From 26 October 2026, applicants in India submit Chinese visa (and consular legalization) applications directly to the Chinese Embassy in India (New Delhi) or the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai, by consular district. Checked 26 October 2026 against the Embassy overview and the matching Embassy / Mumbai “Notice on Chinese Visa Application” pages dated 22 October 2026. Official mission text always wins.
India is not on China’s unilateral visa-free country list for ordinary short tourist stays. Unless another track applies — for example 240-hour transit visa-free with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country, or another exemption named on the mission notice — you still need a visa. Start with when you still need a visa and visa-free entry if you are unsure which path fits.
Which mission accepts my application?
Chinese visa applications go to the embassy or consulate for the consular district where you reside (Embassy / Mumbai notices, 22 October 2026):
- Maharashtra and Karnataka → Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai
- Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal → temporarily the Chinese Embassy in India (New Delhi). The Embassy overview states that relevant services in the Kolkata consular district are temporarily handled by the Embassy
- All other areas in India → Chinese Embassy in India (New Delhi)
Submit to the mission that matches your residence district. Do not invent a third filing channel.
What is the high-level process?
Per the Embassy and Mumbai notices:
- Online form and upload at https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/ — fill the Visa Application Form of the People’s Republic of China, upload required documents, and submit for online review. No fee is paid at this step.
- Email after online review — if approved online, you receive an email notification.
- In person within 30 days — take your passport, application form, and other relevant documents to the correct Embassy or Consulate General. Fingerprints are collected if required. Applicants for diplomatic, official, and courtesy visas should phone for an appointment before submitting.
- Collect and pay — on the expected collection date on the pick-up slip, return to the same mission, pay fees per that mission’s fee schedule notice, and collect the visa.
These steps cover travel to the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong and Macao have separate immigration channels named on the notice — follow those governments’ sites, not this page.
Category document lists (tourist L, business M, and others) live on the live mission notices. This site does not republish checklists, photo specs, invitation-letter templates, or bank-balance tutorials. Open the Embassy or Mumbai notice for your category before you upload.
Who needs fingerprints?
Paraphrased from the Embassy / Mumbai notices (do not treat this as a substitute for the live page):
- Until 31 December 2026, fingerprint collection is exempted for all applicants for short-term visas with a stay of no more than 180 days.
- Applicants for stays longer than 180 days, for D, J1, Q1, S1, X1, and Z visas that need a residence permit after entry, and for multiple-entry visas shall, in principle, go to the embassy or consulate for fingerprint collection.
- Separate exemptions named on the notice include persons under 14 or over 70; holders of diplomatic passports or applicants eligible for diplomatic, official, or courtesy visas; persons who already gave fingerprints at the same Chinese embassy, consulate, or Chinese Visa Application Service Center with the same passport within five years; and persons whose fingerprints cannot be collected.
If your category is unclear, read the fingerprint section on the mission notice that will receive you — not a third-party “skip biometrics” tip.
Where and when can I submit or collect in person?
Verified from the Mumbai / Embassy notices (checked 26 October 2026; hours exclude public holidays):
Chinese Embassy in India (New Delhi)
- Visa application: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Collection: Monday–Friday, 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- Address: Gate No.4, Chinese Embassy, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110021
- Tel: 91-11-24675259 · Email: [email protected]
Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai
- Collection: Monday–Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Visa application: Monday–Friday, 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- Address: 10th Floor, Nariman Bhavan, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021, India
- Tel: 91-22-66324305 ext. 36 · Email: [email protected]
Fee amounts belong on the mission’s Notice on Schedule of Fees for Consular Service, not here.
How long does processing take?
From the notices, calculated from the day after the passport is submitted:
- Regular: 7 working days
- Express: 4 working days
Confirm current timing and whether express is available for your category on the live notice before you plan travel.
How does this relate to other China entry paths?
- Visa-free entry: nationality-based unilateral or mutual lists. India is not treated here as a unilateral visa-free passport for ordinary short tourist stays — re-check the live NIA / MFA lists if anything changes.
- 240-hour transit visa-free: a transit track with an onward ticket to a third country through designated ports — different from a full visa filed in India.
- Visa hub: overview of entry paths and arrival practicals (arrival card, non-hotel registration, mobile payments).
- Mission notices also list limited exemption situations (valid Chinese residence permits, APEC Business Travel Cards excluding virtual cards, 24-hour airside transit, mutual visa-exemption agreements, and other visa-free situations). Those are official-list items — read the notice, do not stretch them.
What are common pitfalls?
- Filing at the wrong consular district (for example Mumbai when your residence belongs to the Embassy district, or the reverse).
- Missing the 30-day window after the online-review email to appear in person.
- Ignoring the direct-acceptance change and following an outdated third-party filing path instead of the Embassy or Mumbai notice for your district.
- Treating the short-term fingerprint exemption through 31 December 2026 as if it covered long-stay, multiple-entry, or residence-permit categories that the notice still sends for fingerprints.
- Publishing or following an unofficial document checklist instead of the category section on the mission notice.
- Confusing a full visa with visa-free or transit tracks that may not apply to your itinerary.
How do I verify officially?
- Read the Embassy overview on direct acceptance (22 October 2026).
- Open the Embassy and/or Mumbai Notice on Chinese Visa Application for your district — districts, online form URL, 30-day in-person window, fingerprints, hours, and processing times.
- Start the online form only on https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/.
- Pay fees only against the mission’s fee-schedule notice when you collect.
- If anything is unclear, contact the Embassy or Mumbai emails / phones on the notice — not a paid “guaranteed visa” seller.
Disclaimer
China by Road summarizes public visa-path orientation for travelers. We do not file applications, recommend agencies, quote fees, publish document checklists, or give legal advice. Official embassy and consulate rules always win. Re-check the official links on this page before you apply or travel.