China Visa for Indians: Fees, Documents and Steps (2026)

The short answer: Indians need a visa for China. A single-entry tourist visa costs ₹2,900 in embassy fees plus a ₹2,107 visa-centre service fee, ₹5,007 in total. You fill in the form and upload everything online first. Once the online review clears, you hand in the passport at the centre for your state (New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata) and collect it about six working days later.

India is not on China's 30-day visa-free list and is not in the 240-hour transit scheme, so the visa-free headlines of the past two years do not apply to an Indian passport. Three things did change. The fee has been cut and the cut runs to the end of 2026. The form moved online in December 2025. And most short trips no longer need fingerprints.

What it actually costs

You pay two separate charges. The visa fee is set by the embassy and paid in cash at the centre when you hand in your passport. The service fee is the centre's own charge, paid online when you submit the form. Most sites quote only the first one.

These are reduced rates, which the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in India have extended to 31 December 2026. The same row appears on the Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata centre fee pages, so the rate is national. China sets visa fees by nationality: at the same Delhi counter, a US passport pays ₹11,500 for the same visa.

Added up: ₹5,007 for one entry at regular speed, ₹7,806 at express speed. The service fees include tax. The centres also sell postal return and a premium lounge; you don't need either to get the visa. Take the visa fee in cash: Kolkata takes only cash, Mumbai lists only cash, and Delhi also takes a demand draft.

Which centre covers your state

You don't choose the centre. It is fixed by where you live, and there is no centre in Bengaluru, Chennai or Hyderabad. The embassy divides India into three consular districts:

So a Bengaluru applicant goes to Mumbai, and anyone in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Gujarat or Punjab goes to Delhi. Diplomatic and official passports go to the embassy itself, not a centre.

The five steps, in the order they happen

The Chinese Embassy in India launched its online visa system on 22 December 2025. Older guides describe filling in the form and walking in with a paper file, and the centres now turn that away. Everything is uploaded first, and you only visit the centre to hand over the passport.

1. Create an account and upload. Register on the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre website, pick the centre for your state, complete the application form, then attach every supporting document.
2. Pay the service fee online as part of that submission.
3. Wait for the online review. Don't go to the centre until the status reads online review completed and you have the confirmation email in your inbox. After approval, log in again and check the visa type, number of entries and length of stay. If anything is wrong, the counter is the last point where it is easy to fix.
4. Hand in the passport within 15 days of that email. Bring the original passport and the approval certificate attached to the email. No appointment is needed. Pay the visa fee there in cash.
5. Collect on the day the centre gives you, bringing the original pick-up form.

How long it takes

The embassy's own processing time is four working days, or three with express. The day you actually get the passport back depends on your centre, counted from the day you hand the passport in:

The online review comes before all of this, and it has no fixed length. The Delhi centre has warned twice this year that volume is high and to apply well ahead. The centres also shut for several days over public holidays: Delhi and Mumbai closed 1–5 May 2026, and applications submitted just before a closure were delayed. Allow two to three weeks from starting the form to flying.

Express is not open to everyone. Delhi accepts it only from applicants who meet the Embassy's requirements, and neither the centre nor the embassy lists what those are. Plan on regular timing and treat express as a bonus if the counter offers it.

Documents for a tourist (L) visa

Everyone uploads the basics:

• The completed application form
• Passport valid for at least six more months with at least two blank visa pages, a copy of the data page, and any passport that expired in the last five years
• A recent colour photo, 48 × 33 mm, bare head, full face
• A copy of your most recent Chinese visa, if you have had one

A tourist visa also needs:

• A day-by-day travel itinerary
• Hotel bookings
• A flight booking
• Bank evidence. The Delhi centre's April 2026 notice asks for three months of savings-account statements with a consistent balance of at least ₹1 lakh, or a deposit certificate for about that amount made at least three months before you apply.

The bank rule is where most people go wrong. A balance that jumps to ₹1 lakh the week before you apply fails the “consistent” test, and a deposit made last month is too recent. If you are a minor or the account is not yours, submit a parent's or guardian's statement with a letter signed by the account holder.

For a business (M) visa, the Delhi centre is strict about the invitation. It must carry the Chinese company's official seal (not its contract seal) and a handwritten Chinese signature. The company's business licence and the inviter's ID both need a handwritten note limiting them to your visa application. Your cover letter must give the exact purpose and length of the trip; “business meetings” on its own may be rejected.

Fingerprints: most short trips are exempt

Applicants for a short-term single- or double-entry visa for a stay under 180 days are currently exempt from fingerprints. That covers an ordinary tourist visa. The embassy calls this a temporary measure and has not published an end date. Separately, anyone under 14 or over 70 is exempt, and so is anyone who gave prints at the embassy or the Delhi centre within the last five years on the same passport.

You still have to go to the centre in person to hand over the passport.

Layovers: the one visa-free option

Many readers ask whether a stop in Shanghai, Guangzhou or Beijing needs a visa. China allows 24-hour direct transit without a visa for every nationality, including India. You need an onward ticket to a third country with a confirmed seat, and you must stay inside the airport's restricted area. To go out into the city, the border police must issue a temporary entry permit.

Beyond 24 hours, you need a visa. The 240-hour visa-free transit scheme does not cover Indian passports, although some travel sites still say it does. If a site offers you “72-hour” or “144-hour” transit, it is describing a scheme that was replaced and never covered India.

If you live outside India

Many readers are Indians living in Singapore, Malaysia, the UAE, the US, the UK, Australia, Germany or Japan. Chinese missions accept applications from people who legally live in their country, not just from that country's citizens. The Indian embassy's own rule shows this: it asks non-Indian applicants for proof of legal stay, residence, work or study in India.

So if you hold a residence permit, work pass, green card or long-term visa, apply to the Chinese mission that covers where you live and bring that document. The rupee fees on this page do not apply abroad. Each mission charges its own fee for an Indian passport, in its own currency, and follows its own process. A holiday in a country does not qualify you to apply there.

Hong Kong and Macau are separate

A Chinese visa does not cover Hong Kong or Macau. Each has its own immigration. Indian nationals get 14 days visa-free in Hong Kong after completing a free online Pre-arrival Registration with the Hong Kong Immigration Department. One registration lasts six months, or until the passport expires if that is sooner.

Check this before choosing single or double entry. A route such as Delhi → Guangzhou → Hong Kong → Shanghai enters mainland China twice, and a single-entry visa is used up when you cross into Hong Kong. For that route, apply for double entry (₹4,400 instead of ₹2,900).

What changed recently

• 26 October 2025 — direct India–China flights resumed after five years, starting with Kolkata–Guangzhou.
• 22 December 2025 — the online application system went live, and paper walk-in applications ended.
• 4 January 2026 — the embassy extended the reduced visa fees to 31 December 2026.
• April 2026 — the Delhi centre set the tourist bank requirement: three months of statements with a consistent ₹1 lakh.

The fee reduction ends on 31 December 2026 and the fingerprint waiver has no published end date. These are the two facts most likely to change next, and we recheck both every month.

Once the visa is in your passport

• The arrival card is free, filed online and required even with a visa. Our arrival card guide covers the official channels and the copycat sites that charge for it.
• Payments are made by phone, not cash. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a card you already have before you fly.
• Mobile data: install a China eSIM before you leave, because you cannot install one once you are in mainland China.
• Lodging registration is due within 24 hours of arrival. Hotels file it for you; if you stay with friends, you have to register yourself. See the registration rules.

Frequently asked questions

Do Indians need a visa for China in 2026?

Yes. An ordinary Indian passport needs a visa for mainland China. India is not on China’s 30-day visa-free list and is not in the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme. The only visa-free option is 24-hour direct transit, which keeps you inside the airport’s restricted area unless the border police issue a temporary entry permit.

Is China issuing tourist visas to Indians now?

Yes. The Chinese Embassy and its consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata are processing tourist (L) visas through the visa application centres in all three cities, and they moved the application online on 22 December 2025. The embassy has also kept the reduced fee (₹2,900 for a single entry) in place until 31 December 2026.

How much is the China visa fee for Indians?

The embassy fee on an Indian passport is ₹2,900 for a single entry, ₹4,400 for double entry, ₹5,900 for six-month multiple entry and ₹8,800 for twelve months or more, at rates reduced until 31 December 2026. The visa centre adds a service fee of ₹2,107 for regular service, so a single-entry tourist visa costs ₹5,007 in total. With express processing it is ₹7,806.

How long does a China visa take from India?

Delhi and Kolkata give regular applications back on the sixth working day after you hand in the passport, and express on the fourth. Mumbai quotes about five working days regular, four express and about two for urgent service. All of these start only after the online review has cleared, so leave two to three weeks between starting the form and your flight.

What bank balance do I need for a Chinese tourist visa?

The Delhi visa centre asks tourist applicants for three months of personal savings-account statements holding a consistent balance of at least ₹1 lakh each month, or a fixed-deposit certificate for a similar amount made at least three months before you apply. A minor can use a parent’s or guardian’s statement with a signed authorisation letter.

Which Chinese visa centre do I apply to?

It depends on the state you live in. Maharashtra and Karnataka go to the Mumbai centre at Nariman Point. Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal go to the Kolkata centre in Salt Lake Sector V. Every other state and union territory goes to the New Delhi centre at Shivaji Stadium metro station. This follows the embassy’s own consular districts.

I am an Indian living in Singapore, the UAE or the US. Can I apply there?

Normally yes. Chinese missions accept applications from people who legally live in their country, so you apply where you hold a residence permit, work pass or long-term visa and show that document. The Indian embassy’s rupee fees do not apply abroad; the local mission charges its own fee for an Indian passport. Being in that country only as a tourist does not qualify you to apply there.

Do Indians need a visa for a layover in China?

Not if you stay airside and fly on within 24 hours with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country. Leaving the airport needs a temporary entry permit from the border police. Staying longer than 24 hours, or entering the city, needs a Chinese visa, because the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme does not include Indian passports.

Does a China visa cover Hong Kong and Macau?

No. Hong Kong and Macau run their own immigration. Indian nationals get 14 days visa-free in Hong Kong after a free online Pre-arrival Registration. If your trip goes mainland → Hong Kong → mainland, apply for a double-entry Chinese visa, because a single entry is used up when you cross into Hong Kong.

Related

• China arrival card — the free online form every arriving foreigner files
• China visa-free countries — the full list, and why India is not on it
• 240-hour visa-free transit — who it covers and the ports it runs through
• Booking China trains in English — the 12306 app, screen by screen