The Indian Rupee

The unit of currency used in India

India's unit of currency is the Rupee, commonly abreviated to Rs. The Rupee is further broken down into 100 units called the paise.

1Rs = 100 paise.

Currency can be exchanged throughout India, at banks, airports and authorised money changers. Please be aware however that exchanging currency through any unauthorised money changer is illegal.

The safest way of taking money into India for your holiday or business trip is to use Travellers cheques. Travellers cheques are readily accepted for exchange at most banks. It is advisable to take cheques in US dollars or GB pounds sterling to avoid the possibilty of being charged extra exchange fees for other currencies.

You will find that most of the major credit and debit cards are accepted throughout India. It is always advisable however to check with your card issuer particularly if you will be travelling outside of the main tourist areas.

Indian Bank notes

Bank notes will be found in denominations of Rs1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of Rs5, 2 and 1 plus 50, 25 and 10 paise.

Exchange rates obviously fluctuate and vary dependent on where you are actually exchanging your money.

As a rough guide to what you can expect to receive when exchanging currency in India and as a guide to knowing if you are getting a good deal when shopping or eating out, we suggest that you use the following: £1 = 80 rupees