From 26 October 2026, people in India applying for a Chinese visa will no longer go through the outsourced Chinese Visa Application Centres. In a notice dated 22 October, the Embassy of China in India said the embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Mumbai will accept and process visa and document legalisation applications directly. Services for the Kolkata consular district will be handled by the embassy in New Delhi for the time being.

Why it matters

Where you submit now depends on where you live. Under the arrangements reported by Indian travel trade publications, residents of Maharashtra and Karnataka go to the Consulate General in Mumbai. Residents of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, who would normally use Kolkata, temporarily apply in New Delhi, as do residents of all other states and union territories.

The process starts online. Applicants fill in the form and upload documents on the Chinese foreign ministry’s visa portal for a preliminary review, with no fee at that stage. Once they receive approval by email, they have 30 days to visit the designated mission with their passport and papers, and give fingerprints where required. The visa fee is paid when the passport is collected.

There is a small saving too. Online applications submitted after 5 pm on 23 October do not carry the visa centre’s service fee, though service fees already paid will not be refunded. Official visa fees still apply. For Indian passport holders, the reported fees are ₹2,900 for a single entry, ₹4,400 for a double entry, ₹5,900 for six months of multiple entries and ₹8,800 for multiple entries over 12 months or more. For now, payment is by bank-issued demand draft only, not cash or cheque.

What you can do

  • If your passport is still at a visa centre, collect it before 12 noon on 30 October, the reported deadline.
  • Check which mission covers your state before you plan a trip to submit documents.
  • Arrange the demand draft in advance, with your full name, collection slip number and phone number written on the back.
  • Confirm fees and document lists on the embassy’s own notices before you go, since arrangements may be updated.
  • Remember that these rules cover mainland China. Hong Kong and Macao have their own entry requirements.

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