China Tourist Visa for Indians - Definitive Guide

The China Tourist visa is a short stay visa granted by the country to those visitors who are visiting for tourism purpose. This visa is referred by the Government of China as ‘L’ category visa. Basically, visas in China are divided and represented by the alphabets. There are various visas offered by China for various purposes, and each of them is represented by a particular alphabet.

• Usually, China offers a single entry visa, with a stay duration of 30 days, to those eligible nationals who are visiting the country for tourism purpose. 
• But, in certain situations, the visa can be granted for Double and Multiple entries, too.

• The China tourist visa duration could last for 3 months, 6 months, 1 Year or even 10 years (in the case of US passport holders). It totally depends on the requirement of a visitor, but the duration is mostly approved by the Government of China. 

The China visa application form is available through the offline platform. One can avail the application form through the China Embassy in India, consulates or the approved agencies. There is no provision to apply for China visa through online mode. However, the China visa procedure is one of the sensitive procedures, to begin with. Any error in the application may lead to visa denial or delay. Hence it’s recommended to get it done from the experts in providing visa services. BTW has had immense experience in consulting and providing the visa for years. 

• As mentioned above that the applicant has to apply for the visa by following the offline procedure. The offline procedure requires an applicant to avail the application form from the concerned consultancy, consulate or embassy. 
• Submit the application form along with the documents.
• Before attaching the documents to the application form, an applicant is supposed to self-verify all the documents to check whether they are true to his/her knowledge. 
• Once the documents are self-verified as per the People's republic of China visa requirements, they must be further submitted to the visa application centre, or to make it effortless you may apply with the consultancy. 
• Application through emails is not accepted by the embassy or consulates. And hence, any application processed through emails will result in the rejection. 
• Normally, it takes at least 4 days for the embassy to process the visa after the submission of application. 

Before filling the China tourist visa application form, one must check the eligibility criteria for the China visa. The below information shall help you in understanding eligibility criteria, and whether who can apply for the China tourist visa. 

• China tourist visa is purely preferred by visitors to China for tourism purpose. Apart from the tourism activities, one cannot get involved in business or work activities, as it violates the laws charted out by the Government of China for visitors. 
• An applicant who is willing to travel to China will have to present the travel itinerary along with the confirmed hotel booking. 
• A return flight ticket is recommended. It will be accepted even if it is not a confirmed one. The concerned visa provider can help you to understand the criteria for return flight tickets. 
• If the applicant is invited by any guest, family, friends or relatives then the invitation letter must be presented with the application form. 
• Indian Nationals with Indian passport are eligible to apply for a Tourist visa of China. However, the passport must be valid for six months from the intended date of travelling to China. 

The documentation process plays a crucial role in deciding the total time required for the entire process to get completed. In order to avoid any such scenarios which might delay the application procedure, one must take care of presenting the below-mentioned documents with the application form, without any errors. The documents required for China tourist visa from India are given below,

1.  Original passport with 6 months validity from the day of arrival in China
2. Two Color photographs
3. Covering letter mentioning the details of the travel, details of the traveller
4. Original personal bank statements for the last 6 months+ bank certificate required original  
5. Confirmed hotel booking on hotel letter-head mentioning the details of the passengers. online portal bookings not accepted
6. Confirmed air ticket
7. Travel itinerary
8. Original leave sanction from school/college/company.

• Size must be scaled between 33mm width and 48mm length
• Colour: Photo must be submitted in colour with natural skin tones.
• Head size and position: The head must be between 15mm and 22mm wide. Length is 28mm to 33mm.
• Must be captured within the last 6 months.
• Background: Plain white. 
• Smile: Neutral expression.
• Eyes & Ears: eyes wide open and also both the ears must be visible.
• Glasses: Thin rimmed eyewear only. No sunglasses allowed. 
• Headgear: Not allowed until used for religious purposes.
• Attire, clothing, dress code: The dress should not match the background. 
• Beard: Optional.
• Quantity needed in application: 2.

As clarified before, the China tourist visa processing time totally depends on the documentation process and verification. Hence, it’s recommended by us to self-verify the documents before proceeding ahead to submit the application.

• The estimated time required for the process of China visa to get completed is at least 4 days.
• In order to suit the requirement of a traveller, the government of China has made a provision of granting visa within two days. This process is termed as express service.

China Tourist visa fees involve charges of services. They can vary depending on factors such as the type of entry, the duration of the visa, the urgency, and so on. The embassy determines the fees and may vary. As a result, it is necessary to be updated with the exact charges at the time of application.

1. Once an applicant has self-verifies all the documents as per the requirements of the embassy or the concerned consultancy, the applicant is supposed to submit them to the embassy or consulate.
2. After the documents are submitted, one might have to wait for the China embassy verification.
3. It is recommended of not doing any transaction from your mentioned bank account in the application form.

1. To track the status of the process of your tourist visa, you might have to carry the below documents or its information. Passport number Application ID.
2. To track the status of your visa process, the applicant must visit the website of the China  Embassy in India. After you have found the embassy website, you can track the visa application by submitting your application number.

By submitting your name, birth date and Application number

1. There is also another option available to track the China tourist visa from India through various portals by submitting your name (as mentioned in the application form), birth date and passport number along with the application number.
2. A tracking ID will be received by you after the submission of your application. This tracking ID can help you to track your application through the embassy site.

Tracking with the help of passport

• If you have processed your application through a consultancy or a Visa providing services then you might track the application status by submitting the passport number to the concerned service provider.

When you hold the tourist visa for China, you are entitled to enjoy the activities related to tourism. No business or work-related activities are allowed while holding this visa. A traveller to China must acknowledge the below facts to understand the do’s and don’ts while holding this visa.

Before and while travelling - 

• As per the above information, if you are all set to travel to China, you will be asked for a passport. The passport must be valid for six months since the intended date of traveling to the country.
• The duration of your stay in China is decided by the government of China. It could be 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or even a year.
• And hence, an applicant must keep track of expiry date of the visa to avoid getting in trouble.
• Any damage to the passport violates the rules and regulations stated by the Government of China.

After entering China 

• After you enter China, the applicant must carry photocopies of the passport along with them to every place they are visiting in China.
• In certain scenarios, the police of China may ask you to present your identification documents.
• You might have to present the passport photocopy along with the other identification documents like Pan Card, upon being asked by the officials of the immigration department in China.