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China student visa for Indian students: the embassy's requirements

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

The Chinese Embassy in India says X1 and X2 applications are filed at a Chinese Visa Application Service Center in New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata, depending on where the applicant lives. Its August 2024 notice lists general documents for all applicants and a document row for X1, which is for study longer than 180 days. For X2, which is for study of 180 days or less, the notice lists no supporting document.

This page is an unofficial summary of the Chinese Embassy in India notices listed under Sources. To see which visa type fits your study length, use the X1 or X2 visa check. The tool counts your study days and prints a document list, but that list is the one from the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom, not India. For India, use the Indian embassy's notice described below.

Where to file

The notice says applications are handled by consular jurisdiction, in principle:

  • Applicants who live in Maharashtra or Karnataka: Chinese Consulate-General in Mumbai.
  • Applicants who live in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh or West Bengal: Chinese Consulate-General in Kolkata.
  • Applicants who live elsewhere: Chinese Embassy in India.

Under the 2024 notice, the applicant submits the form, documents and fingerprints at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center for their area. The centres are in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The notice names the New Delhi centre website as https://bio.visaforchina.org/DEL2_EN/.

The notice says the appointment requirement was removed from November 2023. Applicants can submit on any working day within the due time limit. The notice points to https://www.visaforchina.cn/DEL2_EN/aboutus/277101.shtml for the time limit. It says the centre accepts all complete applications on the same day.

General documents

Section 2.1 of the August 2024 notice lists these documents for all applicants:

  1. The Chinese Visa Application Form and the confirmation page of the online visa application.
  2. The original passport, valid for at least 6 months, with 2 or more blank visa pages, and a photocopy of the passport information pages. Expired passports within 5 years must also be provided. If the name in the new passport does not match the old one, the original and a copy of the official document certifying the name change must be provided.
  3. Two recent colour passport photos, full face, front view, bare head, 48mm × 33mm, taken within 6 months.
  4. The original and a photocopy of proof of legal stay, residence, employment or study status, or a valid visa. The notice applies this to applicants who are not Indian citizens.
  5. A copy of the most recent Chinese visa, if the applicant has one.

X1 and X2 rows

Visa Who it is issued to (notice wording) Supporting documents listed in the notice
X1 Study in China for more than 180 days Original and photocopy of the Admission Letter from a school or other entity in China. Photocopy of "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202).
X2 Study in China for no more than 180 days None. The supporting-documents cell is empty on the page.

Section 2.2 of the August 2024 notice names no supporting document for X2; section 2.3 says the applicant may be required to provide other supporting documents, or to attend an interview.

Fingerprints

The notice says applicants give ten fingerprints at the centre, unless they are exempt. Exempt applicants are:

  • Applicants under 14 or over 70.
  • Applicants whose fingerprints were already collected within the past five years at the Chinese Embassy in India or the New Delhi centre, using the same passport.
  • Applicants with all fingers mutilated or not collectible.

The notice also describes a temporary exemption for applicants for short-term single or double entry visas who will stay less than 180 days. It refers to a separate embassy notice for when that measure ends. This page does not describe the contents of that separate notice.

Processing period

For qualified applications, the notice says the embassy usually processes:

  • Express applications in 3 working days.
  • Regular applications in 4 working days.

The notice describes VIP service as a third-party service offered by the visa centre. It says the VIP content is set by the centre and is not related to visa issuance or to processing time.

Online application

A December 2025 embassy notice says the Chinese Online Visa Application System would be officially launched on 22 December 2025. It says applicants can fill in the form and upload documents online at https://www.visaforchina.cn/DEL3_EN/qianzhengyewu. The notice also gives the address of the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in New Delhi: Concourse floor, Shivaji Stadium Metro Station, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001.

The 2024 notice describes submitting at the visa centre, and the December 2025 notice describes online filing. The two notices describe different routes. This page does not say which route applies to your case. Check with the office handling your application.

Fees

A January 2026 embassy notice says the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in India extend the reduction of visa fees until 31 December 2026. The reduced fees are split into three groups: Indian passport holders; passport holders of other countries except the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Israel, Panama, Romania, Serbia and Uruguay; and passport holders of those nine countries. The fee amounts appear on the page as images that this page does not transcribe, so this page gives no standard visa fee.

The notice says the express and urgent fees are not adjusted and remain Rs1800 and Rs2700 per application, in the order the notice lists them.

Other points in the notice

  • Invitation letter. The notice allows a fax, photocopy or printout, but the applicant may be asked for the original. The letter should include the applicant's full name, gender and date of birth, the purpose of the visit, the place of stay, the intended dates and length of stay, the relation to the inviter and the source of funds. It should also include the inviter's name, contact number, address, official stamp, and the signature of the legal representative or the inviting individual.
  • Further documents. The notice says the embassy may ask for other documents or an interview. Visa issuance, validity, length of stay and number of entries are decided case by case.
  • Irrevocable filing. After the application is submitted, documents cannot be withdrawn, except for humanitarian or force majeure reasons. A returned application cannot be revived. If the applicant needs to travel urgently, they must submit a new application.

Questions people ask

Which office handles my X1 or X2 application?

The notice assigns applicants by place of residence. Residents of Maharashtra or Karnataka go to the Consulate-General in Mumbai. Residents of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh or West Bengal go to the Consulate-General in Kolkata. Everyone else goes to the Embassy in India. The notice says this applies in principle.

Does the embassy notice list a document for X2 applicants?

No. The X2 row describes who the visa is for, but the supporting-documents cell is empty. Section 2.2 of the notice names nothing else for X2; section 2.3 says the applicant may be asked for other supporting documents or an interview.

Sources

Checked 10 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not legal or immigration advice, and it is not published by the bodies named. If the official text differs from this page, the official text and the instructions of the office handling your application prevail.

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