Starting October 26, 2026, visa applicants and those seeking consular legalisation in India will submit requests directly to China’s Embassy in New Delhi or its Consulate General in Mumbai, bypassing the country’s existing Visa Application Centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
Revised Application Procedure
To initiate the process, individuals must first submit an online application via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ visa portal, uploading required documents and awaiting preliminary approval by email. Upon approval, applicants have 30 days to personally submit their passports and supporting documents to the designated diplomatic mission, where fingerprints may be collected as necessary.
The jurisdiction for submitting applications is determined by the applicant’s residence in India. For instance, residents of Maharashtra and Karnataka are required to submit their applications through the Consulate General in Mumbai, while those from West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh must submit theirs to the Embassy in New Delhi. Applicants from other states and Union Territories are also required to submit their applications in New Delhi. A similar jurisdictional arrangement applies to consular legalisation, based on the origin of the documents.
Visa applicants need a passport with a validity period of more than six months and at least two blank visa pages. They must also provide recent photographs and copies of relevant passport details. For tourist visas, extra paperwork is needed, such as an itinerary, hotel and return flight bookings. Applicants must also show six months of bank statements with a consistent average monthly balance of at least INR 1 lakh, or an equivalent deposit certificate. The required paperwork differs based on the visa type, such as business, transit, employment, and student visas.
Related Post: India Wins 2027 WTTC Global Summit in Delhi
Fee Structure and Payment Options
For Indian passport holders, the revised visa fees are as follows: INR 2,900 for a single-entry visa, INR 4,400 for a double-entry visa, INR 5,900 for a six-month multiple-entry visa, and INR 8,800 for multiple-entry visas valid for 12 months or longer. Group and official group visas cost INR 1,800 per applicant. Express processing incurs an additional fee of INR 1,800, while urgent processing costs INR 2,700. Payments will be accepted temporarily only through bank-issued demand drafts, with separate payee details specified for the Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Mumbai. Other payment methods, including cash and personal cheques, will not be accepted.
Changes to Consular Legalisation
Applications for consular legalisation must be submitted directly to the designated diplomatic missions without an appointment. Required documents include the prescribed form, identity documents, the original document requiring legalisation, and a copy. Documents issued by Indian authorities for use in mainland China must be notarised in India and legalised by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs or its authorised offices. Since the Hague Apostille Convention does not apply between India and mainland China, consular legalisation is necessary for relevant public documents. Regular processing takes four working days, while an express service of two to three working days is available through the Embassy. Applications submitted by post or fax will not be accepted.
Processed documents that have not yet been collected from visa centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata can still be picked up until noon on October 30, 2026. Online submissions made after 5 pm on October 23 will not include a visa application centre service fee, although earlier fees remain non-refundable. These new procedures apply to mainland China, whereas Hong Kong and Macao continue to have separate immigration rules. Travellers and travel agents must adjust to the new submission process, jurisdictional rules, documentation needs, and demand draft payments, making sure physical documents are sent to the designated mission within the 30-day window after online approval.