China visa applications in India move to embassy and consulate from 26 October

People applying in India for a visa to mainland China will need to use a different submission route from Monday, 26 October 2026. The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi and the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai will begin accepting and processing applications directly.

The embassy’s announcement, issued on 22 October, also covers consular legalisation. Services for the Kolkata consular district will temporarily be handled in New Delhi. This is a change in where and how applications are submitted, not an announcement of visa-free entry.

Which office should you use?

The updated application instructions assign Maharashtra and Karnataka residents to Mumbai. Residents of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal should temporarily apply through New Delhi, which also serves the remaining areas of India.

Start with the online form and document upload at the official Chinese consular visa portal. After the online review is approved, an email tells applicants to bring their passport, application form and supporting documents to the relevant office within 30 days. Fingerprints are collected where required.

The instructions concern mainland China. Hong Kong and Macao have separate application guidance, so do not assume the same procedure applies to those destinations.

Allow time for the new process

The embassy lists seven working days for regular processing and four for express processing, counted from the day after passport submission. The online review comes before that stage. Applicants should therefore avoid treating the listed processing period as the total time needed from starting the form to receiving a visa.

Visa fees still apply

The consular fee schedule lists an Indian passport holder’s single-entry visa at Rs2,900 and a double-entry visa at Rs4,400. Fees depend on nationality and entry type, with additional charges for express processing. Applicants pay the consular fees when collecting the visa.

This applies at both the embassy in New Delhi and the consulate general in Mumbai. The published fee instructions currently require payment by bank-issued demand draft; cash and other payment methods are not accepted.

Already dealing with the Delhi visa centre?

Check any outstanding paperwork now. A separate New Delhi visa centre notice dated 22 October says details needed for pending 2025–2026 refunds must reach the centre by 30 October as operations cease. This is a deadline for existing pending refunds, not a promise that every previous payment is refundable.

For a case already in progress, use the centre or embassy’s published contact details to confirm where your passport will be collected before travelling to either office.

Beijing. Photo: Nico Villanueva, CC0.