The official currency of India is the Indian Rupee and, it is denoted by the symbol ₹, while the code which is used for the currency is INR.

The Indian currency is used in the form of Banknotes and Coins. Currency issuance in India is controlled and managed by the currency department of RBI (Reserve Bank of India). Currency in India originated from the silver coins that were issued by Sultan Sher Shah Suri. Later, it was continued by the Mughal Empire.

The current circulating banknotes come in denominations ranging from ₹5 to ₹2000. Coins, on the other hand, come in denominations from ₹1 to ₹10.

Circulating Banknotes Denominations – SAMPLE

Circulating Coins Denominations – SAMPLE

Money Exchange

One can exchange any currency with Indian currency at all major cities and airports. The tourists may bring any amount of foreign currency or travellers’ cheques to India provided he/she has to make a declaration in the currency declaration form that is provided to them on arrival.

Currencies should be exchanged through authorized money changers only that are easily available in all major cities. Money that is in the form of drafts, bills, travellers’ cheques etc., which tourists wish to convert into Indian currency, should be exchanged through authorized banks and money changers, who can issue encashment certificates.

These encashment certificates are required at the time of departure of tourists when they want to exchange the unspent Indian currency into their national (foreign) currency.

Tourists can also exchange foreign currency into Indian currency at international airports. Below is the list of international airports in India, where a tourist can exchange his/her money.

1. Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai
3. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
4. Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru
5. Chennai International Airport, Chennai
6. Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati
7. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad
8. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad
9. Pune International Airport, Pune
10. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur
11. Dabolim Airport, Goa
12. Trivandrum International Airport, Thiruvananthapuram
13. Coimbatore International Airport, Coimbatore
14. Cochin International Airport, Kochi
15. Jaipur International Airport

Money Exchange in Uttarakhand – In Uttarakhand, there are banks and authorized money exchange dealers in major cities like Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar and Haldwani, from where foreign tourists can exchange their currency. So, make sure to exchange your currency in these cities themselves, before moving further for your tour.

You can also check the exchange rate online or by installing an app on your smartphone. We have suggested the below apps that you can download from the play store/apple store.

Banks and ATMs

In India, there are many public and private sector banks and ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) where one can do monetary transactions. However, there are a few international banks as well that are available in major cities of India.

Few International Banks in India

• Standard Chartered
• Citi Bank
• HSBC India
• Deutsche Bank
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• DBS Bank

In Uttarakhand, one can find Indian banks in major cities. Except for Standard Chartered Bank in Dehradun, there are no international banks available in Uttarakhand.

ATMs are available in many places around Uttarakhand but a money exchange facility is available in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Haldwani and Dehradun only.

You can download the Xe.com app to check the currency exchange rate: