Tipping Guide for Indians Abroad: Country by Country

Quick answer

Tipping varies more than most Indian travellers expect. In the US, 18–20% at restaurants is effectively part of the bill. In Europe, Dubai and Singapore, a service charge is often included and rounding up is enough. In Thailand and Bali, small cash tips are appreciated. In Japan, don't tip at all. On group tours, budget about €3–5 per person per day for the guide.

Key takeaways

USA and Canada: 15–20% at restaurants and for taxis; servers depend on tips.
Europe, Dubai and Singapore: check the bill for a service charge first; round up if it's included.
Japan: no tipping, anywhere.
Thailand, Bali and Vietnam: small cash tips in local currency are welcome but not expected everywhere.
Group tours: ask in writing whether guide and driver tips are included before you pay.

Why does tipping trip up Indian travellers?

At home, tipping is optional and modest: ₹50 to a hotel porter, rounding up a cab fare, 5–10% at a restaurant if the service was good. Abroad, the norms range from "it's part of the wage" in the US to "it may cause confusion" in Japan. Get it wrong one way and you look stingy; get it wrong the other and you overpay on every meal.

How much should you tip, country by country?

Norms at the time of review. Rupee figures use the reference rates on this site.

Country	Restaurants	Taxis	Hotel staff	Notes
USA	18–20% of the pre-tax bill	15–20%	USD 2–5 per bag; USD 3–5 a night for housekeeping	Servers rely on tips; 15% is the floor
Canada	15–20%	10–15%	CAD 2–5 per bag	Much like the US
UK	10–12.5% if no service charge	Round up	Not expected	Look for a "discretionary service charge" on the bill
France, Italy, Spain	Round up or 5–10%	Round up	€1–2 per bag	Service is included in French prices; tip for good service
Switzerland	Round up	Round up	CHF 1–2 per bag	Service is included in prices
Dubai and UAE	10% if no service charge	Round up to the next AED 5–10	AED 5–10 per bag	Many bills already include a service charge
Singapore	Not expected	Not expected	Not expected	Most restaurant bills add 10% service plus 9% GST
Thailand	THB 20–100, or about 10% at sit-down restaurants	Round up	THB 20–50 per bag	Many hotel restaurant bills add 10% service
Bali	5–10% if no service charge	Round up	IDR 10,000–20,000 per bag	"++" prices add tax and service, together about 15–21%
Vietnam	5–10% at sit-down restaurants	Round up	VND 20,000–50,000 per bag	Not traditional, but welcome in tourist areas
Japan	No tip	No tip	No tip	A tip may be politely refused
Maldives	Optional	Not applicable	USD 1–2 per bag	Resorts add 10% service; tip your butler or host at the end if you like
Turkey	5–10%	Round up	TRY 50–100 per bag	Leave cash on the table
Egypt	About 10%	5–10%	EGP 20–50 per bag	Small tips are expected for many small services
Australia, New Zealand	Not expected; 10% for excellent service	Not expected	Not expected	Staff are paid a full wage

For rough rupee values: USD 5 is about ₹440, €2 about ₹200, AED 10 about ₹240, THB 50 about ₹135, and IDR 20,000 about ₹110.

How much should you tip on a group tour?

Check your itinerary first. Some Indian operators include guide and driver tips in the package price, some collect a fixed amount per day during the tour, and some leave it to you. Where tips aren't included, these are common benchmarks per person:

Who	Typical tip
Tour manager on a Europe group tour	€3–5 a day
Coach driver in Europe	€2–3 a day
Local city guide, half day	€2–5
Private driver in Dubai or Thailand, full day	AED 30–50 or THB 300–500 per family
Desert safari driver in Dubai	AED 10–20
Safari driver-guide in Kenya or Tanzania	USD 10–15 a day, often pooled per vehicle

Worked example: a Europe group tour

A family of four on a 10-day Europe group tour, with tips not included:

Tour manager: €4 × 4 people × 10 days = €160
Coach driver: €2.50 × 4 × 10 = €100
Local guides across the tour: about €30
Total: about €290, or ₹29,600

That's a meaningful sum, so put it in the budget from the start. Many families tip the full amount for adults and a smaller amount for children.

What about service charges already on the bill?

UK: an "optional" or "discretionary" service charge, often 12.5%, is common in London. If it's there, don't add more. You can ask for it to be removed if service was poor.
Dubai: many restaurant bills include a service charge alongside VAT and municipality fees. Rounding up is plenty.
Singapore: "++" on a menu means 10% service charge plus 9% GST will be added. No further tip.
Thailand and Bali: hotel restaurants usually add service; street stalls and small cafés don't.
USA: some restaurants add an automatic gratuity of 18–20% for groups of six or more. Check before tipping twice.

How should you hand over tips?

Carry small notes. Keep USD 1 and 5 bills, €1–2 coins, THB 20 notes and AED 5–10 notes for porters, drivers and housekeeping.
On US card machines, the tip screen often suggests 18%, 20% and 22%. Choose based on the pre-tax amount if it's shown.
Tip in local currency, not rupees. US dollars are welcome as tips in Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Cambodia and the Maldives.
If service was poor, tipping less is fine almost everywhere except the US, where a server's wage depends on it. Speak to the manager instead.

Ask your tour operator in writing whether tips are included before you pay. On a 10-day Europe tour, the difference can be ₹25,000–30,000 for a family of four.

Worked example: a week in New York

A Mumbai couple spends USD 1,200 at restaurants and cafés over seven days. At 18–20%, tips add USD 216–240, about ₹19,000–21,000. Add taxis, a few bag tips and housekeeping, and tipping comes to about USD 300, or ₹26,400, for the week. Build it into your USA trip cost budget from the start.

For Dubai, where tips are smaller, see the Dubai trip cost guide. Our foreign exchange desk can include small-denomination notes when you buy currency, and how much forex to carry helps you size the cash.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I tip in the USA?

At sit-down restaurants, 18–20% of the pre-tax bill is standard, and 15% is the minimum even for average service, because servers' wages depend on tips. Tip taxi and ride-hailing drivers 15–20%, hotel porters USD 2–5 per bag, and housekeeping USD 3–5 a night. Check the bill first: some restaurants add an automatic gratuity for groups.

Do you tip in Dubai?

Tipping is appreciated but not compulsory. Many restaurant bills in Dubai already include a service charge; if so, rounding up is enough. If not, 10% is generous. Give porters AED 5–10 per bag, desert safari drivers AED 10–20 per person, and round taxi fares up to the next AED 5 or 10.

Is tipping rude in Japan?

Not rude, but not part of the culture, and a tip is often politely refused or causes confusion. Restaurants, taxis and hotels in Japan don't expect tips, and good service is considered part of the job. A sincere thank-you is enough. On a guided group tour, a small gift or envelope for the guide is sometimes accepted.

How much should I tip a tour guide in Europe?

Where tips aren't included in your package, about €3–5 per person per day for the tour manager and €2–3 per person per day for the coach driver are common benchmarks, plus €2–5 for a local half-day guide. For a family of four on a 10-day tour, that adds up to roughly €250–300, so check what your operator includes.

Should I tip in rupees or local currency?

Always in local currency, or in US dollars where dollars are standard for tips, such as Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Cambodia and the Maldives. Rupee notes are hard for staff abroad to exchange, so they are worth much less to the person receiving them. Buy some small-denomination notes before you travel.

Do you tip in Thailand?

Small tips are welcome but not expected everywhere. Leave THB 20–100 at casual restaurants or about 10% at sit-down places without a service charge, give hotel porters THB 20–50 per bag, and round up taxi fares. Many hotel restaurants add a 10% service charge already. Street food stalls don't expect tips.

How we checked this page

Last reviewed 28 October 2026

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.