How to Track Your China Visa Application Status from India

The steps below follow the Chinese Embassy in India and the CVASC pages for New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For fees, visa types and documents, see our China visa guide for Indian applicants.

What do the China visa status labels mean?

Since December 2025, every regular application starts online. The status in your Visa Center account is the first thing to track, and each label asks something different of you:

Two points cause confusion. 'Rejected' at this stage is a request for changes, not a visa refusal. And 'online review completed' is not a visa approval either: acceptance is confirmed at the Visa Center counter, and the Embassy decides afterwards.

How do you check your China visa status, step by step?

1. Pay the service fee online. Use the VFS Global payment page linked by your centre and choose Normal or Express. The choice cannot be changed later.
2. Create your account on the Visa Center website for the centre that covers your state, then log in.
3. Submit the online application with the passport, photo, documents and the printed payment confirmation email. Confirm the status has left 'Pending'.
4. Watch for 'Rejected' or 'Under Review'. Respond quickly to any correction request and resubmit.
5. Download the Visa Application Certificate from the 'online review completed' email.
6. Walk in within 15 days with the certificate and original passport. No appointment is needed. Pay the visa fee at the counter and keep your receipt.
7. Collect on the expected date during your centre's collection hours.

Step 2 depends on your state, because each centre serves a fixed consular district. The Mumbai centre covers Maharashtra and Karnataka. The Kolkata centre covers Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. The New Delhi centre covers every other state and union territory. Track your file on the site of the centre that matches your address, since that is where you will hand in your passport and collect it. Follow the Step 1 notice on uploads too: attach only previous visas from the last 5 years, and put each photo in its own box.

When will your passport be ready for collection?

The Embassy's processing period for a qualified application is usually 4 working days regular or 3 working days express. Each centre then publishes its own expected collection timing:

The urgent fee is Rs2700 and the express fee Rs1800 per application, on top of the visa fee, which starts at Rs2900 for a single entry under the reduced fees extended until 31 December 2026.

Why might your file miss the expected date?

The Embassy says some applications take longer than the expected collection date. These are the causes named on the official pages:

• Supplementary materials. If the Visa Center asks for more documents, your file waits until you provide them.
• Document quality. Express files are reviewed first, but approval still depends on documents being compliant, accurate and sufficient.
• Volume. In April 2026 the New Delhi Visa Center advised applying well in advance because of higher application volumes.
• Interviews. S, Q, X and Z applicants are interviewed at the Embassy (New Delhi jurisdiction) or, if informed, at the Consulate General in Mumbai or Kolkata, which can add time.

Can you withdraw a China visa application or get your passport back early?

Yes, with limits. If you need your passport urgently during processing, submit a withdrawal letter with the reason through the Visa Center. Once the Embassy approves it, the application is treated as withdrawn, and your passport and the Embassy fees are returned through the Visa Center.

Documents cannot be withdrawn once the application has reached the Embassy, except for humanitarian or force-majeure reasons. A returned application cannot be revived, so an urgent traveller must start a new one. If a visa is refused, the Embassy charges no visa or express fee and both are refunded through the Visa Center, but the centre's service fees are non-refundable.

Who should you contact about a delayed China visa?

Contact the Visa Center where you submitted your passport. The published contacts are:

• New Delhi: +91-9999036735, delhicentre@visaforchina.org.
• Mumbai: +91-22-22855271, mumbaicentre@visaforchina.org.
• Kolkata: +91-33-40010210, kolkatacentre@visaforchina.org.

If you cannot collect in person, the New Delhi and Kolkata fee pages list an optional postal service at Rs 1020, while the Mumbai page lists it at Rs 3172.

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

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch from normal to express after paying the China visa service fee?

No. The Visa Center says the service you choose (Express or Normal) when paying online cannot be changed later. Decide before payment, and remember that New Delhi express submissions must be made before 12:00.

Does VFS Global process my China visa in India?

Only the payment. VFS Global hosts the online service-fee ('logistic fee') payment pages linked by the Visa Centers. Applications themselves go through the Chinese Visa Application Service Centers in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Do I need an appointment to submit my passport for a China visa?

No. Appointments at the Visa Centers were removed in November 2023. Once your status shows 'online review completed', you walk in with your original passport and the Visa Application Certificate within 15 days.

How do I pay the China visa fee at the counter?

The visa fee is paid at the Visa Center, not online: cash or demand draft in New Delhi, and cash only in Mumbai and Kolkata. Online payment of the visa fee is not available.