China Business Visa Requirements for Indians: 2026 Checklist

The M visa covers commercial and trade activity, such as meeting suppliers or attending a trade fair. Since December 2025, every regular application in India is pre-checked online before the passport is handed in, so the centre reviews your documents online and can ask for corrections before you ever visit. The checklist below follows the Embassy's notices and the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) pages, as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For tourist visas and general rules, see our China visa guide for Indians.

What is the complete China business visa checklist?

1. Application form: the Chinese Visa Application Form and the Confirmation Page of your online application.
2. Passport: original, valid for at least 6 months, with 2 or more blank visa pages; photocopy of the information pages; expired passports from the last 5 years; a name-change document if names differ.
3. Photos: two recent colour photos, 48mm x 33mm, full face, bare head, taken within 6 months; no glasses or hats, neutral expression, eyes open.
4. Previous visa: a copy of your most recent Chinese visa, if you have one.
5. Invitation: documents on the commercial activity from your trade partner in China, or a trade fair invitation or other invitation letter.
6. Business licence: a copy of the inviting party's business licence.
7. Inviter's ID: a copy of the front and back of the inviter's ID card or the legal representative's ID card.
8. Cover letter: your company profile and the specific purpose and exact duration of the trip (New Delhi Visa Center notice, April 2026).
9. At the counter: the Visa Application Certificate from your approval email, the original passport and, where applicable, a printed barcoded invitation-verification document.

Fingerprints are currently not taken for short-term visas of up to 180 days; this exemption runs until 31 December 2026.

What must the invitation and licence show?

The Embassy says an invitation should give your details, the purpose, places and duration of stay, arrival and departure dates, your relationship with the inviter, who pays, and the inviter's details with stamp or signature. The original may be requested. The New Delhi Visa Center's notice of 9 April 2026 tightened the format:

How much does a China business visa cost in rupees?

The Embassy's fee notice of 4 January 2026 extended reduced fees for Indian passport holders until 31 December 2026. Fees depend on the number of entries, not the visa type.

The service fee is paid online before you submit and is non-refundable. The visa fee is paid at the Visa Center: cash or demand draft in New Delhi, cash only in Mumbai and Kolkata. If the Embassy rejects an application, it charges no visa or express fee and both are refunded through the centre.

Will a first-time business traveller get multiple entries?

Usually not. The Embassy generally issues a single-entry visa to first-time applicants. To ask for double or multiple entries, show a Chinese visa obtained in the past five years, with a copy of that visa page, and enough passport validity. The visa officer decides the type, entries, validity and length of stay based on your purpose and documents.

How do you submit, and which centre handles your state?

The CVASC online submission notice sets the order: pay the service fee online through VFS Global's payment page, create an account on the Visa Center website, fill in the form and upload your documents with the payment confirmation, then wait. Once the status shows 'online review completed' and the confirmation email arrives, take your passport to the centre within 15 days. No appointment is needed.

• Mumbai: Maharashtra and Karnataka.
• Kolkata: Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.
• New Delhi: every other state and union territory.

The Embassy usually processes qualified applications in 3 working days (express) or 4 working days (regular). In New Delhi and Kolkata, regular passports are expected back on the 6th working day and express on the 4th; New Delhi express files must be in before 12:00. Mumbai quotes around 5 working days normal, 4 express and 2 urgent.

Is the business visa the right visa for a China job?

No. The Embassy's only work visa is the Z visa, which needs the Notification Letter for Foreigner's Work Permit that your Chinese employer obtains first. There is no job-seeker visa. If your trip involves taking up employment rather than meetings or trade fairs, start with the employer's work permit, not an M visa.

Mistakes that get M visa files returned

• An invitation stamped with a contract or personnel seal instead of the official company seal.
• A photo with glasses or a hat; non-compliant photos can get the application rejected or returned.
• A phone number or email that is not your own; the New Delhi Visa Center requires the applicant's own contact details.
• Treating 'online review completed' as approval; it only confirms the upload, and acceptance happens at the counter.

Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, travel itineraries and cover letters for visa files, with packages from INR 1,000 (flight reservation) to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). Contact us on WhatsApp at +91 95230 91018 or via our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Do Indians need an appointment at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center?

No. Online appointments were cancelled from 20 November 2023. You submit online first and take your passport to the centre within 15 days of receiving the 'online review completed' email.

Can Indians enter China visa-free for a short business trip?

No. India is not on China's 30-day unilateral visa-exemption list or the 240-hour visa-free transit list. Indians can only use the 24-hour visa-free transit to a third country while staying inside the port's restricted area.

What is a China port visa?

A port visa is issued at designated ports (99 ports in 72 cities) to foreigners with an urgent need, such as urgent business, who could not get a visa in time. China's immigration authority recommends getting preliminary approval from the port visa authority before travelling; it is not a routine visa on arrival.

Can I withdraw my China visa application if I need my passport?

Only in limited cases. The Embassy says documents cannot be withdrawn once submitted except for humanitarian or force-majeure reasons; if you need your passport urgently, submit a withdrawal letter with the reason through the Visa Center. Once the Embassy approves it, the passport and Embassy fees are returned, and because a returned application cannot be revived, you must apply again later.