India has moved to unclog one of the biggest bottlenecks facing its manufacturers by streamlining business-visa procedures for Chinese technicians and engineers. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) announced late on 18 December that companies can now issue sponsorship letters and file visa requests entirely online through a new single-window portal. It also scrapped a layer of defence-ministry vetting that had routinely delayed approvals for installations of Chinese-made machinery.
The shift follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s October visit to Beijing—his first in seven years—and signals a pragmatic reset after the 2020 border clashes that triggered a sharp tightening of Indian visa issuance to Chinese nationals. Industry associations say equipment deliveries worth roughly US$15 billion have been idling at ports or warehouses because specialist Chinese teams could not enter to install or commission them.
![India fast-tracks business visas for Chinese engineers as trade thaw deepens]()
Under the new regime, eligible applicants will complete a shortened, standardised form and receive a decision within five working days, according to DPIIT guidance. Multi-entry visas of up to one year will be granted for on-site technical work, training and after-sales service, with extensions processed in-country by India’s Foreigner Regional Registration Offices. The foreign ministry stressed that enhanced security screening remains in place but will run in the background.
For companies that still find the new procedures unfamiliar, third-party facilitation services such as VisaHQ can bridge the gap. Through its dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/), VisaHQ guides applicants step-by-step, checks documentation for compliance with Indian requirements and tracks submissions in real time—helping firms avoid costly rejections and stay focused on production schedules.
For Chinese exporters of electronics, solar equipment and automotive components, the measure unlocks sizeable backlogs and should accelerate revenue recognition. Indian manufacturers, meanwhile, gain faster access to skilled labour needed to ramp up capacity as the country positions itself as an alternative production hub. Human-resources teams should, however, note that the relaxed rules apply only to B-category business visas; Z-category employment visas for long-term assignments still require labour-ministry approval and a local employment contract.
The shift follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s October visit to Beijing—his first in seven years—and signals a pragmatic reset after the 2020 border clashes that triggered a sharp tightening of Indian visa issuance to Chinese nationals. Industry associations say equipment deliveries worth roughly US$15 billion have been idling at ports or warehouses because specialist Chinese teams could not enter to install or commission them.
Under the new regime, eligible applicants will complete a shortened, standardised form and receive a decision within five working days, according to DPIIT guidance. Multi-entry visas of up to one year will be granted for on-site technical work, training and after-sales service, with extensions processed in-country by India’s Foreigner Regional Registration Offices. The foreign ministry stressed that enhanced security screening remains in place but will run in the background.
For companies that still find the new procedures unfamiliar, third-party facilitation services such as VisaHQ can bridge the gap. Through its dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/), VisaHQ guides applicants step-by-step, checks documentation for compliance with Indian requirements and tracks submissions in real time—helping firms avoid costly rejections and stay focused on production schedules.
For Chinese exporters of electronics, solar equipment and automotive components, the measure unlocks sizeable backlogs and should accelerate revenue recognition. Indian manufacturers, meanwhile, gain faster access to skilled labour needed to ramp up capacity as the country positions itself as an alternative production hub. Human-resources teams should, however, note that the relaxed rules apply only to B-category business visas; Z-category employment visas for long-term assignments still require labour-ministry approval and a local employment contract.
