Safety in India

India is a safe country for expats in terms of violence but often has poor infrastructure and safety measures. There is rampant petty crime in India but expats are largely safe from armed robbery or other violent crimes. However, expats also stick out in a crowd and are often the victims of pickpocketing, overcharging or small scams. Delhi has more crime related violence than Mumbai and extra precautions should be taken, such as not walking alone at night and avoiding rough parts of the city.

Road safety depends on the region, but fearless taxi drivers and motorcycle taxi drivers account for many accidents everywhere. Probably the largest safety concern in India for expats is sanitisation and disease. To be safe only drink bottled water and use private medical centres for treatment.

Certain parts of India, little travelled to, have sectarian violence. This is not directed at foreigners and following government travel warnings, expats will easily avoid any problems. The terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 were a rare incident involving foreigners. Heightened security in Mumbai will be evident at transportation stations and some popular tourist sites. Yet the attacks were an isolated incident and a threat of terrorism is not a large reason to come or go from India.