How to Visit Relatives in China from India: Visa Guide

Many Indians with family in China are visiting a brother, child or parent who works or studies there on a Chinese residence permit; that is an S2 case. This guide follows the Embassy of China in India and the Chinese Visa Application Service Centers, as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For all visa types, see our China visa guide for Indians.

Q2, S2, Q1 or S1: which visa fits your visit?

The type depends on your relative's status, not on your own nationality. An Indian national employed in China is a foreigner there, so their family uses S visas.

Which relatives count as family?

The Embassy publishes two lists. For a Q visa, its FAQ of May 2025 names spouses, parents, parents of spouses, children, spouses of children, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren. For an S2 visa, its August 2024 notice names spouses, parents, sons, daughters, spouses of sons or daughters, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandsons, granddaughters and parents-in-law.

For Q visas, the Embassy says other relatives apply for a tourist or business visa. A cousin, uncle or aunt therefore usually means an L (tourist) visa. Note that tourist visas carry their own money rule: since 9 April 2026 the New Delhi centre asks L applicants for personal savings-account statements for the last 3 months with a minimum consistent monthly balance of INR 1 lakh, or a deposit certificate of a similar amount made at least 3 months earlier.

What should the invitation letter from your relative include?

The Embassy's checklist says an invitation letter should contain:

• your details as the applicant;
• the purpose of the visit;
• the places you will stay and the duration;
• arrival and departure dates;
• your relationship to the inviter;
• the financial source for the trip;
• the inviter's details, with stamp or signature.

The original may be requested, so keep it safe. Pair the letter with these documents:

How do you apply from India?

1. Pay online. Pay the visa centre's service fee through the VFS Global payment page: Rs 2152 regular or Rs 3172 express per application.
2. Submit online. Create an account on the Visa Center website for your state's centre (New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata), fill the form and upload your passport, photo, invitation and relationship proof. For a child, add the child support, paternal and maternal authorisation, and family record or birth certificate documents.
3. Wait for review. When the status reads 'online review completed', a confirmation email with the Visa Application Certificate arrives. That is not a visa approval.
4. Visit the centre. Take the certificate and original passport to the centre within 15 days, with no appointment, plus any original kinship certificate requested online. Pay the visa fee there.
5. Attend the interview if called. New Delhi says S and Q applicants attend an interview at the Embassy; Mumbai and Kolkata say there may be one at the Consulate General if you are informed. Minor children are usually interviewed at the centre, and families who cannot attend can ask the Embassy for an online interview at new-delhi@csm.mfa.gov.cn.

Fingerprints are waived for short-term applicants staying up to 180 days until 31 December 2026, so most Q2 and S2 applicants skip them. They are still collected for Q1 and S1.

What does it cost, and how long does it take?

These reduced fees run until 31 December 2026, according to the Embassy's notice of 4 January 2026. First-time applicants are generally issued a single-entry visa; to ask for more entries, show a Chinese visa from the past five years. Qualified applications usually take 4 working days regular or 3 working days express at the Embassy, and collection in New Delhi and Kolkata is expected on the 6th working day (4th for express). Allow extra time for the interview step.

How long can you stay, and can you extend in China?

Your visa has three separate limits. Validity is the period in which you can enter China. Entries are how many times you can enter in that period. Duration of stay is the number of days allowed after each entry, counted from the day after entry; staying beyond it without an extension is illegal overstay. The visa officer sets all three. To extend, apply to the local public security exit and entry authority at least 7 days before your permitted stay ends.

Which mistakes delay family visit visas?

• Applying for a Q2 for a cousin or uncle who is not on the family list.
• An invitation that leaves out who pays or lacks the inviter's signature.
• Missing the 15-day window after the online confirmation.
• Leaving the original relationship certificate at home when it was requested.

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 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter. WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or use our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a visa-free way to visit family in China?

Not for regular trips. India is not on China's unilateral 30-day visa-exemption list, the 240-hour visa-free transit list or the Hainan visa-free list. Indians can only use the 24-hour visa-free transit to a third country while staying inside the port's restricted area.

What if a relative in China is critically ill and I cannot wait?

The New Delhi centre runs a 'green channel' without queuing for emergencies such as visiting patients or funerals, and express or urgent processing costs Rs1800 or Rs2700 extra. China's port visa is only for urgent cases like visiting a critically ill relative, and its immigration authority recommends getting preliminary approval before travelling.

Can my relative in China email me the invitation letter?

You upload the supporting documents during the online submission, but the Embassy notes that the original invitation letter may be requested. Ask your relative to keep or send the signed original.

Which China visa centre should I use?

Mumbai covers Maharashtra and Karnataka, Kolkata covers Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and New Delhi covers all other states and union territories.