China Visa Itinerary for Indians: Day-by-Day Sample

The checklist, fees and steps here are as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For every visa type and the full application route, read our China visa guide for Indian citizens.

What does the L visa checklist say about the itinerary?

The Embassy's notice on visa requirements (August 2024) lists five items for the L (tourism) category on top of the common documents:

• Tour itinerary
• Hotel order
• Airline ticket order
• Bank account deposit proof of no less than 1 lakh rupees
• An invitation letter from a relevant entity or individual, when necessary

In April 2026 the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) in New Delhi tightened the bank proof: personal savings-account statements for the most recent 3 months with a minimum consistent monthly balance of INR 1 lakh, or a personal deposit certificate of a similar amount made at least 3 months before applying. Minors may use a parent's or guardian's statement with an authorisation letter signed by the account holder.

The itinerary is the document that ties the others together. It tells the officer where you will be each day, and the hotel and flight orders prove it.

Sample 7-day China itinerary for an Indian tourist

Use this as a format only. Your cities, dates and hotels must be your own and must match your bookings exactly.

Head the page with your full name as in the passport, passport number, entry and exit dates, and a phone number and email that are your own. Our itinerary service builds a plan in this format around your reservations.

How do the hotel and flight orders fit with the itinerary?

The checklist asks for a hotel 'order' and an airline ticket 'order', meaning bookings that show your plan. Each hotel night in the itinerary should appear in a hotel order, and the first and last days should match the flight order.

Think about money before you pay for anything. If an application is rejected, the Embassy charges no visa fee or express fee and both are refunded through the visa centre, but the centre's service fee is not refundable. Non-refundable flights bought before the decision are not covered by anything. A verifiable flight reservation answers the checklist without that risk.

Where does the itinerary go in the online system?

Since December 2025, every regular application in India starts online. The New Delhi centre made this mandatory from 20 December 2025, and the Mumbai and Kolkata centres publish the same steps.

1. Pay the Visa Center service fee online for Normal (Rs 2,152) or Express (Rs 3,172) service. You cannot change the service later.
2. Create an account on the Visa Center website for the centre covering your state, complete the form and upload your passport, photo, itinerary, bookings and bank proof with the printed payment confirmation.
3. Click Submit. If the status shows 'Rejected', the centre wants corrections or more documents; modify and resubmit.
4. When the status shows 'online review completed', a confirmation email with the Visa Application Certificate arrives. This is not a visa approval.
5. Take your original passport to the Visa Center within 15 days. No appointment is needed. Pay the visa fee there.

Your centre depends on where you live. The Mumbai Consulate covers Maharashtra and Karnataka; the Kolkata Consulate covers Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal; the Embassy in New Delhi covers all other areas.

Does your itinerary decide how many entries and days you get?

No. The Embassy says the visa type, entries, validity and duration of stay are decided by the visa officer according to purpose, length of stay and documents. First-time applicants are generally issued a single-entry visa. To ask for double or multiple entries, show a Chinese visa obtained in the past five years.

Qualified applications usually take 3 working days (express) or 4 working days (regular) at the Embassy. In New Delhi and Kolkata, regular collection is expected on the 6th working day and express on the 4th.

Which itinerary errors cause problems?

• Dates that do not match. Itinerary, hotel order and flight order must show the same entry and exit dates.
• Contact details that are not yours. The New Delhi centre requires the applicant's own phone number and email, and says concealment or falsification may lead to rejection.
• A business trip filed as tourism. Meetings and trade fairs belong in the M category, with an invitation carrying a handwritten Chinese signature and the company's official seal.
• Planning a visa-free stopover. India is not on China's 240-hour visa-free transit list; Indians can only use the 24-hour transit while staying inside the port's restricted area.
• Overstaying the plan. Duration of stay is counted from the day after entry. To extend inside China, apply to the local public security exit and entry authority at least 7 days before your permitted stay ends.

Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares day-by-day itineraries, flight reservations, hotel bookings and cover letters for China visa files. Packages start at INR 1,000 (flight reservation) and go up to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or use our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need confirmed flight tickets for a China tourist visa?

The Embassy checklist asks for an airline ticket order and does not demand a paid ticket. Rejected applicants get the visa fee refunded but not the centre's service fee, and nothing refunds a non-refundable ticket, so a verifiable reservation limits your risk.

Can I hand in my passport before the online review is complete?

No. Bring the original passport to the Visa Center only after the status shows 'online review completed' and the confirmation email with the Visa Application Certificate arrives. Submit it within 15 days of that email.

Do I need to give fingerprints for a Chinese tourist visa?

Not for now. The fingerprint exemption for short-term visa applicants (stay up to 180 days) has been extended until 31 December 2026, according to the Mumbai Visa Center. Fingerprints are still collected for D, J1, Q1, S1, X1 and Z visas.

What photo size does the China visa application need?

Two recent colour photos of 48mm x 33mm, full face, front view and bare head, taken within 6 months. The Embassy says glasses, hats and headscarves are not allowed, except religious headwear that leaves the whole face visible.