Quick answer
Check that the agency is a registered business with a GSTIN you can verify online, a real office address and published contact details. Get a written, itemised quote with inclusions, exclusions and cancellation terms. Pay only to the company's own bank account or by card against a GST invoice, and verify flight tickets and hotel bookings directly with the airline and hotel.
Key takeaways
- Verify the company on the MCA website and its GSTIN on the GST portal; both take two minutes.
- Pay the business, never an individual's UPI or bank account, and always get a GST invoice.
- A PNR alone can be a held reservation; ask for the 13-digit e-ticket number and check it with the airline.
- Walk away from visa guarantees, offers of fake documents, and prices far below everyone else's.
Do you need a travel agent at all?
Not always. For a domestic flight or a single hotel, booking yourself online is quick and fine. A good agent earns their fee on the harder trips: visas and documentation, multi-country itineraries, group and family travel, senior citizens, honeymoons, and packages that need a ground operator abroad. The real value shows when something goes wrong and there is a person to call who can rebook the hotel, the transfer and the tour, not just the flight.
The flip side is that travel is an easy business to start. Anyone with a phone and a WhatsApp number can sell a "Dubai package", and every year travellers lose money to operators who disappear. The checks below take less than half an hour.
What should you check before you pay?
| Check | How to verify | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Company registration | Search the company or LLP name on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs website | It is a legal entity with identifiable directors |
| GST registration | Use "Search Taxpayer" on the GST portal with the GSTIN on the quote | The business is registered and its invoices are valid |
| Office address | Visit, or match the map listing with the GST address | It is not a phone-only operation |
| IATA accreditation | IATA's online agency lookup | The agency can issue airline tickets itself; many sound agents use ticketing consolidators instead, so its absence is not a red flag on its own |
| Ministry of Tourism approval | The ministry's list of approved travel agents and tour operators | A voluntary recognition that signals an established business |
| Association membership | Directories of TAAI, TAFI, IATO, ADTOI or OTOAI | Peer accountability; also voluntary |
| Reviews | Recent reviews, especially the negative ones and how the agency replied | Its track record when things go wrong |
Be wary of a sudden burst of five-star reviews in a short period, and of an agency whose registered name, GST name and bank account name do not match.
Red flags that should make you walk away
- A price far below everyone else's. If three agencies quote ₹42,000 or more for Dubai with flights and one quotes ₹25,000, something is missing: the flights, the hotel's location, or the agency itself.
- Pressure to pay now. "Only two seats left, pay in the next hour" is a sales tactic, not a fare rule.
- Payment to a person. A personal UPI ID, an individual's bank account, or cash without a receipt.
- Nothing in writing. No itemised quote, no invoice, hotels described only as "4-star or similar".
- Visa guarantees. No agent can guarantee a visa, and anyone offering fake bank statements, fake bookings or "settings" with an embassy is offering fraud that can get you refused or banned.
- Withheld confirmations. Refusing to share the airline PNR, the e-ticket number or hotel confirmation numbers until just before travel.
- Work offered with a tourist visa. Jobs abroad arranged on a tourist visa are illegal and a known route to trafficking. Overseas recruitment agents must be registered with the government, and you can check them on the eMigrate portal.
How should you pay?
- Pay the company, not a person. The account name on your bank transfer should match the business's GST registration.
- Prefer a credit card. If a service is not delivered, your card issuer's chargeback process gives you a route to recover money, within time limits.
- Follow a sensible schedule. A deposit to confirm, flights paid when tickets are issued, and the balance for hotels and tours a few weeks before travel. Paying the full land cost months ahead to an unknown agency is a risk.
- Get a GST invoice for everything. Tour packages and booking service fees carry GST. Our glossary explains GST on tour packages.
- Check the TCS line on overseas packages. It is collected against your PAN and can be adjusted against your income tax; see TCS on foreign travel.
Keep every promise in writing. A WhatsApp message from the agency's business number is fine, as long as what it says matches the quote and the invoice.
What should a good quote include?
A proper quote is specific enough to compare. Look for:
- A day-by-day itinerary with named hotels, room types and nights in each
- The meal plan, in the industry's shorthand: CP (breakfast only), MAP (breakfast and one main meal) or AP (all meals)
- Transfers marked as private or SIC (seat-in-coach, shared with other travellers)
- Sightseeing, with entry tickets either included or listed as extra
- Flights with timings and baggage allowance
- Visa, insurance, GST and TCS shown as separate lines
- The cancellation policy, with the dates when charges change
How do you verify bookings yourself?
- Flights: ask for the airline PNR and the 13-digit e-ticket number. A PNR on its own can be a reservation on hold that lapses; the ticket number means the ticket is issued. Check both on the airline's website under "Manage booking".
- Hotels: email or call the hotel a week after booking with the confirmation number and your name.
- Visas: verify an e-visa on the official government portal, not on a link the agent sends.
- Insurance: check the policy on the insurer's website using the policy number.
What if something goes wrong?
Put your complaint in writing to the agency, with dates and documents. If that fails, call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915, and file a complaint with the consumer commission through the e-Daakhil portal. For outright fraud, report it on the national cybercrime helpline, 1930, or at cybercrime.gov.in, and ask your card issuer about a chargeback.
And about us
Elitech Travels is a private limited company based in Hari Nagar, New Delhi, incorporated in 2025, with a team that has worked in travel for more than fifteen years. Ask us the same questions you would ask anyone: company and GST details, a written quote, and confirmation numbers you can check yourself. Our visa assistance and tour packages pages explain what we handle, and you can contact us or send an enquiry for a written quote.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a travel agent in India is genuine?
Does a travel agent need IATA accreditation?
Is it safe to pay a travel agent by UPI?
Can a travel agent guarantee a visa?
How can I verify a flight ticket booked by a travel agent?
What can I do if a travel agent cheats me?
How we checked this page
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Written and fact-checked by the Elitech Travels editorial desk in New Delhi, drawing on our consultants' day-to-day booking work and the official sources below. Rules, fares and fees change — always confirm anything critical with the issuing authority before you travel. Our editorial policy.
