If you’re landing at two in the morning — and you probably are — the immigration officer on the other side of the counter is likely operating on a cocktail of bad chai and barely-concealed displeasure at the hour.
Some are friendly. Some are about as warm as a granite countertop in January. Neither extreme should alarm you.
Have your papers ready: passport, visa, arrival card if applicable. Offer what is asked, nothing more.
This is not the moment to attempt small talk about the cricket, or ask whether Delhi is “always this warm.” The interaction is purely functional, like a toll booth.
Smile politely, hand over the documents, wait for the thud of the stamp, and carry on. The less memorable you are here, the better.
