Arriving in Mumbai (2026): Airports, Terminals, SIM Cards and Getting Into the City

Travel Essentials · Discover Mumbai Team · 1 October 2026 · 6 min read

The first two hours in Mumbai set the tone for the trip. This guide covers what to do before you land, what happens at the airport, how to get a phone working, and the best way into the city from each airport and each long-distance railway station. Read the first section even if you have flown here before, because a lot changes in October 2026.

First, check your airport and terminal

Mumbai has two airports, and the main one is reorganising.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (code BOM) at Santacruz and Andheri is the main airport. Terminal 1, the domestic terminal at Santacruz, stops operating on 25 October 2026 so it can be demolished and rebuilt; the new building is due in 2029 or 2030. Airlines that used it (IndiGo, SpiceJet, Alliance Air and Star Air; Akasa Air moved earlier) are moving their flights to Terminal 2 at Sahar or to Navi Mumbai. From 25 October, every BOM flight uses Terminal 2.
Navi Mumbai International Airport (code NMI), across the harbour near Panvel, opened on 25 December 2025. It handles domestic flights and a growing number of international ones, and the airport company has asked airlines to move about a third of Mumbai’s international flights there.

So before you travel, look at the airport code on your booking, BOM or NMI, and for BOM check the terminal the airline gives you. Only changing planes here? Our layover guide covers transit visas, connections and what you can do between flights. The two airports are an hour or more apart by road, and a taxi driver who takes you to the wrong one cannot fix that quickly.

Before you land: the e-Arrival card

Foreign nationals entering India, including OCI cardholders, now fill in an e-Arrival card online; the paper form was withdrawn completely on 1 April 2026. It takes a few minutes. Submit it in the 72 hours before you arrive, on the official site at indianvisaonline.gov.in or in the government’s Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app, and keep the confirmation with you, printed or on your phone. It is not a visa: you still need your e-Visa or visa as normal.

Apply for an e-Visa only on the official Indian government site. Lookalike agent websites charge several times the real fee for the same thing.

At the airport (BOM Terminal 2)

International arrivals all land at Terminal 2. The order is simple:

Immigration. Have your passport, visa and e-Arrival confirmation ready. Queues are longest when several long-haul flights land together in the small hours.
Baggage. Screens give the belt number for your flight.
Customs. Green channel if you have nothing to declare, red if you do. You can also declare goods in advance on the ATITHI app from Indian Customs.
Arrivals hall. ATMs and currency exchange are here. Take out some cash before you leave: taxis, autos and stalls still prefer it, and if you plan to buy a SIM at the airport, the counter may want cash too.

A lot of international flights land between midnight and dawn. If yours does, do not plan on the metro (see below), and expect taxis and app cabs to be your only options.

Getting a phone working

You have two choices.

An eSIM bought before you fly. The easiest option if your phone supports it: install it at home and switch it on when you land. Data-only plans are widely sold by international eSIM companies; you will not get an Indian number, which matters for some local apps.
A local SIM. There is an Airtel counter on Level 2 of the Terminal 2 arrivals area. Bring your passport and visa, the address where you are staying, and ideally a couple of passport photos. Expect the counter to complete the paperwork on the spot and the SIM to start working within a few hours rather than instantly. A local number makes ride apps, UPI wallets and restaurant bookings much easier.

From BOM into the city

Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line). The station is at Terminal 2, signposted as CSMIA T2, and the line runs underground straight to the old city: Bandra Kurla Complex, Dharavi, Siddhivinayak, Worli, Mahalaxmi, Grant Road, CSMT, Churchgate and Cuffe Parade. It is air-conditioned, cheap and immune to traffic, and it is the best way into South Mumbai in daylight if you can manage your bags on escalators. Trains run from early morning until about 10:30 PM, so it is no help for most night arrivals. Our getting-around guide has more on the metro.

Pre-paid taxis. Black-and-yellow taxis and blue air-conditioned Cool Cabs run from the ground transportation area at Level 1, by the P4 car park. You pay a fixed fare at the counter for your destination and get a receipt, which removes any argument about the meter. This is the simplest option at 3 AM.

App cabs. Uber, Ola and Rapido all work. At Terminal 2, Ola and Rapido pick up from Level 1 at the P4 car park, and Uber from the P7 car park on the west side; follow the signs for your app. Expect roughly ₹600 to ₹1,000 to Colaba, more in rain or at peak times.

Buses and autos. BEST buses run from both terminals to the nearest suburban stations: route 321 to Vile Parle East and 308 to Andheri East from Terminal 2. Autos are allowed at the airport and are the cheapest way to a hotel in Andheri, Juhu or Santacruz, but they cannot take you south of Bandra.

How long it takes. South Mumbai is about 25 km away. By road, allow 45 minutes at night and well over an hour at rush hour. The Bandra–Worli Sea Link and the Coastal Road cut the time considerably; ask your driver to take them and accept the toll.

From NMI into the city

There is no train or metro into Navi Mumbai airport yet. Your options are:

App cab or taxi over the Atal Setu, the sea bridge to South Mumbai: roughly an hour to Colaba or Fort with light traffic, longer at peak times. App cabs pick up in the terminal area.
Buses. Chalo air-conditioned buses run from the airport to Colaba, Dadar, Bandra, Andheri and Thane, and BEST route S561 runs to the World Trade Centre at Cuffe Parade over the Atal Setu. NMMT buses connect the airport with Belapur, Nerul, Kharkopar and other Navi Mumbai railway stations.
Train plus a short ride. Panvel and Targhar are the nearest suburban stations, on the Harbour and Trans-Harbour lines. It is cheap but slow, and only worth it if you are staying in Navi Mumbai.

Arriving by train

Long-distance trains end at several Mumbai stations, and it matters which:

CSMT is in the old city, a short taxi ride from Colaba and Fort hotels.
Mumbai Central is in the south too, a short taxi ride from Marine Drive and Colaba.
Dadar is in the middle of the city, with both suburban lines and good taxi access.
Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) at Kurla and Bandra Terminus are further out. Allow an hour by road to South Mumbai at busy times; LTT is close to BKC and Powai.

At every station, black-and-yellow taxis wait outside and app cabs can pick up nearby. Autos are an option at LTT, Bandra Terminus and the suburban stations, but not in the south.

The first evening

Do not over-plan the first day. A walk along Marine Drive at sunset, a plate of bhelpuri at Girgaon Chowpatty and an early night is the right way to start. Then read how to get around, what things cost and the local habits worth knowing, or see everything in one place on our Plan Your Trip page.