India to resume tourist visas for Chinese nationals from July 24 after five-year suspension
PTC Web Desk: In a significant diplomatic development, India has announced the resumption of tourist visa services for Chinese citizens, effective July 24. This move comes nearly five years after the suspension of such visas in the wake of strained bilateral ties and the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.
The Indian Embassy in China shared the official update via the Chinese social media platform Weibo, confirming that Chinese tourists can now apply for Indian visas through the standard process involving online application, scheduling an appointment, and physically submitting the required documents at designated visa application centres.
"Starting July 24, 2025, Chinese nationals may apply for tourist visas to visit India. Applicants must complete the online application form, make an appointment online, and submit their documents—including a valid passport and printed application—at an Indian Visa Application Center," the embassy’s statement read.
Visa application centres have been designated in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, including South China’s Guangdong Province. The process reinstates full access to tourist visas for Chinese citizens for the first time since early 2020.
The freeze in tourist visa services began during the Covid-19 pandemic, further exacerbated by the border conflict in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in June 2020. India had since imposed several measures targeting Chinese interests, including the banning of Chinese mobile apps, curbs on Chinese investments, and suspension of direct passenger flights.
The move to reintroduce tourist visas signals a thaw in India-China relations. It follows other confidence-building measures, such as the reinstatement of direct flights between New Delhi and Beijing in January 2025 and discussions around resuming the sacred pilgrimage route to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar for Indian devotees.
The decision also comes amid global calls for normalising people-to-people contact post-pandemic and may boost both tourism and diplomatic outreach between Asia’s two largest countries.
- With inputs from agencies
