China tourist visa details for Indians

Getting Chinese visa proved to be quicker and simpler than I had thought. Because they don’t have an embassy in Chennai and because not too many Indians tour China (like they would visit Europe or South East Asia) I had suspected a slightly complicated/long process for Chinese visa. But it was reasonably simpler and quicker. The process took about a week’s time and cost me 7700 INR. If you're in Delhi you can probably walk-in and submit yourself, saving agency fee n courier fee.

Documents:

Documents needed for China tourist visa is standard- tickets, hotel stay, proof of funds, employment credentials and leave approval, application form, itinerary etc. The agency suggested including an  NOC from employer for extra comfort though this isn't a document asked by the embassy.

Validity:

The cheapest is 3 months, single entry tourist visa. Each entry allows a maximum stay of 30 days. Should you wish you can ask for a longer duration/multiple entry visa in the application form- in such cases the fees would vary and you may have to provide additional documents (like second ticket or why would you need to visit multiple times etc)

Photo: 33mm by 48mm.

Points to note: Your passport will have to go to Delhi. So factor roughly 10 working days- 1 week for embassy, couple of days for courier etc.

Chinese visa is stamped on passport. Thus your passport have to be submitted and will be with embassy till a decision is made and visa is stamped.

Do not apply too early. Visa will be valid for 3 months from the date of approval, so ideally apply about 20-25 days prior to your travel date.

All hostels in China took copy of both passport as well as visa page. I guess there could be some form of tracking/database maintenance to keep an eye on your movements. A hostel had a warning displayed, advising all foreigners to register mandatory under their original identity, failing which they could face issues while leaving mainland China

Be advised- China has a policy of not giving visa to people from disputed regions- like if your passport address is from Arunachal Pradesh (which China believes disputed) you may not get visa. I read a news long time ago that some Arunachal pradesh athletes couldn't participate in a sports event held in China because of visa refusal. [News]

Disclaimer: This post is for reference only. Each visa request is processed based on its individual merit and at the discretion of embassy officials. Processing duration, documents needed etc may vary from time to time and depending on complexity of a case.

Check this post on cheap flights to China and this one for all you need to know to plan your China trip