Arriving at Delhi International Airport – Everything you need to know. 

Arriving at Delhi Airport – and the anticipation and unknown of travel in India – is an odd mixture of exciting and anxious. 

If it’s your first time in India there are all kinds of questions that spring to mind about the airport and arrival alone.  And even if you’ve been here before there’s no covering up the fact that Delhi is one of the largest and most populous cities in the world.  And of course the airport is busy too.

You need to present your e-Visa for India, process immigration, pickup your baggage and the likely withdraw some money and buy a SIM card. 

After that it’s out to find a taxi (unless it’s you we are there to meet for our Group Trips) and negotiate a fare to your hotel. 

Welcome to India by the way. And don’t worry – we have got you covered.  Read on.  We have detailed everything you wanted to ask and have been wondering about arriving at Delhi Airport.  And just slow down and take your time when you get there.  There is no hurry at all.  The adventure of India awaits (once you get out of the airport!). 

You’ve landed in Delhi

Disembark the plane and follow the corridor into the airport terminal.  Follow the signs for ‘BAGGAGE AND EXIT’.  You can take the travelators or stretch your legs heading towards immigration. 

Do you need the toilet on arrival? (Now is a good time. Truly). 

Arriving in Delhi Airport you will see immediately that it is a very modern airport.  As far as what your first toilet experience in India may conjure up; it’s not like you’re thinking.  

There are options for Western style sit-toilets (and yes; there are squat toilets too).  

The airport toilets have toilet paper, soap, water and paper towels. There is everything you would expect in an international airport (and perhaps more than you dared hope for in your first toilet experience in India). 

Follow the signs for BAGGAGE AND EXIT

Continue on the travelator following signs for BAGGAGE AND EXIT.  

Depending on which gate number you arrived at it takes about 5 minutes until you come to a crossroads.  

Follow the signs to your left for IMMIGRATION. 

Fill out the Arrival Card for Passengers

To your left and next to the Costa Coffee kiosk you will see standing desks with arrival cards and pens attached.  There isn’t much signposting about this part of arriving in Delhi airport. But you do need to fill out your Arrival Card for Passengers here. 

You need: 

• Your arrival flight number
• Passport number
• Date of arrival
• Countries visited in last 6 days
• Address in India (hotel name)
• Phone (hotel contact number in India)

Take your completed Arrival Card and continue towards immigration. 

ARRIVALS and Immigration 

You can’t miss the large sign for ARRIVALS.  

Take the escalators downstairs to immigration. 

Follow the signs ahead for ‘FOREIGN NATIONALS – All Visas’.  

And continue straight ahead to the purple sign for ZONE 2 – E-VISA. 

There are purple markings on the floor to follow towards ZONE-2 all the way to the e-Visa immigration desks.   

IMMIGRATION and e-Visa

Have your passport ready (remove any passport cover) and boarding pass.  

At the immigration desk you will need to hand over: 

• Passport
• Boarding pass
• Arrival Card
• E-Visa

The process doesn’t take long.  You may be asked which cities you are visiting in India.  And if it is your first time visiting.  (And it’s more than likely if you are from New Zealand there will be mention or question of your liking for cricket!).  

Follow the officers’ instructions to have your fingerprints taken.  

As soon as you have received a stamp in your passport you can continue on to baggage claim.  (Welcome officially to India by the way!). 

Baggage claim 

Follow more signs for BAGGAGE AND EXIT. 

You will walk through Duty Free to the baggage claim area.  You can’t miss the baggage carousels directly ahead.  If you don’t know which carousel you need; all the arrival flights and corresponding carousel numbers are displayed on the Arrivals board above.  

Customs

Once you’ve found your bags; if you don’t have anything to declare you can follow the green channel and signs to exit through Customs. 

Exit

Head out through Customs into the main arrivals hall of Delhi Airport.  (You are officially in India now!).  

The first thing you will see almost directly in front of you is the bright red Airtel kiosk (to buy a SIM card) and the blue SBI Bank ATM (to withdraw money before you leave the airport – and to buy a SIM card at Delhi Airport). 

Getting a SIM card at Delhi Airport 

Approach the front of the red Airtel shop.  It’s not a large kiosk but there are at least 8 men working in the small space.  

The first thing you will need is your passport (again).  They will photocopy your passport and you need a passport photo to hand over for the SIM card application. 

There doesn’t appear to be a lot of information about options for a tourist SIM card on arriving at Delhi airport.  (Actually there aren’t even any prices listed or billboards advertising different rates).  But don’t panic (this is India, remember).  

• A Tourist SIM card with Airtel is valid for 90 days and costs 800 INR ($10 USD or $16.50 NZD). 

The Airtel SIM card has 1.5GB of daily data.  You can buy additional data as a recharge card at small kiosks all over the country.  So this should be enough to get you started.  

You need to pay for the SIM card in cash. 

Withdraw Indian rupees from an ATM at the airport 

To pay for your SIM card you can withdraw rupees just a couple of metres to your right at the SBI Bank ATM. 

There are two SBI ATMs although only one was working when we arrived.  

ATM’s in India have a general limit of 10,000 INR to withdraw as a maximum at one time ($120 USD or $200 NZD). 

We suggest withdrawing 10,000 INR ($200 NZD) at the airport as you don’t need to carry more cash than that.  (And it isn’t worth withdrawing less as you will be charged a small bank fee to withdraw money each time from an ATM in India). 

Note that ATM’s in India often ask if you to choose the conversion rate. At the SBO ATM you can select the left hand option to withdraw the amount in INR (rupees).  (Don’t opt to convert it to your home currency as you can’t control the exchange rate and it will cost more).  

Setting up your Airtel SIM card

Take your rupees back to the Airtel kiosk (not all of it!).  You need to pay 800 INR for your SIM card.  

It takes 5 minutes for them to set up the SIM.  (Not sure what exactly they are doing but it did take a while).  Insert the SIM card into your phone and they will activate the card for you.  

From there it takes a further 15 minutes for your SIM to be completely active.  But there is nothing else you need to do.  You can now step outside the airport!

Which taxi to choose to your hotel? 

Likely as soon as you step out into the fresh (hot) Delhi air you will be approached by taxi drivers and porters offering to carry your bag.  

You can thank them but firmly say no and walk straight ahead across the road to the bright yellow Prepaid Taxi kiosk.  This is the cheapest option (and most official rate) for a prepaid taxi. 

We are staying in an airport hotel on a few kilometres from the terminal and the prepaid rate for the taxi is only 400 INR ($8 NZD). 

Check your bags are strapped on to the roof of the taxi(!) and hop in your friendly taxi.

Welcome – officially – to INDIA

And just like that you are in Delhi. You can pat yourself on the back for a smooth arriving at Delhi Airport and get ready for the adventure of India that is about to begin! 

Where to stay near Delhi Airport?

We have stayed with our groups at Taurus Sarovar Portico Hotel and can highly recommend the hotel for location, a friendly welcome to New Delhi and the amazing breakfast buffet and restaurant that sets a high standard for the beginning of your India adventure!

• New Delhi Airport: Taurus Sarovar Portico Hotel

More about travel planning for India and beyond…

You’ve mastered arriving at Delhi airport? Now, these are the companies we use while traveling full-time as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel. 

• Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally. (We love the flexible cancellation policy!). 
• Hostelworld– The largest inventory of hostel accommodation in the world. 
• Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.  
• GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
• SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country. 
• World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). 

Read more from travel in South Asia

• Taking an overnight train in Pakistan from Islamabad to Karachi. 
• How to apply for a Pakistan e-Visa: And can you use it at the Wagah Border?
• Crossing the Wagah Border from India to Pakistan. 
• Pakistan with kids: A complete guide to travel in Pakistan. 
• Money in India: Using ATM’s, withdrawing and carrying your money safely.
• How to use a squat toilet: Everything you didn’t want to ask…
• Our complete packing list for travel in India.