How to Manage a Business Visa Application Step-by-Step: Webinar, 30 October 2026

It depends on the mission that takes your application.

• New Delhi: by bank-printed demand draft (DD) payable to “CHINESE EMBASSY, NEW DELHI”. Cash and online payments are currently not accepted.
• Mumbai (Consulate General): demand drafts only, from any nationalized or foreign bank in India, payable to the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Mumbai.

The payment cannot be refunded once it is made, and the on-screen amount is for reference only. See the Mumbai price list, the payment notice and the demand draft update.

Source: in.china-embassy.gov.cn

No. No payment is required for the online review, and online payments are currently not accepted. The fee is paid by demand draft. In Mumbai, the payment page in the online form is an “Offline payment” page.

There is no online payment link at present, because the fee is paid by demand draft and not online. The link you need is for the application form: the official China visa application portal is consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA.

Prepare it after you confirm the applicable fee and before passport collection. Under the current New Delhi procedure the visa fee is paid at passport collection, so the draft is not part of the online application.

Write the applicant’s name, the pick-up slip number and a contact number on the back of the draft. For Mumbai, follow the Consulate General’s instructions and see the demand draft update.

Source: in.china-embassy.gov.cn

No payment is required for the online review. If a mandatory payment field still appears, send a screenshot to the relevant mission and ask for clarification. Do not upload an unrelated receipt.

No consular fee is payable at the online review stage. Any BTW assistance charges are quoted separately.

Online application and review, then physical submission, then payment and collection.

1. Fill in the application on the official portal and complete the online review.
2. Submit the original passport and documents physically at the mission.
3. Pay the fee by demand draft and collect the passport.

Mumbai applications go to the Consulate General from 26 October 2026 (read the update). The portal is new, so expect early website, OTP login and application tracking issues.

Core documents are the passport, the form, photographs and category-specific supporting documents. For business travel, prepare the employer’s cover letter, the Chinese host’s invitation and the supporting company documents.

Yes, for business visas. The host’s licence and the inviter’s ID need specified handwritten endorsements. The invitation needs a handwritten Chinese signature and the official company seal. The cover letter must explain the specific purpose and duration of the trip. Invitation letters, supporting company documents and financial requirements were all discussed as changed.

Source: in.china-embassy.gov.cn

On 26 October 2026, following notices issued on 22 October.

Use the official China visa application portal: consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA.

Published processing is 7 working days for regular service or 4 for express, counted from the day after passport submission. The online review takes additional time, so the total is longer than the published figure.

Source: in.china-embassy.gov.cn

Express processing applies after the physical passport submission. It does not shorten the online review.

Start preparing documents earlier where possible. One month should not be promised as sufficient, because review, corrections or further checks can delay the application. Avoid bookings before the visa decision, to avoid financial losses.

No. Its visa services are temporarily handled by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, and the Kolkata Visa Application Centre stopped accepting applications from 26 October 2026. Jurisdiction follows where you live, not where the passport was issued, so applicants in the former Kolkata jurisdiction currently apply through New Delhi. Check your residence evidence and any case-specific requests.

At the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, 15 applications a day are accepted from agents and 15 from individuals, first come, first served. Read the update.

The original passport is required. Keep supporting originals available and follow the mission’s submission instructions. Do not assume every uploaded document must be surrendered in original.

BTW can assist with document checking, form preparation and submission coordination. Agency submission is recognised, subject to authorisation and mission requirements, and personal attendance may still be required.

Not necessarily. We check each applicant’s fingerprint and attendance requirements before confirming whether an agent can submit.

We cannot promise a detailed explanation. Share the refusal notice and the portal remarks, so we can review what was communicated.

Do not resubmit the same file. Review the refusal notice and remarks first, and fix the gaps before you reapply. Repeat refusals and individual applications were a key concern raised in the session, so send us the notice and we will review it with you.

Do not change categories simply to overcome a refusal. First review any restriction and the previous refusal. A tourist application should reflect a genuine tourism trip, and approval cannot be predicted.

We need to review the actual notice. A temporary restriction on reapplying should not automatically be described as passport blacklisting, and previous travel history alone cannot explain the decision.

We do not have verified official statistics, so we cannot quote a rejection percentage or confirm that rates have normalised.

We cannot identify the reason without reviewing the application, the invitation, the business purpose and the refusal remarks. Requesting multiple entries does not establish an entitlement to approval.

This depends on BTW’s agreed quotation and reapplication policy. Confirm any fresh service charges and government fees before you proceed.

Do not treat this as an alternative to the correct visa. Indian ordinary passport holders are not on the published 240-hour visa-free transit eligibility list, and any other permit needs a separate eligibility check. This query was left pending verification during the webinar. Official transit policy

Indian ordinary passport holders are not on the published list of nationalities eligible for China’s visa-free transit (now 240 hours, which replaced the earlier 144-hour rule), so this route is not available. Apply for the correct visa instead. Official transit policy

No. For a planned commercial or trade visit, apply under the appropriate business category, normally M, rather than describing the trip as tourism. Apply under the category that matches the real purpose of travel.

Normally an M visa, supported by the exhibition or business invitation. Begin preparing documents early, and check the filing date against your intended travel dates and the visa validity.

China is not on MEA’s published ECR-country list, so ECR status itself does not require emigration clearance for this trip. Separately, the visa must permit the electrician’s actual activities.

Only if each application truthfully reflects that person’s purpose. If the electrician accompanies the MD for business or technical duties, do not describe the trip as tourism. Confirm the appropriate category first.

Multiple-entry requests for Turkey and South Africa came up in the webinar. The number of entries is decided by the issuing authority, and a request does not guarantee it. Send us your previous Turkey visas and your travel pattern, and we will review whether a multiple-entry request is realistic.

We can review and guide the requirement. A Saudi invitation that needs Chamber certification must come through the appropriate Saudi inviting entity. An Indian Chamber letter is a different document, so confirm which one is requested.

It is not a blanket requirement for direct travel from India. It generally applies when you arrive from a yellow fever risk country, or after airport transit of more than 12 hours in one. Check your complete itinerary.

Indian ordinary passport holders who need a visa use a Singapore entry visa, which may be issued electronically. Do not confuse an e-Visa with the arrival declaration.

There is no routine, guaranteed fast-track service for ordinary business urgency. Ireland generally processes applications in order, and exceptional prioritisation is narrowly considered, for example for serious medical emergencies or bereavement.

Yes. Share your nationality, residence, purpose, travel dates and employment status, and the team will provide the correct country-specific checklist.

For employment in India, assess the Employment Visa route. Share the job description, qualifications, contract and remuneration for review, and do not assume a business visa permits employment.

Prepare the Indian company’s invitation and documents that prove the genuine business purpose, then apply under the relevant Indian mission’s instructions. Technical assignments and employment need separate category checks. Indian visa provisions

For eligible activities, the Indian company registers on NSWS, selects “Production Investment Business Registration (Indian Company)”, and submits company and foreign professional details. The generated letter supports a separate visa application and does not guarantee approval. NSWS

We also assist with flights, hotels, holiday packages, travel insurance, forex, document attestation and SIM cards. See all our services.

We assist with visa applications for a wide range of destinations. Share the country and visa category, so we can confirm the available support.

Email navimumbai@btwvisas.com with your destination, travel dates, purpose and contact number.

No. The webinar covered business visa applications generally. China received more discussion because many participants raised China-related questions.