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Essential information to help you get connected seamlessly
This virtual SIM only includes data. It does not allow you to make cell phone calls or send SMS messages. You can still use WhatsApp or Skype to call your contacts.
Make sure your phone is both unlocked and compatible with eSIM technology.
Scan the QR code from your smartphone settings and add the data plan. You can either print it and scan it, or open it on another device to scan it. But don't activate it until you land at your destination.
An e-visa from one real site, a Taj that shuts on Fridays, and the one country where an eSIM saves the most hassle
India asks for a visa from almost everyone, and the honest advice is to apply on the government's own site and nowhere else, because the copycats are everywhere. Its most famous sight has a rule that ruins itineraries: the Taj Mahal is closed every Friday. And connectivity is where India rewards planning most, since buying a local SIM here is a paperwork exercise, while an eSIM you set up before you fly is live on landing. This guide covers the visa, the Taj, getting around, the money, and why data is the easiest thing to sort before you go.
The Taj Mahal, and its Friday closure
The Taj Mahal in Agra is closed to tourists every Friday for prayers at its mosque, a rule that overrides any online booking, so pick a non-Friday date. Tickets are date-specific and best bought through the Archaeological Survey of India's official ticketing rather than a reseller, and the monument keeps set visiting hours you should check before you go.2
Our take: go at opening for the softest light and the smallest crowd, and never plan your one Agra day on a Friday. A date-specific ticket for a closed day is wasted anyway, and the mistake is a common one.
Delhi's Metro skips the traffic
In Delhi and its surrounds, the Metro is an extensive, air-conditioned network that avoids the road congestion entirely, run by DMRC and paid with a smart card or token. It reaches most places a visitor wants in the capital region, and in the cities generally a ride-hailing app sets a fixed fare and removes the need to negotiate with a driver.3
Our take: use the Metro for the main hops in Delhi and a ride-hailing app for the rest, and for long intercity legs consider the train, booked well ahead, since popular routes fill up. Build in more time than distances suggest, because traffic is heavy.
The currency is the rupee, and cash still matters
Prices are in Indian rupees (INR), and GST, India's goods-and-services tax, is included in displayed prices and printed on formal bills. Digital payments and cards are common in cities, but markets, rickshaws and smaller towns run on cash, so carry rupees in small denominations for everyday spending away from the big outlets.
Apply for the e-visa on the official site only
Citizens of most countries can apply for an Indian e-Tourist Visa online before travelling, through the Government of India's official visa portal. The government warns travellers to beware of fraudulent websites offering Indian e-visa services and to use only the official portal, which is the cheapest and the only genuine route, so apply there and avoid any lookalike charging a markup.1
Apply in the window before you travel
The e-visa is applied for in advance rather than on arrival, within a set window before your travel date, so it is a task for the planning stage. Have a passport bio-page scan and a passport-style photo ready, since the application asks you to upload them, and allow processing time rather than leaving it to the last day.1
112 is the single emergency number
India runs a unified emergency number, 112, under the Emergency Response Support System, which brought the old separate police, fire and ambulance lines together into one. It is reachable by call and through the official 112 India app, and it is the number to save before you travel around the country.4
A local SIM is real paperwork; an eSIM is not
Buying a physical local SIM as a foreign visitor means presenting your passport and visa, a photo and often a local address, then waiting for activation, which can take hours or longer. One bought before you arrive avoids all of that and is working the moment you land, which is why India is the trip where a travel plan set up in advance saves the most time.
India is the destination where sorting data in advance pays off most, for a reason specific to the country: getting a local SIM as a foreigner is a documented paperwork process, with your passport, visa and photo required and an activation wait, whereas a plan set up before you fly is live the moment you land. India also sits outside every regional free-roaming zone, so a home plan roams here at a charge whatever your country, making a local eSIM both the easier and the cheaper option. Coverage is strong across the cities and the main tourist circuits, and thins in the hills and the remoter countryside; occasional local restrictions can affect service in specific areas at specific times, so a downloaded map and offline tickets are worth having. Because the visa, the Taj Mahal ticket, ride-hailing and train bookings all run online, a connection that works from arrival keeps the trip moving. Set it up before you travel rather than hunting for a SIM counter after a long flight.
Most visitors need one, and can apply for an Indian e-Tourist Visa online before travelling. Use only the Government of India's official visa portal, because the government warns about fraudulent lookalike sites that charge a markup. Apply within the window before your trip, with a passport scan and a photo ready to upload, and allow processing time rather than leaving it to the last day.1
Yes. The Taj Mahal is closed to tourists every Friday for prayers at its mosque, and that overrides any online booking, so a Friday ticket is wasted. Choose a non-Friday date, buy through the Archaeological Survey of India's official ticketing rather than a reseller, and check the current visiting hours before you go.2
An eSIM is far less hassle. A physical local SIM for a foreign visitor requires your passport, visa and a photo, sometimes a local address, and an activation wait that can run to hours. An eSIM set up before you arrive skips all of that and works on landing, and since India is outside every free-roaming zone, it is also cheaper than home-plan roaming.
112. It is the single national emergency number under the Emergency Response Support System, which merged the older separate police, fire and ambulance lines, and it is reachable by call or through the official 112 India app. Save it before you travel between cities.4
Every price, date and rule above is taken from the operator, museum, city or ministry that sets it, and was checked against that source on September 5, 2026. Lines marked "Our take" are our own recommendation, not a sourced fact. Fares, fees and opening hours change — confirm anything your trip depends on before you book.