use your credit card, then Indian currency equivalent to US$ 3000 can be converted to foreign currency. This means that if the selling rate of 1 USD is Rs. 60, then Rs. 1,80,000 ($3000 x 60) from your credit card can be converted to the foreign currency.

Indian Passport holder at the International Arrival Terminal

   You are arriving in India from a foreign country

i) If you are arriving within 6 months of your departure from India

In exchange of your foreign currency, you can get Indian rupees equivalent to US$ 1,000 in cash (maximum)

ii) If you are arriving after 6 months of your departure from India:

In exchange of your foreing currency, you can get Indian rupees equivalent to maximum of US$ 3,000 in cash

If you are bringing more than US$ 3,000, let’s say US$ 5,000 then for $3,000 you will get Indian currency in cash and for the rest $2,000 you will get either check or online transfer to your bank account.

Foreign Passport holder at the International Departure Terminal

   You are leaving India and you want to buy foreign currency by selling the Indian rupees that you may have left with

Now, let’s take an example: From the time you arrived in India, you converted $5,000 (cash) to Indian currency altogether and withdrew $700 from ATM within the last 7 days before your departure date. Of course, for every currency exchange transaction and ATM withdrawal, you get a receipt.

i) In case you lost all your receipts:

Rs. 10,000 (maximum) can be converted to the foreign currency.

ii) In case you have all your receipts:

You will get Indian rupees equivalent to the maximum amount of $3,000 converted to foreign currency. The calculation is done on the basis of the selling rate of USD for that particular day.

So, if the selling rate of 1 USD is Rs. 60 on the day you are departing, then the maximum India currency which you can get converted to foreign currency will be $3000 x Rs. 60 = Rs. 180,000.

Anything over this amount doesnt get converted to the foreign currency.

So, considering the case above, let’s say you are left with Rs. 200,000 and the selling rate of US$ that day is Rs. 60.  This is equivalent to $3,333 (Rs.200,000/60). Now, according to the rule, you can get Indian currency equivalent to $3000 converted. Therefore, you will be left with Rs. 19,980 not converted back to foreign currency.

Keep in Mind: After the Immigration and Security Check at the Airport

• Indian currency is NOT converted to foreign currency
• Foreign passport holders cannot carry more than Rs. 10,000

Foreign Passport holder at the International Arrival Terminal

   You are arriving in India from a foreign country

You can exchange your foreign currency to Indian currency equivalent to the maximum amount of US$ 3,000 cash.

So, if the buying rate (USD to India Rupee) is Rs. 70, then the maximum Indian rupees that you can get converted to will be: $3000 x Rs. 70 = Rs. 210,000 (max)

There is a very small Tax amount (GST) that will be deducted from the total payout to you.

Important insights:

• The exchange rate for your foreign currency to Indian rupee is generally lower at the airport than from what you can get in the city.  So, get your foreign currency exchanged to little over your immediate requirement at the airport and when you are in the city you can visit branch of any bank or authorized non-banking exchangers to get the rest of foreign currency converted to Indian Rupees (INR).
• There is no limit to the foreign currency that you can bring with you but the amounts exceeding US Dollar 5,000 (or equivalent) in cash or US Dollar 10,000 (or equivalent) in traveler's cheques must be declared.