China Visa for Indians 2026: The New Embassy Filing Process

Published 2026-10-24 · 7 min read · By the Travlys visa team

Chinese visa applications in India moved from the service centres to the Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate in Mumbai on 26 October 2026. Here is who files where, what it costs, and how to pay.

From 26 October 2026, Indian passport holders apply for a Chinese visa directly at the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi or the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai, not at the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre. You fill the form online first, then submit your passport in person after you get an approval email. A single-entry visa costs ₹2,900, and for now fees are accepted only by bank demand draft.

At a glance: Effective: 26 October 2026. Mumbai Consulate: Maharashtra and Karnataka. New Delhi Embassy: all other states, and for now West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Online form: consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA, no fee at this step. Fees for Indians: ₹2,900 single, ₹4,400 double, ₹5,900 six-month multiple, ₹8,800 multiple for 12 months or more. Payment: bank-printed demand draft only, for now. Processing: 7 working days regular, 4 working days express (₹1,800 extra). 240-hour visa-free transit: not available to Indian passport holders.

What changed on 26 October 2026

On 22 October 2026 the Chinese Embassy in India published a notice saying that from 26 October the Embassy and the Consulate General in Mumbai will directly accept and process applications for Chinese visas and consular legalisation. Services for the Kolkata consular district are temporarily handled by the Embassy in New Delhi. The Embassy published an updated visa application notice and a new schedule of consular fees on the same day.

Travel trade reports add details we could not find on the Embassy's own pages. They say the service centres stop taking new applications from 26 October, and processed passports can be collected from them until 12 noon on 30 October 2026. They also say online applications submitted after 5 pm on 23 October carry no centre service fee, and service fees already paid are not refunded.

Where to apply: consular jurisdiction

You apply at the office that covers the state where you live:

• Consulate General in Mumbai: residents of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
• Embassy in New Delhi, temporarily: residents of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the states earlier served through Kolkata.
• Embassy in New Delhi: residents of all other states and union territories. This includes Gujarat, so applicants from Ahmedabad file in New Delhi.

Visa hours, Monday to Friday except public holidays: the New Delhi Embassy takes applications from 9 am to 12 noon and returns passports from 3 pm to 5:30 pm. The Mumbai Consulate takes applications from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm and returns passports from 10 am to 12:30 pm. Check each office's holiday list before you go.

How to apply, step by step

• Step 1: Fill the form online. Go to the Chinese foreign ministry's visa system at consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA (the new China Online Visa Application, or COVA), fill the visa form and upload your documents for online review. No fee is paid at this step.
• Step 2: Wait for the approval email. Once the online review is approved, you get an email. You then have 30 days to submit in person.
• Step 3: Submit in person. Take your passport and original documents to the Embassy or Consulate during visa hours. Fingerprints are taken if required. The notice says only diplomatic, official and courtesy visa applicants must book an appointment by phone.
• Step 4: Collect and pay. Return on the date on your pick-up slip, pay the fee by demand draft and collect your passport.

Some reports mention online appointments for ordinary visas. The Embassy's notice does not, so check its website before you travel to submit.

Documents you need

• The visa application form, completed online.
• Passport valid for more than 6 months with at least 2 blank visa pages, plus the photo page and any passport issued to you in the past 5 years.
• Two recent colour photos, 48 mm x 33 mm, white background, no headwear, taken within the last 6 months.
• Copies of any Chinese visas issued to you in the past 3 years.
• For minors: birth certificate, the guardian's ID or proof of residence, and the guardian's consent letter.
• If an agent files for you: the agency's qualification documents and the agent's ID.

Tourist visa (L)

You need six months of personal bank statements showing an average monthly balance of at least ₹1 lakh. Instead of statements, you can give a bank deposit certificate for a similar amount, issued at least 3 months before you apply and signed and stamped by the bank. The Embassy notice has a full checklist for each visa type. Read it for your category before you upload anything.

Business visa (M)

You need an invitation letter from the Chinese company with a handwritten signature and the company's official seal. Contract or personnel seals are not accepted. Add copies of the inviting company's business licence and its legal representative's ID, each with a handwritten Chinese note saying it is only for your visa application. Your cover letter must describe your company, the exact purpose of the trip and how long you will stay. The notice warns that a general purpose such as "business meetings" might not be accepted.

China visa fees for Indians

These are the fees for Indian passport holders in the Embassy's fee schedule dated 22 October 2026:

• Single entry: ₹2,900
• Double entry: ₹4,400
• Multiple entry, six months: ₹5,900
• Multiple entry, 12 months or more: ₹8,800
• Group visa: ₹1,800 per person
• Express processing (4 working days): ₹1,800 extra
• Urgent processing (2 working days, if applicable): ₹2,700 extra

Paying by demand draft

The fee schedule says the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in India only accept demand drafts, and that cash, personal cheques and other methods are temporarily not accepted. The draft must be printed by a bank in India. Handwritten or incomplete drafts are not accepted. Make it payable to CHINESE EMBASSY, NEW DELHI or CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA IN MUMBAI. On the back, write your full name, pick-up slip number and phone number. Fees are paid at collection, and you get the pick-up slip only when you submit, so in practice the draft is made between the two visits.

Processing time

Regular processing takes 7 working days and express takes 4 working days, counted from the day after you submit your passport. The fee schedule also lists urgent processing in 2 working days where applicable. Before that, your online form has to pass review. Plan for at least two to three weeks in total.

Fingerprints

Until 31 December 2026, applicants for short-term visas with a stay of up to 180 days do not need to give fingerprints. Applicants for long-stay visas, such as D, J1, Q1, S1, X1 and Z visas, still give fingerprints in person. The notice also lists multiple-entry applicants among those who give fingerprints in principle, so be ready if you apply for one. Children under 14, people over 70, and people fingerprinted by the same mission or centre with the same passport in the last five years are exempt.

Does the 240-hour visa-free transit apply to Indians?

No. The list of countries eligible for China's 240-hour visa-free transit, published by Chinese embassies in May 2026, has 55 countries, and India is not one of them. The Embassy's visa notice does exempt passengers who transit to a third country within 24 hours and stay inside the designated port area. So a same-day connection without leaving the airport generally needs no visa. Confirm with your airline before you fly.

Tips to avoid delays

• Make sure every detail in the online form matches your passport exactly.
• Keep your bank balance steady over the six months. The rule is an average monthly balance, not one high figure.
• Use a bank-printed demand draft with the payee name spelt exactly as the Embassy gives it.
• Carry the approval email and a printout of your online form in case the counter asks.

How Travlys can help

Travlys does not file China visas. This is an independent guide based on the Embassy's own notices. For other trips, our Ahmedabad team handles visas for the US, UK, Canada, Schengen, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, UAE, Thailand and Malaysia, with 5,000+ visas filed and a 98% approval rate.

Last checked: We checked these rules on 24 October 2026 against the Chinese Embassy in India's notices dated 22 October 2026 and the other sources listed below. Rules can change at short notice, so confirm on in.china-embassy.gov.cn before you apply.