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    Student visa guide · Indian students

    China student visa for Indian students: fee, requirements and processing time

    The X1 study visa for courses over 180 days, converted after arrival into a residence permit for study costs $67 in fees nobody can skip, up to $255 if every situational extra applies.

    About ₹6,430 for the X1 study visa for courses over 180 days, converted after arrival into a residence permit for study at the ExchangeRate-API rate on 18 September 2026. The fee is charged in the destination's currency, so the exact amount moves with the exchange rate.

    By Global Admissions Editorial · Checked against 4 official sources

    What is different when you apply from India

    The general process is on the China student visa guide. These are the parts that only apply to you.

    Your visa fee is an Indian rate, not a global one

    Chinese missions in India charge Indian passport holders INR 2,900 for a single-entry visa, INR 4,400 for double entry, INR 5,900 for six-month multiple entry and INR 8,800 for a year or more, plus INR 1,800 if you use the express service.

    Chinese Embassy in India: FAQs on Applying for Chinese Visa

    The reduced fees were extended to 31 December 2026

    The embassy and consulates in India confirmed in January 2026 that the visa-fee reduction runs to the end of 2026, with the express fee held at INR 1,800 and the urgent fee at INR 2,700.

    Chinese Embassy in India: Notice on Extension of Visa-Fee Reduction

    Which mission handles you depends on your state

    Maharashtra and Karnataka go to the Consulate-General in Mumbai; Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal go to Kolkata; everywhere else goes to the embassy in New Delhi. Filing at the wrong post means starting again.

    Chinese Embassy in India: Notice on Updating Requirements for Chinese Visa Application

    China student visa documents for Indian applicants

    9documents every applicant provides.

    DocumentWhat it involves
    Admission letter from the Chinese schoolThe original and a photocopy of the admission letter issued by the university or other entity in China. X1 covers study of more than 180 days; a course of 180 days or less takes an X2 visa instead and does not lead to a residence permit. source
    Confirmation Form for Study in China, form JW201 or JW202Your university issues the JW form alongside the admission letter, and it is the document the mission checks the X1 application against. A photocopy is what the visa center keeps. source
    Passport valid at least six months with two blank visa pagesExpired passports from the last five years go in as well. If your new passport carries a different name, add the official document that recorded the change. source
    Online application form and its confirmation pageThe form is completed on the China Online Visa Application site and printed; the confirmation page with the barcode is what you hand over at the visa center with the passport. source
    Two color passport photographs, 48 mm by 33 mmFull face, front view, bare head, taken within the last six months. source
    Ten fingerprints at the visa application centerApplicants under 14 or over 70, those whose fingerprints were taken at the same mission in the past five years on the same passport, and those with unusable fingers are exempt. source
    Proof of legal status if you apply outside your own countryNon-citizens applying at a Chinese mission in a third country submit the original and a copy of their residence, employment or study permission there. source
    School letter stating the length of your courseThis is for the residence permit rather than the visa. The exit and entry authorities issue a permit that matches the study period the school states, so a shorter letter means a shorter permit. source
    Health certificate, for any residence permit longer than a yearIssued by a local health and quarantine body or a county-level or higher medical institution, confirming you do not have a serious mental disorder, infectious tuberculosis or another infectious disease that would be a major public health risk. source

    China student visa processing time from India

    Chinese missions in India take about four working days over a qualified regular visa application and about three working days over an express one, counted from a complete file.

    Chinese Embassy in India: Notice on Updating Requirements for Chinese Visa Application · checked August 2026

    How to apply for a China student visa from India

    1. Get the admission letter and the JW form from your university

      The Chinese institution issues both. Without the JW201 or JW202 the mission will not take an X1 application, so chase the university for it before you book anything.

      source
    2. Fill in the online form and lodge the file at the visa center

      Applications go through the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre covering your area rather than straight to the embassy. In India that means New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata depending on where you live.

      source
    3. Give your fingerprints and pay the mission's fee for your nationality

      Ten fingerprints are taken at the center unless you are exempt. The fee is set per nationality at each mission, and a first-time applicant is normally issued a single-entry visa.

      source
    4. Collect the X1 visa, usually on the fourth working day

      A qualified regular application takes about four working days at Chinese missions in India and about three with the express service. The visa center's own VIP service does not change that.

      source
    5. Apply for the residence permit within 30 days of landing

      An X1 is an entry document, not permission to stay for the course. Go to the exit and entry administration of the public security bureau where you will live and apply for the residence permit inside 30 days of entry.

      source
    6. Attend in person and wait up to 15 working days

      You have to lodge the permit application yourself, and the authorities may interview you, telephone you or visit to check the application is genuine. The receipt runs for up to 15 working days, within which the decision is made, and you collect the permit in person.

      source
    7. Get an annotation added before any work-study or internship

      A study residence permit does not by itself allow you to work. Bring consent letters from both your school and the host organization and ask the exit and entry administration to annotate the permit first.

      source

    Work rights, dependants and what comes after

    Work rights

    A study residence permit does not carry work rights on its own. To take on work-study or an off-campus internship you submit letters of consent from both your school and the host organization and have the exit and entry administration add an annotation to the permit.

    source

    Dependants

    Family join a student on the private affairs route, which covers a spouse, parents, parents-in-law and children under 18. The residence permit they are issued runs only as long as the student's own permit, so it stops when the course does.

    source

    After graduation

    China has no general post-study stay permit. Staying on to work means moving to a work-category residence permit, which needs a work permit certificate from the human resources and social security or foreign experts authorities plus a letter from the employer. Ordinary hires get up to one year, staff of well-regarded registered employers up to two, and recognized high-level talent up to five.

    source

    China student visa for other nationalities

    Student visas for Indian students elsewhere

    FAQ

    Frequently asked questions

    How much does a China student visa cost for Indian students?
    $67 in mandatory fees for the X1 study visa for courses over 180 days, converted after arrival into a residence permit for study. About ₹6,430 for the X1 study visa for courses over 180 days, converted after arrival into a residence permit for study at the ExchangeRate-API rate on 18 September 2026. The fee is charged in the destination's currency, so the exact amount moves with the exchange rate. Situational extras can take it to $255.
    Can you work on a China student visa?
    A study residence permit does not carry work rights on its own. To take on work-study or an off-campus internship you submit letters of consent from both your school and the host organization and have the exit and entry administration add an annotation to the permit. Source: National Immigration Administration: Service guide for issuing residence permits to foreigners (August 2026).
    How long does a China student visa take?
    Chinese missions in India take about four working days over a qualified regular visa application and about three working days over an express one, counted from a complete file. Source: Chinese Embassy in India: Notice on Updating Requirements for Chinese Visa Application (August 2026).
    Can you bring your family on a China student visa?
    Family join a student on the private affairs route, which covers a spouse, parents, parents-in-law and children under 18. The residence permit they are issued runs only as long as the student's own permit, so it stops when the course does. Source: National Immigration Administration: Service guide for issuing residence permits to foreigners (August 2026).

    Official sources