How to Apply for a China Business Visa from India: COVA Form to Passport Collection

1. The Eight Steps at a Glance

1. Confirm the visa category (M for trade) and the centre for your residence.
2. Obtain the invitation letter from the Chinese company or the fair organiser.
3. Complete the China Online Visa Application (COVA) and upload the photograph.
4. Book an appointment at the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre.
5. Assemble the file and check the three documents that must agree.
6. Attend the appointment: submission and fingerprints.
7. Pay the fee and track the application online.
8. Collect the passport and read the visa label.

The China business visa guide explains the category and the centres; the steps below are the procedure.

2. Step 1: Confirm the Category and the Centre

Trade, buying, factory visits and fair attendance are M visa activities; the M versus F article covers the cases where another category applies. The centre is decided by where you live: New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata, each with a published list of states. If your passport shows an address outside the centre's jurisdiction, you will need proof of residence within it, so settle this before anything is booked.

3. Step 2: Obtain the Invitation Letter

Ask the supplier or register for the fair early; this step sets the pace of the whole application. Send the supplier the exact information the letter must contain and a scan of the passport's photo page, and check the letter against the passport when it arrives. The invitation letter article has the template of information and the timelines; for the Canton Fair, the Canton Fair invitation letter guide.

4. Step 3: Complete the COVA Form

At cova.mfa.gov.cn choose the country (India), the centre, and start a new application. The form asks for personal details, passport details, the visa type and the entries and validity requested, education and employment history, family details, previous travel to China and other countries, the itinerary in China (cities, dates, the inviter's details), who pays, and declarations. Answer every section; "not applicable" is an answer, a blank is not. Upload the photograph to the Chinese specification (33 by 48 mm, white background) and wait for the online check to accept it. Save the application number. Print the form and the confirmation page, and sign the form where indicated. The details you enter must match the passport and the invitation exactly; the documents checklist explains which fields are compared.

5. Step 4: Book the Appointment

With the COVA application number, book a submission appointment on the centre's online appointment system for your centre. Slots are released for the coming days and weeks; in the busy season before the Canton Fair sessions the first free slot may be a week or more away, which is why the invitation and the form should be ready before you look. Family members or colleagues travelling together can usually be booked for the same slot. Print the appointment confirmation.

6. Step 5: Assemble and Check the File

Put the file in the centre's order: passport, printed COVA form with photograph, appointment confirmation, invitation letter, Indian company cover letter, company registration, bank statements, and the supporting papers for your case. Then read the passport, the COVA form and the invitation side by side for the name (including middle names and spelling), the passport number, the date of birth, the travel dates and the company name. This ten-minute check prevents the most common outcome at the counter: a file handed back for a mismatch and a new appointment a week later.

7. Step 6: Submit and Give Biometrics

Arrive a little before the slot with the file and the originals. The counter checks the documents, scans the COVA barcode, and takes fingerprints from applicants aged 14 to 70 (some exemptions apply, for example for applicants who gave fingerprints for a Chinese visa in the previous five years with the same passport). Someone else can submit on your behalf only where biometrics are not required or were already given, so plan on attending in person for a first application. You receive a pickup form with the collection date.

8. Step 7: Pay and Track

The fee has two parts: the consular visa fee, which depends on the number of entries, and the centre's service fee, which depends on the service level (regular, express or rush) and carries GST. Both are published on the centre's fee page and paid at the centre by the methods it lists. Keep the receipt; it is needed for collection. The application's progress can be tracked on the centre's site with the pickup form number. The processing time article explains how the working days are counted and what pauses them.

9. Step 8: Collect and Check the Visa

On or after the collection date, collect the passport in person or through the courier option where the centre offers it. Before leaving the counter, read the visa label: your name and passport number, the category (M), the number of entries, the "enter before" date, and the duration of each stay. A label error is corrected on the spot; discovered at the airport it ends the trip. If the application was refused, the passport is returned with a notice; a refusal must be declared on future applications, so take advice before reapplying rather than resubmitting the same file.

Our China business visa assistance does steps 2 to 5 and 7 with or for you and tells you what to bring to step 6.