I am visiting family here in Kerala on a tourist visa.
I go to 3 different Indian banks in Trivandrum to change US dollars into Indian rupees......and we are only talking about less than USD $500, not some crazy large amount. All 3 banks tell me the same thing.....that they cannot change foreign currency unless I have an account with the bank.
I'm a tourist for God's sake; here only for 6 weeks...WTF would i want to open a bank account in India for ?? I even had my US passport with me to prove that I am a tourist....but, no it cant be done.
Why does a country that wants to promote tourism make it so difficult for tourists to convert their foreign currency to Indian rupees and spend it in India. Maybe they dont want tourists to spend their money...eh ??
I can understand government being inefficient, but these are private banks.
I have never seen a country so steeped in nonsensical policies like India. There is just no common sense/logic or rationale applied to policy making.
In ASEAN countries like Malaysia, THailand, and Singapore.....i can just walk into any bank and change USD into local currency.
Even the most trivial stuff like changing currency becomes a huge drama in India.
How does a country like this even get anything done ??
Stupid Indian public sector banks, in 2003 being Junior most Lawyer in Law firm (that time) i was send along with staff member to this SBI branch, i was asked to get money. So i went in and told where i come from for money, manager entertained us, told us to wait.
Then we were send to casher. Not much was told to me. Just instructions to get money. So this casher asked, why you need so much money? I didnt had an answer, i told him, please give the money and make me free. Then standard line of bank staff followed, he said open an account here and i will transfer the same to your account. I said i dont have account. If you don't want to give dont give.
Then this manager comes just in time and told him, to pay cash immediately. Then he paid the amount, which was collected by my staff member.
I came back to office and reported this to my senior. My senior said they are stupid fools, that cash was for purchase of stamp paper to renew lease deed of the property on which same branch exists. So if the cash was not paid, no lease extension and bank had to vaccate the premises.
Two days later i went with both parties and got the lease deed registered and signed as witness.