What You Can't Bring Into the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal bans arms and ammunition, anything related to fire or smoking, tobacco, liquor, food (including small snacks like toffees), headphones, knives, wire, mobile chargers, other electric goods (cameras are the exception), and tripods — plus drones anywhere in or around the complex. This is the full list published on ASI’s official “Dos and Don’ts” page, checked 27 September 2026.

The complete prohibited items list

Per ASI’s official guidance, you cannot carry these inside:

1. Arms and ammunition
2. Fire or smoking-related items
3. Tobacco products
4. Liquor
5. Eatables (the ASI page specifically calls out even small items like toffees)
6. Headphones
7. Knives
8. Wire
9. Mobile phone chargers
10. Electric goods, except still cameras
11. Tripods, unless you have permission from ASI (see our full breakdown of the tripod rule)

Drone cameras are separately and explicitly banned “inside and around the Taj Mahal” — this isn’t limited to the complex itself.

What you can bring

• Still cameras — allowed for day visits and night viewing, but not inside the main mausoleum chamber itself, where photography is prohibited outright
• A water bottle — ASI explicitly allows one inside (and foreign, SAARC and BIMSTEC tickets already include a free half-litre bottle)
• Mobile phones on day visits, switched to silent or off inside the monument — they’re banned for night viewing (see below)

Rules beyond what to carry

A few behavioral rules from the same official page are worth knowing before you go:

• No eating or smoking anywhere inside
• No touching or scratching the monument’s surfaces
• Keep noise down inside the mausoleum specifically
• Large bags and books slow down security screening — travel light if you can

Night viewing has extra restrictions

If you’re visiting during a night-viewing slot, the ban list extends further: mobile phones are banned along with everything on the list above, and so are video cameras and spare batteries. Still cameras remain allowed after screening.

What happens if you bring something on the list anyway

Third-party sources commonly describe cloakroom or locker facilities near the entry gates for depositing bags, food, or other restricted items before you go through security — but this isn’t stated on ASI’s own “Dos and Don’ts” page, so we can’t confirm the exact location or procedure from a primary source.

The safest approach either way: leave prohibited items at your hotel or in the vehicle rather than counting on being able to check them at the gate. Booking with a guided tour like IWIS Global’s Taj Mahal Sunrise Tour also means your guide can flag anything you’re carrying before you reach security, not after.

For entry ticket prices and what’s included, see our full ticket cost breakdown; for the monument itself, see our Taj Mahal attraction page.

---

Checked on 27 September 2026 against tajmahal.gov.in/dos-and-donts.aspx (Archaeological Survey of India). Rules can change; verify before travel if this matters for your trip.