COVA online visa portal criticised for patchy processing as Indian applicants face delays
Indian applicants using China’s COVA e-visa system complained on 16–17 March that some files have been stuck in review for more than two weeks while related passports face 15-day submission deadlines. The bottleneck exposes vulnerabilities in China’s move to fully online processing and signals to mobility planners that extra lead time and flexible tickets remain essential.
Mar 17, 2026
