India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on 3 December that tourist visas for Chinese citizens are once again “fully functional,” completing the phased rollback of curbs imposed after the 2020 border clash. Business visas had resumed earlier in 2025, but the latest update re-opens India’s leisure market to China’s high-spending outbound segment.
The decision follows the restoration of direct commercial flights in October and is part of confidence-building measures including new military hot-lines and joint disaster-relief exercises. Industry bodies predict the move could revive a US $1 billion tourism corridor and support supply-chain and tech collaborations that depend on frequent executive travel.
![India Fully Restores Tourist Visas for Chinese Nationals After Five-Year Freeze]()
For Indian corporates the change simplifies staff rotations to Chinese factories and R&D centres, while Chinese investors can once again scout India’s fast-growing consumer market in person. Travel agents report an immediate spike in group enquiries for Buddhist-circuit itineraries and trade-fair delegations scheduled for Q1-2026.
The process is now fully electronic: applicants upload biometrics in advance and complete India’s new e-Arrival Card, but no additional COVID documentation is required. Standard police-registration rules still apply for stays over 180 days, and travellers should monitor intermittent state-level security advisories.
Mobility managers should update visa matrices, re-train travel-help-desk staff and set realistic booking timelines—consulates are clearing backlogs but still advise a seven-day processing buffer during the peak January-March window.
The decision follows the restoration of direct commercial flights in October and is part of confidence-building measures including new military hot-lines and joint disaster-relief exercises. Industry bodies predict the move could revive a US $1 billion tourism corridor and support supply-chain and tech collaborations that depend on frequent executive travel.
For Indian corporates the change simplifies staff rotations to Chinese factories and R&D centres, while Chinese investors can once again scout India’s fast-growing consumer market in person. Travel agents report an immediate spike in group enquiries for Buddhist-circuit itineraries and trade-fair delegations scheduled for Q1-2026.
The process is now fully electronic: applicants upload biometrics in advance and complete India’s new e-Arrival Card, but no additional COVID documentation is required. Standard police-registration rules still apply for stays over 180 days, and travellers should monitor intermittent state-level security advisories.
Mobility managers should update visa matrices, re-train travel-help-desk staff and set realistic booking timelines—consulates are clearing backlogs but still advise a seven-day processing buffer during the peak January-March window.
