How to Exchange Rupees for Dollars

The official currency of India is the Indian rupee, which is known as INR. One rupee can be divided into 100 paise. When you have 100,000 rupees, that amount is referred to as a lakh rupee, and 10 million rupees is referred to as a crore rupee. Regardless of how many rupees you currently have, if you are returning to the United States, or visiting from India, you will need some U.S. dollars, or USD, for buying things in cash.

• 1

  Check the rupees-to-dollars exchange rate with an online currency converter, such as X-Rates or Coin Mill. Enter the amount of rupees you have to get an estimate of how many dollars you will get in return. Online exchange rate calculators do not take into account the fee you will be charged when you exchange the currency, so you will likely end up with slightly fewer dollars.

• 2

  Ask to exchange your rupees at your local bank branch. Typically this can be done at the teller desk.

• 3

  Use one of the currency-exchange counters or kiosks in an airport or hotel if you are traveling. Some travel agencies, such as the American Express travel agencies, also offer currency exchange. Additionally, some shopping malls have currency-exchange counters.