China-bound tourist visas reinstated by India following a five-year diplomatic relaxations period.
After a five-year hiatus, Chinese tourists will once again be able to apply for Indian tourist visas starting July 24, 2025. The suspension, which began in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and diplomatic tensions, is now coming to an end.
The tourist visa application process involves completing an online form, booking an appointment, and personally submitting passports and supporting documents at one of three Indian Visa Application Centres located in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou. However, it's important to note that direct flights between India and China have not yet resumed.
This renewal of visa services signifies the resumption of standard tourist visa issuance, which was suspended despite China lifting visa restrictions earlier in 2022 for students and business travelers. Despite being a positive development welcomed by both countries, some Chinese official media have described the conditions as "unreasonable," reflecting ongoing sensitivities. The procedure remains largely traditional with no indication of simplified online-only visa issuance or relaxed document requirements so far.
Beijing has welcomed India's decision, marking a significant thaw between the two countries after a deadly border clash strained relations. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, stated that China is ready to maintain communication and consultation with India to further facilitate travel between the two nations.
Meanwhile, the Global Times, a state-owned Chinese tabloid, has called for India to do more to build mutual trust, bridge perception gaps, and foster goodwill among the two peoples. The Global Times also criticized India for imposing relatively high thresholds for Chinese tourists applying for visas, such as requiring bank statements showing a minimum balance of 100,000 yuan (US$13,966).
As of April 9, Chinese Embassy and consulate offices had issued 85,000 visas, but the category of visas was not specified. The Global Times suggested that it would be important to see if India would take more substantial steps, such as improving visa approval rates, tourist services, and safety, and the possible relaxation of visa requirements in the future.
The Global Times opinion piece stated that the visa requirements currently imposed by India not only fall short of the visa standards from five years ago but also clearly lag behind the global trend of streamlining visa policies and facilitating cross-border travel.
The exact number of tourist visas to be issued by India was not specified in the report. It remains to be seen how Indian nationals will respond to the resumption of tourist visas for China. China has gradually resumed issuing visas for Indian nationals, including tourist visas in March this year.
This development marks a positive step towards normalising travel between India and China, and it will be interesting to see how this evolves in the coming months.
Top Stories: India resumes issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals from July 24, 2025, after a five-year suspension due to COVID-19 and diplomatic tensions. The Lifestyle section delves into the visa application process, which includes traditional procedures, while the Global-News segment criticizes India's high threshold requirements for Chinese tourists, suggesting improvements in visa approval rates, tourist services, and safety in the future, aligning with global trends of streamlined visa policies. Political analysts will be closely monitoring travel developments between India and China for any signs of normalization, particularly in light of China's call for increased mutual trust and goodwill. The Travel segment will be waiting to see how both Indian and Chinese citizens respond to this positive step towards resuming tourism between the two nations.
