China visa guideIndian passport holders need an L visa to holiday in China. There is no e-Visa and India is not on China's visa-free list. You fill in the form and upload documents online, then hand in your passport at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in New Delhi, which covers Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi. No appointment is needed.
The visa fee is ₹2,900 for a single entry, plus the centre's ₹2,152 service fee (checked 14 Oct 2026). On regular service the passport is ready on the 6th working day. The embassy asks for bank deposit proof of at least ₹1 lakh.
Do Indians need a visa for China, and which one?
Yes. An Indian passport holder going to China on holiday needs an L visa, China's tourist visa, issued before travel. There is no e-Visa for Indians and India is not on China's visa-waiver list: the Chinese Embassy's own FAQ names the 43 countries whose nationals can visit for up to 30 days without a visa, and India is not one of them.
The L visa is a sticker visa decided by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulates-General in Mumbai and Kolkata. The visa officer decides the number of entries, the validity and the length of stay for each applicant. The embassy says first-time applicants are generally given a single-entry visa, and that double or multiple entries are considered for people who have visited China in the past five years.
China tourist (L) visa for Indians at a glance
- VisaNo e-Visa and no visa-free entry for Indians
- L visa (tourism), sticker in passport
- WhereFor Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi
- Chinese Visa Application Service Center, New Delhi
- AppointmentWalk in on any working day
- Not needed
- Visa feePlus the centre's ₹2,152 service fee, checked 14 Oct 2026
- ₹2,900 single entry
- Collection4th working day on express
- 6th working day (regular)
- MoneyHeld for the past six months
- Bank deposit proof of at least ₹1 lakh
Chinese Embassy in India and CVASC New Delhi, checked 14 Oct 2026
The visa covers sightseeing and holidays. Work, study and journalism need other visa categories, and a business trip uses the M visa.
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) in New Delhi. The embassy's jurisdiction rule is simple: applicants living in Maharashtra or Karnataka go through the Consulate-General in Mumbai; Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal go through Kolkata; everyone else, including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, is handled by the Embassy through the New Delhi centre.
The New Delhi centre is on the concourse floor of Shivaji Stadium Metro Station, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Connaught Place, open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00. How it works:
- Online first. Since 22 December 2025 the embassy's Chinese Online Visa Application system lets you fill in the form and upload the documents on the CVASC website, visaforchina.cn. Then you hand in the passport and originals.
- No appointment. The embassy removed the appointment requirement in November 2023. Walk in on any working day, and the centre accepts every application that meets the requirements the same day.
- Fingerprints, mostly not. A temporary measure exempts ordinary-passport applicants for short-term single or double-entry visas (stays under 180 days) from fingerprints, until the embassy announces otherwise. Children under 14, people over 70, and anyone fingerprinted at the embassy or the New Delhi centre on the same passport in the past five years are exempt anyway.
- Pay in cash or by demand draft. The New Delhi centre accepts only these two.
- Postal return. The centre offers a postal service for an extra fee if you cannot come back to collect.
Which documents depend on your situation?
Every applicant gives the online form and its confirmation page, a passport valid at least 6 months with two or more blank visa pages plus copies of its information pages, expired passports from the last 5 years, and two recent colour photos 48 mm by 33 mm. For the L visa, the embassy adds a tour itinerary, a hotel order, an airline ticket order and bank deposit proof of no less than ₹1 lakh, with an invitation letter when necessary. The rest depends on you:
Salaried
- What to add
- A certification letter from your company: its name, address, contact person and phone number, and your income
Self-employed or business owner
- What to add
- Your original savings-account statement for the last 6 months, stamped and signed by the bank, with the balance at or above ₹1 lakh throughout
Student
- What to add
- A certification letter from your school or college with its address, contact person and phone number
Invited by a Chinese travel agency or a person in China
- What to add
- An invitation letter with your details, the visit plan (dates, places, accommodation) and the inviting party's name, address, phone, stamp or signature; an individual host adds residential proof
Visited China before, on an older passport
- What to add
- Copies of the old passport's data page and the earlier Chinese visa
Not an Indian citizen but living in India
- What to add
- Proof of legal stay, residence, employment or study status in India
A personal covering letter ties it together: the purpose of the visit, arrival and departure dates, the places you will visit and, if someone invited you, their name, address and phone number.
How much is the China visa fee for Indians?
For Indian citizens the embassy's visa fee is ₹2,900 for a single entry, ₹4,400 for a double entry, ₹5,900 for a six-month multiple-entry visa and ₹8,800 for a multiple-entry visa of a year or more. The New Delhi centre adds its own service fee: ₹2,152 for regular service or ₹3,172 for express, tax included (checked on 14 October 2026), and the embassy charges an express fee of ₹1,800. The embassy has extended its reduced visa fees until 31 December 2026, and the centre adjusts its fee schedule every quarter with the dollar exchange rate. If the visa is refused, the embassy says the visa fee and express fee are refunded through the centre; the centre's own service fee is not refundable. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
The embassy says it processes a qualified application in 4 working days on regular service and 3 on express. At the New Delhi centre that means collection on the 6th working day for regular service. For express, submit before 12 noon and collect after 3 pm on the 4th working day.
Apply 2 to 3 weeks before you fly. That covers the processing time plus a margin in case the embassy asks for more documents, which its FAQ says can happen and which delays the visa. Check the centre's notices before you go, because it posts temporary closures there.
If an emergency forces a faster trip, such as a relative's medical treatment or a funeral in China, the New Delhi centre runs a "green channel" so the application goes in without queuing.
Why do China visas get refused for Indian applicants?
China does not publish refusal reasons for each case, but its own guidance names the problems that sink a file.
False, misleading or incomplete information
The centre's guidance says any false, misleading or incomplete information may result in denial of the visa or refusal of entry into China. Fill in the online form exactly as your passport and documents read, and declare earlier trips and visas honestly.
Money that does not meet the rule
The bank account must show a balance of at least ₹1 lakh consistently for the past six months; if not, the application is not accepted, and temporary deposits are not accepted. A large credit a week before filing does the opposite of what you want.
A photo that breaks the rules
The embassy says photos must be recent colour photos taken within 6 months, 48 mm by 33 mm, with no glasses, hats or other accessories, a neutral expression and both eyes open. A photo that does not meet this gets the application rejected or returned.
An itinerary that does not match the bookings
The L visa rests on the tour itinerary, hotel order and airline ticket order. When the cities and dates on the form, the itinerary and the bookings disagree, the officer can ask for more documents or an interview, and the visa waits.
Applying in the wrong jurisdiction
Applications are processed by consular jurisdiction in principle. If you live in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh or Delhi, file in New Delhi, not Mumbai or Kolkata.
Tips for a stronger file
- Keep the balance steady. Six months at or above ₹1 lakh, in a savings account, with the bank's stamp and signature on the statement.
- Give both money documents. The centre's guidance lists a certification letter from your employer showing your income alongside the bank statement, and the embassy's list asks for deposit proof of at least ₹1 lakh. Salaried applicants should give both.
- Book hotels for every night. The embassy asks for a hotel order and an airline ticket order; book refundable options until the visa is issued.
- Take the right photos. Two prints, 48 mm by 33 mm, taken within 6 months, white background, no glasses.
- Bring old passports. Expired passports from the last 5 years, and copies of any earlier Chinese visa if you want more than one entry.
- Ask for what fits. Ask for a single entry on a first trip. The embassy says multiple entries are for applicants who have visited China in the past five years.
- Check the visa when you collect it. The validity, the number of entries and the duration of stay are three different things, and the stay counts from the day after you enter.
Can Indians transit through China without a visa?
Only for a short connection inside the airport. China's National Immigration Administration says nationals of every country can transit through China for up to 24 hours without a visa if they hold an onward ticket with a confirmed seat to a third country and stay in the port's restricted area. Leaving that area needs a temporary entry permit from the border officers.
The longer 240-hour visa-free transit, which lets travellers stay up to 10 days in permitted areas, covers nationals of 57 listed countries. India is not on that list, so an Indian who wants to leave the airport needs a visa. For other trip types, see the China country page.
Official sources
- Notice on updating requirements for Chinese visa application, Chinese Embassy in India
- FAQs on applying for Chinese visa, Chinese Embassy in India
- FAQs on applying for Chinese visa (II), Chinese Embassy in India
- FAQs on visa-free entry into China, Chinese Embassy in India
- Notice regarding online visa processing approval, Chinese Embassy in India
- Notice on extension of visa-fee reduction, Chinese Embassy in India
- Visa fees, Chinese Visa Application Service Center New Delhi
- Visa-free transit policies, National Immigration Administration of China
