Which China Consulate Covers Your State? India Jurisdiction

The split comes from the Embassy's August 2024 notice on visa requirements and the New Delhi Visa Center's Service Areas FAQ; no later jurisdiction notice was found. Details below are as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. Fees, visa types and documents are on our China visa page for Indians.

Which office handles your state?

Regular visa applications are submitted according to this consular jurisdiction. Diplomatic, official and courtesy visas are the exception: they go to the Embassy's Consular Section or the relevant Consulate General directly.

Why do Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat go to New Delhi?

Because the Embassy's district is defined as everything not assigned to the two consulates. China has only three Visa Application Service Centers in India. Mumbai's district has two states and Kolkata's has five, so most of the country falls to New Delhi.

• South India: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry belong to the Embassy in New Delhi. Karnataka is the one southern state served by Mumbai, so applicants in Bengaluru apply through the Mumbai centre.
• West India: Gujarat and Goa belong to New Delhi; Maharashtra belongs to Mumbai.
• East and north-east: West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh go to Kolkata. Assam and the other north-eastern states are not on Kolkata's list, so they fall under New Delhi.
• North and centre: Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and the other northern states and union territories belong to New Delhi.

How does your jurisdiction affect the online application?

Since December 2025 the application starts online. The Embassy launched its Online Visa Application System on 22 December 2025, online filing became mandatory at the New Delhi centre from 20 December 2025, and the Mumbai and Kolkata centres publish the same steps. Jurisdiction matters from the first click:

1. Pay the Visa Center's service fee online through VFS Global's payment pages: Rs 2,152 for regular or Rs 3,172 for express service per application. The service cannot be changed later.
2. Create an account on the Visa Center website for the centre that serves your state, and log in.
3. Complete the form and upload your passport, photo, supporting documents and the printed payment confirmation email, then click Submit. Until you do, the status stays Pending.
4. If the status shows Rejected, the centre wants corrections or more documents; modify and resubmit.
5. When the status reads online review completed, a confirmation email with the Visa Application Certificate arrives. This is not a visa approval.
6. Within 15 days of that email, take your original passport to your centre. No appointment is needed; appointments were removed in November 2023.

When are the three Visa Centers open?

Are fees and processing times the same in every jurisdiction?

The visa fees are identical across India because the Embassy's fee notice of 4 January 2026 sets one table for Indian passport holders, extended until 31 December 2026: Rs 2,900 for single entry, Rs 4,400 for double entry, Rs 5,900 for six-month multiple entry and Rs 8,800 for 12 months or above. The express fee is Rs 1,800 and the urgent fee Rs 2,700 per application. Optional postal service costs Rs 1,020 on the New Delhi and Kolkata fee pages, while the Mumbai page lists Rs 3,172.

The Embassy usually processes qualified applications in 4 working days (regular) or 3 working days (express). Expected collection dates differ by centre:

• New Delhi and Kolkata: regular on the 6th working day after submission, express on the 4th. In New Delhi, express applications must be submitted before 12:00.
• Mumbai: normal around 5 working days, express around 4 and urgent around 2 working days after Consulate approval.

If the Visa Center asks for supplementary material, the date moves. In April 2026 the New Delhi centre advised applying well in advance because of higher volumes.

Who has to attend an interview, and where?

Applicants for S, Q, X and Z visas submit all their documents at the centre. The New Delhi centre says they attend an interview at the Embassy; the Mumbai and Kolkata centres say an interview may be held at the Consulate General if you are informed. J (journalist) applicants also attend an interview.

The consular offices themselves are separate from the Visa Centers: the Embassy's consular section is at Gate No. 4, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi; the Mumbai Consulate General is on the 11th Floor, Nariman Bhavan, Nariman Point; and the Kolkata Consulate General is at EC-72, Sector I, Salt Lake City. Go there only for interviews or diplomatic, official and courtesy visas.

Tourist (L) applicants need a tour itinerary, hotel order and airline ticket order, and the New Delhi centre asks for savings-account statements with a consistent monthly balance of INR 1 lakh. Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight and hotel reservations, itineraries and cover letters, with packages from INR 1,000 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for a reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter. WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or write via our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

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

No. Online appointments were cancelled from 20 November 2023. Once your online application shows online review completed, take your original passport to the centre for your state within 15 days.

Is VFS Global the China visa centre in India?

No. VFS Global only hosts the online payment pages for the Visa Center service fee. Applications themselves go through the Chinese Visa Application Service Centers in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Does online review completed mean my China visa is approved?

No. It only means the Visa Center has accepted your online file for submission. Acceptance is confirmed at the counter, and the visa decision is made by the Embassy or Consulate General afterwards.

Is the China visa fee refunded if the application is rejected?

According to the Embassy's FAQ, it charges no visa or express fee if an application is rejected, and both are refunded through the Visa Center. The Visa Center's service fees are non-refundable.