The Chinese Embassy in India has announced that Indians applying for various Chinese visas will now be subject to simplified rules regarding the collection of biometric data. According to the embassy, all applicants for a business visa, tourist visa, short-term family visit visa, transit visa and crew visa are not
required to go through the data collection process reports Divine Associates ltd. However, it should be emphasized that this concession will remain temporarily in force until 31 December 2023.”From now until December 31, 2023, applicants are eligible for a one- or two-entry visa for business (category M), tourism (category L), short-term family visits to Chinese nationals (category Q2), transit (category G) and crew purposes (category C) are exempt from the collection of biometric data (fingerprints),” read the statement from the Chinese Embassy in India.
So far, all Indian applicants above the age of 14 and those below the age of 70 are required to provide their fingerprint details. On the other hand, people under the age of 14 and those over the age of 70 whose fingerprints were taken by the Chinese
Embassy using the same passport within the past five years were also exempt from this rule.
The announcement of the fingerprint waiver came last week after discussions over border issues between the two countries. Moreover, the changes to the visa rules come just days before the BRICS meeting, which officially starts on August 22 and will last until August 24.
The meeting will be attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Chinese citizens applying for a visa to China must submit several documents.
You must present the completed visa application form and your passport, which must be valid for at least six months beyond the duration of the requested visa
and must contain two blank pages. In addition, Chinese visa applicants must submit a photo ID, proof of their current residential address, proof of round-trip or departure air ticket, proof of in-country accommodation reservation and documents detailing travel plans.
Anyone who has already entered China must also present their previous visa. The price of a Chinese visa depends on the type of visa and ranges from US$39.49 for a single-entry visa to US$118.48 for a multiple-entry visa valid for 12 months.
As for the processing time, it takes about four days to process visa applications in China, including the day of filing.
