Q742. Entry Fee to Taj Mahal for

OCI holders . . .

Question: Good morning, i, m a European passport holder with oci card ,when i visit the monuments in delhi, taj mahal etc should i get the entrance ticket for indians or foreigners.? Alain Samy Answer: Entry fee to the Taj Mahal is only Rupees 20 for Indian citizens and a hefty Rupees 750 for foreigners! Registration as a Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) entitles all OCI holders several benefits as notified by the Ministry from time to time. Some of the benefits are: Parity with resident Indian nationals in matters of tariffs in domestic air fares Parity with domestic Indian visitors in respect of entry fee for visiting national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India Parity with non-resident Indians in respect of: o Entry fees for visiting the national monuments, historical sites and museums in India o Practicing the following professions in India, in pursuance of the provisions contained in the relevant Acts, namely: 1. Doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists 2. Advocates 3. Architects 4. Chartered Accountants Entitlement to appear for the All India Pre- Medical Test or such other tests to make them eligible for admission in pursuance of the provisions contained in the relevant Acts. Visiting Taj Mahal Entry Fee for OCI holders Entry fee to Taj Mahal is based on citizenship. While OCI holders are allowed to pay the same as Indians when visiting national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India, there is no clarity as far as visiting monuments, museums etc. other than that they are treated at par with non-residents Indians. I suspect many persons of Indian origin who now hold foreign citizenship get away by paying the low Indian entry fee as passports are not checked at the entrance. As per rules however, OCI are exempted from paying higher fee to visit national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, so they must still pay the higher fees when visiting monuments such as the Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal ticket purchases online can also be made now to avoid the long lines at the ticket counters outside the Taj Mahal. The prices are the same whether tickets are purchased online or in person. Online tickets can be purchased by visiting https://asi.payumoney.com When visiting this site you will find that the ticket purchasers have no option for selecting OCI status. I have heard that the security personnel at the Taj Mahal entrance are perhaps not yet fully aware of OCI status. Some people have reported successfully paying the Indian entry fee by showing their blue Overseas Citizen of India Registration Booklet issued by the government of India to OCI registrants.