Government-approved guides
Licensed tour guides in India — what the licence actually is
A Regional Level Guide licence is issued by the Ministry of Tourism after a written examination, an interview and a training course, and it names the tourism region and the languages its holder was examined in. The Archaeological Survey of India admits licensed guides into its monuments and stops unlicensed ones at the ticket gate — which is why the men who approach you outside the Taj Mahal never offer to come in with you.
Issued by
Ministry of Tourism
Licence
Regional Level Guide
Scope
A region, not the country
We send
The card, before you pay
The credential
What the licence is, and what it is not
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
Regional Level Guide (RLG)
- Language examined in
- Ten languages
- Licensing region
- Ten languages, five regions
- Full day · 8 hours
- ₹1,500
- Half day · 4 hours
- ₹900
Every licence card carries a photograph, a licence number, the issuing region and the languages the holder is examined in. We send a photograph of the card on WhatsApp when a booking is confirmed, before you pay anything, so you can check the number, the region and the language against the guide who meets you.
A Regional Level Guide licence is issued by the Ministry of Tourism after a written examination, an interview and a training course run through the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management. It is issued for a tourism region, not for the whole country, and it names the foreign languages the holder is examined in.
Archaeological Survey of India monuments admit licensed guides and turn away unlicensed ones at the ticket gate. An unlicensed "guide" who approaches you outside the Taj Mahal or Amber Fort cannot accompany you inside, which is why the pitch is always made in the car park.
What it is not is a quality guarantee. A licence says its holder passed an examination in the history and monuments of a region and in a named language. It does not say they are interesting, punctual, or good with children. Those you judge for yourself — which is easier to do when you can see the card and know which region and which language it covers.
Licensed against unlicensed
The practical difference, at the ticket gate
| Licensed Regional Level Guide | Unlicensed | |
|---|---|---|
| Credential | Photo ID card with a licence number, issuing region and examined languages | None you can check |
| Inside ASI monuments | Admitted | Stopped at the ticket gate |
| Examined on | History, archaeology and culture of a named region | Nothing |
| Language | Named on the card and examined | Claimed |
| Price | Fixed day rate, agreed before the day | Negotiated at the gate, often per monument |
| If it goes wrong | A booking, a company and a traceable licence | No recourse |
The approach in the car park
At the Taj Mahal, Amber Fort and Fatehpur Sikri you will be approached, often repeatedly, by men offering to guide you. Some are ASI-approved and taking work at the gate, which is legitimate. Many are not, and the way to tell is to ask for the card and look at the photograph, the number and the region. An unlicensed guide will walk you to the entrance and hand you over, because that is as far as they can go — and you will have paid for a full tour.
The other reason to settle this before you arrive is price. A fee agreed in a car park with a queue behind you is not a negotiation, and it is usually quoted per monument rather than per day.
How to check
Verifying a guide before you pay
Ask for the card at booking, not on the day
We send a photograph of the licence card on WhatsApp when a booking is confirmed, before any money changes hands. Any operator can do this and most do not. If a company will not, that is your answer.
Check the photograph against the person who meets you
The commonest substitution is not a forged card, it is a real card belonging to somebody else. Thirty seconds at the hotel lobby settles it.
Check the region covers where you are standing
A Northern Region licence does not cover Jaipur. If you are in Rajasthan and the card says Northern Region, the guide is not licensed for the monument you are about to enter.
Check the language is on the card
The card lists the languages its holder was examined in. "I speak Spanish" and "I am examined in Spanish" are different claims, and only one of them is written down.
By region
Which licence covers which city
| City | State | Licensing region | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi | Delhi | Northern Region | /delhi-tour-guide |
| Agra | Uttar Pradesh | Northern Region | /agra-tour-guide |
| Jaipur | Rajasthan | Rajasthan | /jaipur-tour-guide |
| Udaipur | Rajasthan | Rajasthan | /udaipur-tour-guide |
| Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | Northern Region | /varanasi-tour-guide |
| Amritsar | Punjab | Northern Region | /amritsar-tour-guide |
| Jodhpur | Rajasthan | Rajasthan | /jodhpur-tour-guide |
| Rishikesh | Uttarakhand | Northern Region | /rishikesh-tour-guide |
| Haridwar | Uttarakhand | Northern Region | /haridwar-tour-guide |
| Jaisalmer | Rajasthan | Rajasthan | /jaisalmer-tour-guide |
Questions people ask
Guide licensing
Our team is here to help. Contact us for personalized assistance.
Ask to see the licence before you pay
Send the city and the dates. We reply with the guide’s name and a photograph of their Regional Level Guide card — the number, the region and the languages — and you decide after you have seen it.
We send the guide’s licence card before you pay anything. Nothing is charged to confirm.