India-China travel gets easier as Beijing rolls out Online Visa platform

The Chinese Embassy in India is set to officially launch the China Online Visa Application System from Monday, marking a significant step toward simplifying and modernising the visa application process for Indian travellers.

Announcing the development, the Chinese Ambassador to India said that from December 22, 2025 , applicants will be able to complete visa application forms and upload all required documents online through the official portal. The system, accessible via the authorised website, is designed to make the initial stages of visa processing faster, more transparent and significantly more convenient for applicants.

With the introduction of the online platform, applicants will no longer be required to submit physical forms or multiple paper documents at the initial stage. By enabling digital submission and preliminary online scrutiny, the system is expected to shorten visa processing by several days, a key advantage for tourists who often plan travel within limited timeframes. Under the earlier paper-based process, Indian applicants generally waited around four to six working days for a standard tourist visa after submission, while faster processing was available at additional cost. The online system is expected to further compress this timeline by reducing manual checks, errors and repeat visits to visa centres.

The move comes amid renewed travel momentum between the two countries. China issued tens of thousands of visas to Indian citizens in 2025, with visa issues crossing the 80,000 mark within the first few months of the year, indicating strong demand for tourism, business and cultural exchanges. By simplifying procedures and cutting processing delays, the new online visa system is expected to encourage a further rise in tourist flows, making travel planning smoother and more predictable for Indian leisure travellers.

Despite the shift to digital processing, the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in New Delhi will continue to assist applicants. The centre operates from Monday to Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and is located on the Concourse Floor of Shivaji Stadium Metro Station , Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Connaught Place. Applicants may also contact the centre via phone for support.

According to an important notice issued by the Visa Application Service Centre, applicants must first create or log in to their accounts on the official website, complete the application form online and upload all supporting documents. Only after the application status reflects “online review completed” and a confirmation email is received should applicants visit the centre to submit their passport and other physical documents. Authorities have urged applicants to carefully follow the step-by-step instructions to avoid delays.

The move is being seen as a significant boost for tourism, as it lowers procedural barriers and shortens the overall visa timeline, encouraging more Indian travellers to visit China for leisure, cultural exchanges and short-term visits. It also aligns with broader efforts to enhance people-to-people engagement between the two countries.

The development comes amid a broader thaw in bilateral travel arrangements. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that India’s visa regime for Chinese nationals for tourism and business purposes is now fully functional, ending a five-year suspension imposed following the 2020 border standoff. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said tourist visas are being issued globally, while business visas had already resumed earlier.

India formally resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals worldwide in November 2025, expanding on a limited reopening that began in July. These measures form part of a series of people-centric confidence-building steps agreed upon by both sides in 2025, which also included the resumption of direct commercial flights in October and the revival of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra pilgrimage.

Together, these developments are expected to boost tourism, trade and cultural exchanges, strengthening ties between the world’s two most populous nations.