# How to Write a China Visa Cover Letter from India (Sample) > The Chinese Embassy's checklist does not make a cover letter mandatory, but a one-page letter can tie your L visa file together. Sample text, what to include and the details that work against you. _Published: 2026-10-21 · Reading time: 6 min · Words: 1360_ ## TL;DR A cover letter is not on the Chinese Embassy's mandatory list, but a short signed one helps summarise an L (tourist) visa file. It should state your identity, visa and entry type, dates, cities, hotels, who pays and an index of documents such as the tour itinerary, hotel order, airline ticket order and bank proof. Invited visits need an invitation letter with specific contents, which your cover letter must match. ## Key takeaways - A cover letter is optional for a China visa; the embassy's L visa list names the itinerary, hotel order, airline ticket order and bank deposit proof. - Bank deposit proof for an L visa should show no less than 1 lakh rupees. - State the entry type you want: single entry costs Rs2900 for Indian passport holders under the reduced fee valid until 31 December 2026. - Address the letter to the mission for your state: Mumbai, Kolkata or New Delhi. - If someone in China invites you, your cover letter must match their invitation letter exactly. **The Chinese Embassy's checklist does not list a cover letter as mandatory, but a short signed one helps. State your name, passport number, visa type (L for tourism) and entry type, travel dates, cities, hotels, who pays, your job, and an index of attachments: tour itinerary, hotel order, airline ticket order and bank deposit proof.** ## Article You submit through the Chinese Visa Application Service Centers in New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata, according to the state you live in; the centre's service fee is paid online through VFS Global payment pages before you apply online. Requirements and fees in this guide are as published by the Chinese Embassy in India, checked on 2026-10-10. For the full process, read our China visa guide for Indian citizens. ### Is a cover letter required for a China visa from India? No. The embassy's common document list asks for the application form and online confirmation page, your passport with photocopies, two colour photos (48mm x 33mm), a copy of any previous Chinese visa and, where relevant, invitation letters. For an L (tourism) visa it adds a tour itinerary, a hotel order, an airline ticket order and bank account deposit proof of no less than 1 lakh rupees. A cover letter is not on either list. So why write one? Because an officer reading your file sees several separate papers. A one-page letter explains how they fit: why you are going, where you will be on which dates, who pays and when you return. It is optional, so keep it short and factual; it cannot replace any document the embassy does ask for. ### What each paragraph should point to Build the letter around the documents the embassy actually lists for an L visa. Each paragraph should lead the reader to one of them. Letter paragraphWhat it saysDocument it points toOpeningYour name, passport number, visa type and entry type requestedApplication form and confirmation page; passport copyTravel planArrival and departure dates, cities in orderTour itineraryStayHotel names and citiesHotel orderFlightsArrival and departure flightsAirline ticket orderFundingWho pays and from which accountBank account deposit proof (no less than 1 lakh rupees)Ties to IndiaJob or business and return dateEmployment or business proof you choose to addPrevious travelEarlier Chinese visas, if anyCopy of the most recent Chinese visaThe entry type in your opening line should match what you pay for. The embassy's current fees for Indian passport holders are: Entry typeFeeSingle entryRs2900 (reduced fee, extended until 31 December 2026)Double entryRs4400Six months multiple entryRs590012 months or above multiple entryRs8800Express / urgent processingRs1800 / Rs2700 per application ### Sample cover letter for a China tourist (L) visa Replace everything in square brackets. Print it on plain paper, sign it and date it. To The Visa Officer [Embassy of the People's Republic of China, New Delhi / Consulate General in Mumbai / Consulate General in Kolkata] Subject: Application for a [single-entry] L visa for tourism – [Full name], Passport No. [number] Dear Sir or Madam, I, [full name as in passport], an Indian citizen, am applying for a [single-entry] L visa to visit China for tourism from [arrival date] to [departure date]. I will arrive in [city] on [date] and travel to [city] and [city] before departing from [city] on [date]. My day-wise tour itinerary is enclosed. I will stay at [hotel name, city] and [hotel name, city]; the hotel orders are attached, along with my airline ticket order for both flights. I work as [designation] at [company name], [city], and have been with the company since [year]. I will meet all expenses of this trip from my savings account with [bank name]; the bank deposit proof is enclosed. [I am travelling alone. / I am travelling with [name], my [relationship], who is applying separately.] I have [not previously held a Chinese visa / held a Chinese visa in [year]; a copy is enclosed]. I will return to India on [date] and resume work on [date]. The information in my application is true and complete. Enclosures: 1. Application form and confirmation page 2. Passport and copies 3. Photographs 4. Tour itinerary 5. Hotel orders 6. Airline ticket order 7. Bank deposit proof [8. Previous Chinese visa copy] Yours faithfully, [Signature] [Full name] [Address in India, phone number, email] ### Adapting the letter for business or family visits #### M visa (commercial and trade) The embassy wants documents on the commercial activity issued by your trade partner in China (or a trade fair invitation), a copy of the inviting party's business licence and a copy of the inviter's or legal representative's ID card. Your letter should name the Chinese company, the purpose of the visit, the dates and who bears the cost, and these must match the invitation word for word. For business visas the New Delhi Visa Center's April 2026 notice does ask for a cover letter: it must give the company profile (year of establishment, scope of business) and the specific purpose and exact duration of your stay; general wording such as 'business meetings' might not be accepted. #### Q2 or S2 visa (visiting family) For short visits to a Chinese citizen, a permanent resident, or a foreigner working or studying in China, an invitation letter is central. The embassy says it should include your details, the purpose, places and duration of stay, arrival and departure dates, your relationship, the financial source and the inviter's details with stamp or signature; the original may be requested. Your cover letter then simply confirms the same facts and lists the relationship proof (such as a marriage or birth certificate) you are attaching. ### Where your file goes and how long it takes Address the letter to the mission that covers your state. The Mumbai Consulate handles Maharashtra and Karnataka; the Kolkata Consulate handles Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal; the Embassy in New Delhi covers all other areas. No appointment is needed (appointments were cancelled in November 2023), but since December 2025 every applicant must first pay the service fee online, fill the form and upload the documents on the Visa Center website, and take the passport to the centre only after the status shows 'online review completed'. Qualified applications are usually processed in 3 working days with express service and 4 working days on regular service. ### Details that make a letter work against you - Dates that differ between the letter, the itinerary, the hotel order and the airline ticket order. - Asking for a multiple-entry visa without any reason in the letter for repeat travel. - Bank proof below 1 lakh rupees for an L visa while the letter says you are funding the trip yourself. - Copy-pasted template text with unfilled brackets or another applicant's name. - An unsigned letter, or one addressed to the wrong mission for your state. 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). WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or reach us through the contact page. ### Frequently asked questions #### Can I submit my China visa application without an appointment? Yes. No appointment is required at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center. Since December 2025 you must first apply online on the Visa Center website and wait for the status 'online review completed'; then take your passport to the centre in New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata that covers your state, on a working day. #### What photo size does a China visa from India need? Two recently taken colour photos of 48mm x 33mm, full face, front view and bare head, taken within the last 6 months. The background colour is not specified on the embassy pages we checked. #### Do I need to give fingerprints for a China tourist visa? Ten fingerprints are taken at the Visa Center, with exemptions for applicants under 14 or over 70 and those fingerprinted in the past five years with the same passport. The embassy also lists a temporary exemption for short-term single or double-entry visas of less than 180 days. #### Should my employer sign the China visa cover letter? The personal cover letter is yours, so you sign it. The embassy's L visa list does not name an employer letter, but if you add proof of employment, make sure the dates and designation match what your letter says. ## FAQ ### Can I submit my China visa application without an appointment? Yes. No appointment is required at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center. Since December 2025 you must first apply online on the Visa Center website and wait for the status 'online review completed'; then take your passport to the centre in New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata that covers your state, on a working day. ### What photo size does a China visa from India need? Two recently taken colour photos of 48mm x 33mm, full face, front view and bare head, taken within the last 6 months. The background colour is not specified on the embassy pages we checked. ### Do I need to give fingerprints for a China tourist visa? Ten fingerprints are taken at the Visa Center, with exemptions for applicants under 14 or over 70 and those fingerprinted in the past five years with the same passport. The embassy also lists a temporary exemption for short-term single or double-entry visas of less than 180 days. ### Should my employer sign the China visa cover letter? The personal cover letter is yours, so you sign it. The embassy's L visa list does not name an employer letter, but if you add proof of employment, make sure the dates and designation match what your letter says. ## Sources 1. [Chinese Embassy in India - Notice on Updating Requirements for Chinese Visa Application (Aug 2024)](https://in.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/qz/202408/t20240820_11476941.htm) — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in India 2. [Chinese Embassy in India - Notice on Extension of Visa-Fee Reduction (4 Jan 2026)](https://in.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/qz/202601/t20260104_11797373.htm) — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in India 3. [Chinese Embassy in India - Application Procedures and Material Requirements of China Visa (Jul 2022)](https://in.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/sggg/202207/t20220705_10715788.htm) — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in India