The Embassy of China in India has announced that Indians applying for several Chinese visas will now be subject to facilitated rules when it comes to the collection of biometric data.
According to the Embassy, all applicants applying for business, tourist, short-term family visits, transit, and crew visas will not have to undergo the fingerprint data collection process, VisaGuide.World reports.
Nonetheless, it has been stressed that such facilitation will remain in place temporarily until December 31, 2023.
“From now until December 31, 2023, applicants eligible for single or double-entry visas for business (M Category), tourist (L Category), short-term family visits to Chinese citizens (Q2 Category), transit(G Category), and crew (C Category) purposes are exempted from the collection of biometric data (fingerprints),” the statement of the Embassy of China in India reads.
Until now, all Indian applicants over the age of 14 and those under the age of 70 have to provide their fingerprint data.
On the other hand, those under 14 and those over 70 who have had their fingerprints collected by the Embassy of China in the last five years using the same passport have been exempt from this rule before too.
The announcement on the exemption from the fingerprint data collection requirement was made last week following talks on border matters between the two countries.
Moreover, the changes in the visa rules come only a few days before the BRICS meeting, which will officially begin on August 22 and will last until August 24. The meeting will be attended by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the President of China, Xi Jinping.
Citizens of China applying for a China Visa are required to submit several documents. They need to submit the fully completed visa application form, and their passport, which must be valid for at least six months beyond the length of their requested visa and contain two blank pages.
Moreover, Chinese visa applicants must also submit a passport photo, proof of current residency address, proof of roundtrip flight or departing flight, proof of having booked a place to stay in the country, and documentation detailing the itinerary plans for the trip.
Those who have entered China before must also submit their previous visas.
The price of a China visa depends on the type of vis, ranging from $39.49 for single entry visas to $118.48 for multiple entry visas that are valid for 12 months.
As for the processing time, China processes visa applications in approximately four days, including the submission day.