India Resumes Tourist Visas for Chinese Citizens from July 24 after a five-year suspension. Move comes amid easing border tensions and improved diplomatic engagement.
In a significant diplomatic development, India has decided to resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24, 2025, ending a five-year hiatus that began in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent border tensions. The move marks a positive step forward in India-China relations and could pave the way for greater cross-border cooperation and people-to-people exchange.
Why Were Tourist Visas Suspended?
Back in 2020, India halted all tourist visas in response to the global COVID-19 outbreak. Soon after, tensions escalated dramatically following a deadly clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. The stand-off led to a near-freeze in bilateral ties, with tourist visas remaining suspended despite a gradual return of diplomatic and business engagements.
India Reopens Doors to Chinese Tourists
The Indian Embassy in Beijing officially announced the resumption of tourist visa services, stating that Chinese citizens can now apply online, schedule an appointment, and submit their passport and necessary documents in person at Indian Visa Application Centers located in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
“Please be informed that all passport withdrawal requests for applications submitted in the India Visa Application Centre in Beijing must be accompanied by a passport withdrawal letter,” the embassy added in a statement.
China Welcomes the Move
Reacting to the announcement, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said,
“This is a positive move. Easing cross-border travel is widely beneficial. China will maintain communication and consultation with India to further facilitate travel between the two countries.”
This diplomatic response suggests a warming of relations and a shared interest in restoring normalcy in cross-border travel and cultural exchanges.
Gradual Normalization of India-China Relations
Though China had previously resumed issuing visas for Indian students and business professionals, general tourism between the two nations remained frozen. India’s latest move to reissue tourist visas is widely seen as a milestone in the normalization of bilateral relations.
Tensions had reached a historic low point after the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, which resulted in the deaths of soldiers on both sides. Over the next several years, India and China engaged in a series of high-level diplomatic and military discussions. These efforts led to the disengagement of troops from several friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.
By October 2024, both nations announced a mutual disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the final remaining flashpoints in the region. Shortly after this development, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held face-to-face talks in Kazan, Russia, emphasizing the need to resolve all remaining border issues through peaceful dialogue.
What This Means for Travelers and Tourism
The restoration of tourist visas is expected to revive people-to-people contact, boost tourism revenue, and enhance trust between the two Asian giants. Travel and tourism stakeholders have welcomed the move, seeing it as a long-awaited green light to restart inbound tourism from China—one of the world’s largest outbound travel markets.
For Chinese nationals planning to visit India, the process remains simple but formal:
- Complete the online visa application.
- Schedule an appointment at designated Visa Centers.
- Submit required documents and passports in person.
This reopening also signals to other nations that India is fully committed to reviving global travel and tourism while safeguarding national security interests.
India’s decision to resume tourist visas for Chinese nationals is a clear signal of diplomatic thaw and mutual willingness to rebuild trust. With tensions easing and dialogue channels open, this move could lay the groundwork for a broader normalization of India-China relations. As the world’s two most populous countries look to the future, tourism and people-to-people ties may once again serve as the bridge between their ancient civilizations.