China to launch online visa system in India from Dec 22 as Tourism, Trade to rise

The Chinese Embassy in India will launch its online visa application system on December 22, 2025, enabling applicants to fill out forms and upload required documents digitally, Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong announced on Monday. The move aims to simplify the visa process and enhance convenience for travellers seeking to visit China from India. Applications can be submitted through this portal.

The Ambassador’s post on X outlined that the China Online Visa Application System allows applicants to complete forms, upload supporting materials, and track application status online. The pre-review feature helps reduce errors and ensures smoother processing, while applicants typically need to visit the visa centre only once to submit their passport, provide biometrics if required, and collect the visa. The Chinese Visa Application Service Center in New Delhi remains open Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 15:00, and can be contacted at +91-9999036735.

The launch comes after India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals globally in November 2025, marking the end of a five-year suspension that followed the 2020 border clashes in the Galwan Valley region of Ladakh. Business visas had already been issued since before the reopening in November 2025. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had confirmed that the tourism and business visa regime for Chinese nationals is now “fully functional,” reflecting a normalization of bilateral mobility.

The online system is part of broader “people-centric” confidence-building measures between the two nations in 2025. Other steps include the resumption of direct commercial flights in October 2025 and the revival of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra pilgrimage, which takes place in Tibet, a region within China, aimed at strengthening trust and enhancing cross-border exchanges.

Experts say the simplified visa process is likely to boost trade and tourism, as business professionals, entrepreneurs, and tourists can now plan travel more efficiently. The streamlined digital system encourages more frequent visits for business, investment, and cultural purposes, fostering people-to-people ties, educational collaboration, and cultural exchange. Analysts predict that enhanced mobility between India and China will further strengthen bilateral trade relations, encourage tourism growth, and support joint initiatives in sectors ranging from technology to services.The launch of the online visa system is thus expected not only to reduce administrative hurdles and processing times but also to play a key role in deepening economic, cultural, and social interactions between the two most populous countries in the world.