Indians travelling with foreigners to monuments/attractions

costaguana

Just a word of advice to all Indians travelling with foreigners to monuments/attractions within India - bring some Indian ID with you to verify your citizenship! The reason for this is to avoid being wrongly charged the foreigner's rate at museums, etc. My wife is Indian (I am white), and we have come across the problem of ticket sellers refusing to give her admission at the Indian rate because she was travelling with me. They seemed to believe she is an NRI from the US or Europe, and it was only after her vigorous protest (in Hindi or Tamil) and the production of a health insurance card (not really adequate ID) that she successfully stated her case.

I guess the problem is a lot of NRIs do falsely claim to be Indian nationals and slip through on the cheap (I have witnessed this on several occasions). Indians travelling with foreigners are then viewed as logical potential offenders and all the red flags go up.

It's a small issue, granted, but it makes a day of sightseeing all the less stressful.

Cheers.

steven_ber

I thought NRI's were also allowed entrance at Indian rates, maybe I'm wrong, but I'm sure I saw the entrance fee at the Taj Mahal for Indians also included NRIs in the same category.?????

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costaguana

I'm not sure what the exact rules are, however, I believe the distinction is between "Indian Nationals" and "Foreigners", technically classifying non-citizen NRIs and non-citizen Indian residents as foreigners.

Anyway, no matter the exact rules, our personal experience is as above.

Cheers.

capt_mahajan

I recently went to Golconda fort in Hyderabad with 2 obvious foreigners, one of them living in India.

Asked the ticket guy who wasn't bothered much, and told me promptly that the foreigner living in India could pay Indian rates.

On the other hand, a trip to Mahabalipuram a couple of months ago had me fuming at the rude ticket seller who wanted to insist that my wife was a foreigner . She is Indian born and bred.

navinkurian2002

Really interesting captain .Does your wife have an accent ?
Just wondering why she was singled out .

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Spirit of Havelock

I too have an Indian wife, and this whole duel pricing thing is pretty racist if you ask me. They say "foreigners" get charged more, but it's not like that - of course Afghans, Sri-Lankans, Bangladeshis, Maldivians, Pakistanis and NRI's (all "foreigners") get charged as Indians whilst Africans, Whites etc get charged 20 times more. It's based on race - pure & simple. I know we are supposed to accept it all with good humour, but can you imagine the trouble there would be if they did something like that in the Europe! : One price for whites, 20times more for coloured people - there would be riots!

In Sikkim I recall we wanted to book a tour in a 4wd vehicle. My wife was told in the gov. tourist office that she could book it there for a good price, but to sit next to her, I would have to go to a private travel agents and pay double! Call me over sensitive, but I found it quite unfriendly and unhelpful.

First time I went to India, this policy wasn't in place. I spent about 10 days in Khajuraho for example, and every day I would stroll around the temples. To do that nowadays, I think you would have to pay about Rs. 10,000 /- in tickets!

I also reckon that the light skinned oriental-looking minority peoples of India (Nicobarese, Nagas, etc.) are also hassled for not "being Indian" at such places - this must really pi** them off!

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capt_mahajan

Dunno. Her accent would be immaterial, because she was 50 feet away from the ticket booth.

Maybe it was because she was dressed in non Indian attire, with a straw hat and all.

What pissed me off was the guy trying to extract money by insisting she was foreign. So I told him it was his last chance, after which we would go in without paying anything at all and he would have to call the cops

costaguana

To somewhat retract one of my previous statements, I'm not sure what the official policy is on non-citizen Indian residents, as I have not encountered any consistency in this area. I'm an Indian resident and have all the paperwork to boot (PAN card, etc.) but what good all this does when buying tickets to ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) sites seems entirely dependent on the mood of the ticket seller. Sometimes I'm allowed to enter on an Indian ticket, most of the time I'm not, no matter the amount of arguing. For me that is the most frustrating part - simply not knowing what kind of reception to expect. I know the debate over foreigners' entrance fees in India has been rehashed on IndiaMike many times, but at least the debate is pretty straightforward for foreign tourists. For residents like myself who live here in India, have integrated ourselves into Indian culture, and earn rupee salaries, the lack of consistency is quite annoying.

capt_mahajan

Judging by some of the other posts, neither has anybody else.

I guess the only thing to do is to find some rule on the ASI's website or something which supports your argument- and carry a printout.


PS: I suspect that the rates will be based on Nationality rather than residency, though.

Nick-H

First rule of Indian Bureaucracy:

The law is whatever the officer you are talking to at that moment thinks it is.

My theory is that really it is based on residency not nationality, but I have heard of a number of residents being charged foreign rates.

Throwing my bit of pedantry into the mix:

An NRI is an Indian citizen. An Indian-born person who has taken citizenship of another country is a foreigner --- but a 'person of Indian origin'.

Don't come accross it much, on account of not visiting many monuments. Nearly went to the Govt museum in Chennai today, and had my docs in my pocket --- but, in the end, we went for a stroll in the Theosophical Society Gardens instead .

Mrs. N paid Indian rate at Mahabs for a Sri Lankan friend (telling her to keep her mouth shut; the different Tamil is immediately recognisable to a TN-ite), but, at that time I was not officially signed-up-resident.

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crvlvr

AFAIK, if you look Indian, you get charged the Indian rate. there is really no way for an Indian (say a villager for instance) to prove that he/she is an Indian national. So the issue around producying an Indian ID card is moot. As Nicjk states the rules are enforced by the "officer" at the moment. these are, after all govt employees and really do not care wether you pay Rs20 or Rs 200 or none at all. With enough arguing and na,e dropping he will let anyone in for the Indian rate.

The question is, is it really worth YOUR time?

Alohaguy

Not true (OR depends upon who is the ticket seller)!!
I am a US citizen of Indian extraction. My wife is Japanese. In 2002, I was charged foreigners' rate at Qutab Minar Delhi and at Taj in Agra. Delhi Ticket seller was visibly happy to shaft me with the higher foreigners' rate. So, it is not a White or brown issue here. Window person makes the rules there!

karuna

Do you mean the extra Rs180, or the principle of not being overcharged apparently on the basis of your spouse's racial origin?*

One is likely to be trivial to many people, the other is quite important, I think.



*I'm referring here specifically to the OP's situation, not the dual pricing phenomenon in general, which really I don't think or care much about.

Nick-H

Rs.180 is not trivial to me.

Well, it is, but Mrs N is trying hard to mend my extravagant ways !