I dont recall the procedure exactly. but it needs some proof that you are a PIO..
like your old passport or your parent's or grand parent's passport.

upto 4 pictures and your currentr passport (of your current nationality)

check your local consulate/embassy site for the details.

it usually takes around a work week.

Piece of cake...filled in a form downloaded from the website, gave them a copy of my old cancelled Indian Passport and current foreign passport and 4 photographs. Twenty minutes in queue, two minutes of actual counter time, no questions asked, collect in 4 days.

Cool!! Thanks ^

When flying home, I'll be flying PNQ to DEL, 3 hour layover, DEL to ORD, and then on to DFW.

My question is: when I check in to Sahara Airlines in PNQ, will I be able to check my bags all the way through to DFW, or will I have to pick them up in DEL and then re-check to DFW? I ask as when flying out here, I checked my bags all the way through to PNQ, but I still had to pick them up at DEL International and carry them to DEL Domestic and then recheck.

Pick up at DEL and get them checked in again at DEL.

Thanks.

I thought that might be the answer. But I was hoping it would be otherwise.

Here's my summary of the lounges in Delhi. Due to the recent privatiziation of the airport (AAI ceded control to DIAL, which includes the operators of FRA, in April), things are likely to change...hopefully for the better.

Terminal 1A (Domestic - Indian and Kingfisher)
Indian (Airlines) lounge. Located to the far left of the check-in counters. Recently renovated, bright & airy, ample seating although it can feel a little crowded during peak periods. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and snacks. No smoking area or toilets. Low-speed internet (one terminal); mobile phone chargers; two TVs. IC reception/help desk. Access by invitation only (Indian business class pax).

Welcomgroup Port Lounge. Located to the far right just inside the terminal and before the first security railing. Decor is nothing to write home about, ample seating, have never seen more than a few people inside. Full range of drinks (including beer and espresso/cappuccino), reasonable buffet. Internet terminal which never seems to be working. One big flat screen TV. Used by Kingfisher for KingFirst pax; open to all others on a chargeable basis (Rs 75 for a coffee has always worked for me). Only legal smoking area in Terminal 1A. No toilets.

Terminal 1B (Domestic - Jet, Sahara, all others)
Welcomgroup Lounge. Located on the upper level towards the right side of the terminal; some distance from the check-in desks and security. Like most of Terminal 1B, the lounge is a dump. Since it is used by all the airlines for their business class pax it is usually crowded and dirty. Good variety on the menu plus a buffet. Full range of drinks. Small smoking area in the far back right corner. Have never looked for toilets here and probably wouldn't use them if they were there.

Terminal 2 (international)
Maraharaja Lounge (Air India). Located on the upper level to the left at the top of the stairs. Catered by the Intercontinental, nice range of snacks and drinks. Smallish but I've never seen it too crowded since it's only used by A-I. Smoking permitted at the bar in the back of the lounge. Probably the nicest lounge in Terminal 2.

Clipper Lounge (formerly Oberoi). Located on the ground floor just to the right of the security lines. Perhaps 2-3x the size of the A-I lounge but used by many airlines so it's usually packed. BA will cordon off a section for its FIRST and Gold pax, at least for the 8 am departure. Probably the best food on offer of any of the lounges, full range of drinks. Small toilet facilities, usually pretty clean. No smoking, no internet, several TVs. Second nices T2 lounge, used by most airlines for their FC pax.

Welcomgroup Lounge (aka Sheraton). Located on the upper level on the right side. My personal version of airline lounge hell, used by every airline for their J class pax. Always packed, food offerings look like they've been there for days. Full range of drinks. Multiple TVs; at least one internet terminal (when it's working). Large smoking area in the back near the bar. Small toilet facilities near bar, usually dirty and always a line.

Ashok Restaurant. On the upper level, to the right just before the Welcomgroup Lounge. Basically a bar and restauarant that anyone can use, although BA have hired a small room for their CW and Silver pax. No smoking in the BA part but there are about three tables in the restaurant area where smoking is permitted. Have never tried the food here...usually I am just stopping in for a quick smoke. Open to the public on a chargeable basis...IIRC about Rs 150 for a Coke. When airlines have flight delays this is where they send pax for meals so it can often be very crowded.

As many of the other posters have noted, DEL is not an airport where one wants to spend a lot of time. Hopefully this will change with the new private operators.

DFW DL

Thanks for the useful info re the DEL lounges. I'm having a little trouble matching up the info I have with the lounges you've described. I would really appreciate it if you could help me figure this out.

I'm flying J on AA.

AA says I can use the Sheraton Maurya Lounge in Terminal 1A, first floor, for departure only. I don't see this on your list and, anyway, I'm not sure why I'll be in Terminal 1A if I'm flying DEL-ORD. Wouldn't I be in Terminal 2 for an International flight?

I have a Diner's Club Card. DC says I have access to the following lounges:

Terminal 1A: ITC Port Lounge (This must be the Welcomgroup Port Lounge with no toilets);

Terminal 1B; ITC Port Lounge (Is this the Welcomgroup Lounge with the toilets I probably don't want to use?)

Terminal 2: ITC Welcomgroup Sheraton Lounge (I see this one in your list)

I arrive from Chicago. The next day I fly DEL to Leh on Jet Airways and then back to DEL in a few days. I assume that the DEL-Leh-DEL flights are in and out of Terminal 1B. Does that sound right?

All in all, it sounds like I don't want to pee in the airport.

For the sake of simplicity, DEL international and DEL domestic are basically two airports (an international one and a domestic one) from a passenger perspective -- even if they are noted as terminals of the same airport.

ITC Welcomgroup Sheraton Lounge and the Maurya Sheraton Lounge are one and the same lounge in reference to the international airport. When it says the lounge is on the first floor of the international airport (terminal), that's first floor UK/Indian-style (i.e., the second floor American style so you have to go upstairs literally).

The bathrooms in the ITC Welcomgroup Maurya Sheraton Lounge (international) are ok for use and are standard toilets that I don't hesitate using.

The Delhi-Leh flight leaves from the domestic airport and when you mention to the driver you are flying on Jet Airways (domestic), they'll take you to the right terminal for the domestic airport.

We're headed to India in Dec/Jan and are doing a side trip to the Andamans and a stopover in Bahrain on the way back to the US. Was hoping to find a same-day connection from the Andamans to BAH (may be possible, changes at MAA and DEL or BOM). As it stands now, our tickets are out of DEL.

Our Indian Airlines flight arrives at 10:45 AM. Expedia is showing a connection from S2 (Air Sahara) to GF in DEL, departing MAA at 11:40 and into DEL at 15:35, then departing DEL to BAH at 18:55. That gives 3:20 for a connection in DEL and 55 minutes in MAA.

The other option is departing MAA at 13:40 9W (Jet Airways) that gets into DEL at 16:15, leaving ~2:40 connecting time, I imagine that would be very tight especially if we would have to wait for baggage then taxi+ checkin at DEL..

Via BOM might be better time-wise, but no Biz class on that day. Another option is overnight in DEL, which is a pain as we would be there ~16 hrs but wouldn't be able to go to Agra before the 8 AM flight the next day.

give yourself some more time in DEL.. and during the day time, avoid taxi and use the shuttle bus. (dont leave the baggage claim area at the domestic airport)

again.. the bus runs on hour every hour and takes about 20-25 minutes
each way (if I recall correctly)

so give atleast 3 hours for the transfer.

As much as it pains me to say this (especially as being airside at Indian airports is no fun):

I'd pad more time than 55 minutes at MAA to make a connection, especially in January. The DEL fog in January can really wreck the flight schedules from some of the other cities or set them back for a bit of a delay and then some.

I'd try to manage an overnight in DEL and find something different to do there rather than stress it out.

When not able to have the schedule wrecked without major chain reaction, I'd plan 2 hours for a domestic connection within India, to be on the safer side, and 3.5 to 4.5 hours between DEL domestic and DEL international just to create some more breathing room.

Overnight in DEL is going to be our plan then, we will still arrive early next morning into BAH. A same-day BOM connection would be possible with plenty of buffer. There are also connections MAA-CMB-BAH (Jet/Sri Lankan) or MAA-DXB-BAH (Indian/Gulf) but we'd have to change our tickets out of DEL ($300 change fee on my ticket), so I'm thinking not worth it.

Just last week in Delhi was pleasantly surprised to see an AVIS desk at the domestic terminal, which was only too happy to send me with a car and driver to international, for 500 rupees (about $12)...as mentioned its about a 20 minute drive at night with no traffic, and definitely worth the extra money for the service of being picked up and dropped off exactly where you want...

another tip...make sure you know which entrance (1-4) your international flight departs from as the lines are quite long outside to enter the terminal (make sure to have a copy of your ticket in hand) and the inside of the terminal is quite crowded and hard to manuever through with a lot of luggage...

There's also a pre-paid taxi option which is usually quite a bit cheaper; but the upside with the Avis thing is that it's far less likely there will be an issue with the car or driver. Were you able to get any mileage credit for the car+driver hile? Did you have to pay in cash, or was paying by credit card an option? (I'm certainly not suggesting paying by credit card for such an amount but am curious about that possibility for such a short hire.)

What you experienced can definitely be an issue from time to time. (I usually try to look into the window of the terminal and at the entrances as the driver slowly takes me by the outside departure unloading area at DEL international to get a sense of what's coming up and what to do.)

At DEL international it generally doesn't matter which entrance you go into. So I'd go for the entrance that had the shortest or no line; and then, if with checked luggage, go to the most open baggage x-ray and get that done and then head to the check-in desks. It's usually easier and faster that way then going into the listed "appropriate" gate. Going into the "appropriate" gate could well mean more of a mess than going in the other open "less-appropriate" gates. Unfortunately it can be somewhat of a gamble on what works.