A dummy ticket for China visa files is a flight reservation with a PNR, held without paying the fare. The Chinese Embassy's document list for a tourist (L) visa applied for in India names an "airline ticket order", a hotel order and a tour itinerary, so a flight document is part of the file. The single-entry visa fee is ₹2,900 as of September 2026. Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) charges ₹699 per passenger.
- The Embassy's tourist (L) visa list asks for a "Tour Itinerary; hotel order; airline ticket order" and bank proof of at least ₹1 lakh.
- The notice does not say whether the airline ticket order must be paid or return; a booking for both directions on your itinerary dates answers the obvious question.
- Indian applicants file online, then hand in documents at the CVASC in New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata that covers their state.
- At the New Delhi centre the single-entry visa fee is ₹2,900 plus a ₹2,107 regular service fee, as of September 2026.
- US-based guidance that China dropped flight and hotel bookings applies to applicants in the United States, not India.
On this page
- What the China tourist visa checklist asks for
- What an "airline ticket order" means in practice
- Hotel order, bank proof and invitation letter
- China visa fees from India in 2026
- How to apply for a China visa from India
- Transit through China: the 240-hour rule and the G visa
- Ordering a dummy ticket for China visa files
- Your China visa file: final checks
A dummy ticket for China visa files is a flight reservation with a PNR, held in the airline's system without paying the fare. For a China tourist (L) visa applied for in India, a flight document is not optional: the Chinese Embassy's document notice lists an "airline ticket order" next to a tour itinerary and a hotel order. The three visa centres can differ in detail, so check the page for the centre that covers your state before you submit.
You fill in the application online, then hand in documents at a Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata. The single-entry visa fee is ₹2,900 as of September 2026. Fees, notices and processing times on this page were checked on the official sites on 27 September 2026. Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) supplies the flight reservation and, if you need it, the hotel booking.
What the China tourist visa checklist asks for
The Embassy's notice, dated 31 August 2024, lists the supporting documents for a tourist (L) visa in one line: "Tour Itinerary; hotel order; airline ticket order; bank account deposit proof (no less than 1 Lakh Rupees); invitation letter issued by relevant entity or individual when necessary." These go in with your passport and the application form you completed online. The same notice has separate lists for other categories, such as the transit (G) visa, so read the one for your purpose.
| Wording on the list | What to put in your file |
|---|---|
| "Tour Itinerary" | A written plan of the trip: each city and the dates you are there, from arrival to departure |
| "hotel order" | A hotel booking for each city and night on the itinerary |
| "airline ticket order" | A flight booking showing how you enter and leave China on the itinerary dates |
| "bank account deposit proof (no less than 1 Lakh Rupees)" | At the New Delhi centre, 3 months of statements (see the bank section below) |
| Invitation letter, "when necessary" | Only if your case calls for one or the centre asks |
Some articles say China no longer asks for flight or hotel bookings. That comes from a December 2023 notice of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, which dropped the round-trip air ticket booking record, hotel proof, itinerary and invitation letter for tourist applicants in the US. The Embassy notice for India still lists them.
What an "airline ticket order" means in practice
An airline ticket order is a booking for your flights into and out of China. The notice does not define "order", and it does not say whether the ticket must be paid, one-way or return. Read plainly, it asks for a booking record that shows how you arrive and leave on the dates in your tour itinerary. A flight reservation with a PNR shows exactly that, and the PNR can be looked up on the airline's Manage booking page while the hold is live.
Because the notice is silent on return tickets, book both directions. A file that shows the day you land in Beijing and the day you fly home from Shanghai leaves no gap for an officer to ask about. That open-jaw pair counts as two flights, which is one ₹699 booking per passenger on our multi-city itinerary terms.
We cannot tell you how a particular officer reads the word "order". If your centre tells you it wants an issued, paid ticket, a reservation does not meet that request, and a refundable fare is the better choice. If anyone asks what the document is, say it is a flight reservation held without payment. Our page on flight reservations for visa files explains what the PDF contains.
Hotel order, bank proof and invitation letter
The hotel order is a booking for each place you stay, and it should match the cities and nights on your tour itinerary. DTV can supply a hotel reservation voucher for the city, check-in date and check-out date you enter, at ₹699 per hotel, per passenger. A China itinerary that covers Beijing and Shanghai needs a booking in each city, so for several cities or a long stay, message us on WhatsApp before you order.
The bank line is stricter than "1 Lakh Rupees" suggests. The New Delhi centre's notice of 10 April 2026 asks tourist applicants for "personal saving bank account statements of recent 3 months with a minimum consistent monthly balance of INR 1 Lakh", or a deposit certificate of that value made at least 3 months before. A balance that reaches ₹1 lakh only in the final week does not fit that wording. Mumbai and Kolkata may publish their own notices. Our guide to the bank statement for a visa file covers how to print and present one.
The invitation letter is asked for "when necessary", and the notice does not list the cases. If a person or company in China is inviting you, or the centre asks, our invitation letter guide sets out what the host should write.
China visa fees from India in 2026
You pay two amounts: the visa fee and the centre's service fee. The New Delhi centre's fee page shows both, and says the schedule "will be adjusted every quarter", so look again in the week you apply.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Visa fee, single entry | ₹2,900 |
| Visa fee, double entry | ₹4,400 |
| Visa fee, 6-month multiple entry | ₹5,900 |
| Visa fee, 1-year multiple entry | ₹8,800 |
| Service fee, regular (collection around the 6th working day) | ₹2,107 |
| Service fee, express (collection around the 4th working day) | ₹3,106 |
| Postal return | ₹999 |
A worked example: one tourist applying for a single-entry L visa at New Delhi with regular collection pays ₹2,900 plus ₹2,107, or ₹5,007, at the centre. The New Delhi centre takes cash or a demand draft. Mumbai and Kolkata cover different states and may charge different service fees. Some secondary websites describe the current visa fees as a reduced rate with an end date; no end date appears on the official fee page, so do not plan around one.
How to apply for a China visa from India
Find your centre
New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata, by consular jurisdiction, which follows the state you live in. Open that centre's own pages, because notices differ.
Fill in the form online
Complete the application on the visaforchina portal. The New Delhi centre asks applicants to submit online "well in advance" of the travel date to avoid delay.
Prepare the file
Tour itinerary, hotel order and airline ticket order on matching dates, 3 months of bank statements, an invitation letter if your case needs one, passport and photo.
Hand in documents and pay
Once the online application is approved, submit the file at the centre and pay the visa fee plus the service fee. New Delhi notices from December 2025 say no prior appointment is needed for this step; confirm that for your own centre.
Collect the passport
Around the 6th working day with the regular service at New Delhi, around the 4th with express, or by post.
Fingerprints may not be needed. The New Delhi notice says: "Applicants Applying for all short-term single or double-entry (staying for less than 180 days) are Exempted from biometric." That exemption, as worded, does not cover multiple-entry visas or longer stays.
Transit through China: the 240-hour rule and the G visa
Indian passport holders cannot use China's 240-hour visa-free transit. The National Immigration Administration's list names 57 eligible countries (page dated 20 August 2026), and India is not one of them.
If you need a transit (G) visa, the Embassy notice asks for an "Onward air (train or ship) ticket with confirmed date and seat to the destination country or region." That wording asks for a confirmed ticket, not a held booking, so buy the onward ticket for a G visa file rather than using a reservation. Whether a short airside connection needs a G visa depends on your route; ask the Embassy or your airline. Our transit visa page covers transit rules more widely.
Ordering a dummy ticket for China visa files
Say you hand in your file at the New Delhi centre on Monday 2 November, for a trip from 14 to 24 December: Delhi to Beijing on the 14th, Shanghai to Delhi on the 24th. On the booking form you enter both flights and each name exactly as in the passport, and you choose 1 November in the "When do you want to receive it?" field. Two flights cost ₹699 per passenger, so a couple pays ₹1,398.
Our booking desk chooses the airline and flight; you can name a preferred airline in the notes box, as a request. The PDF itinerary, laid out like our sample dummy ticket, arrives by email or WhatsApp, typically 10 to 20 minutes after payment is confirmed, or on the date you chose. Before you leave for the centre, check the PNR on the airline's website. A reservation is a temporary hold, and how long it stays live depends on the airline.
It is a reservation, not a ticket, and it cannot be used to board a flight. DTV is not affiliated with the Chinese Embassy, any CVASC or any airline, and no document can decide a visa application for you. For other countries, see our visa guides by country.
Your China visa file: final checks
- Airline ticket order, hotel order and tour itinerary all show the same dates and cities
- Flight booking covers both entering and leaving China
- 3 months of statements with a consistent monthly balance of at least ₹1 lakh (New Delhi rule)
- Invitation letter only if your case needs one
- Visa fee plus service fee ready in cash or demand draft
- Reservation received the day before submission, PNR checked on the airline's site
- Your own centre's notices read for any local differences
Frequently asked questions
Does the airline ticket order have to be a return booking?
The Embassy notice does not say. It asks for an "airline ticket order" next to a tour itinerary, and an itinerary has a first day and a last day. A booking that shows your flight into China and your flight out, on those dates, is the version that leaves no gap. At DTV a return or an open-jaw pair of flights costs the same ₹699 per passenger.
Can I send a paid ticket instead of a reservation?
Yes. A paid ticket is also an airline ticket order, and some applicants prefer a refundable fare. The cost is the risk: if the visa is delayed or refused, you depend on the fare rules for a refund. Our comparison of a reservation and a refundable ticket sets out the difference in money and risk.
Will the visa centre check my PNR?
We cannot tell you whether a particular centre looks up bookings. What you can control is that the PNR is live when you hand in the file. Receive the reservation the day before you submit, then check it on the airline's Manage booking page. Our PNR check guide shows how to do that for most airlines.
What if my travel dates change after I have ordered?
Message us on WhatsApp with your order ID and the new dates. We will tell you the quickest way to get a reservation for them. Changes are not automatically free, and orders are final once issued. If the visa has already been granted, see our guide on changing travel dates after approval.
Is the current China visa fee a temporary reduced rate?
Some secondary websites say so and give an end date, but neither the Embassy's notice list nor the New Delhi centre's fee page shows one as of September 2026. Do not time your application around a date you have only read on a news or agent site. The fee page says the schedule "will be adjusted every quarter", so check it in the week you apply.
Can my whole family be on one reservation?
Yes. One DTV order covers up to 9 passengers on the same itinerary, at ₹699 per passenger. Give each name exactly as it appears in the passport. If family members are travelling on different dates, place separate orders so each file shows the right flights. See our page on family and group bookings.
- Embassy of the People's Republic of China in India: notice on visa application documents (31 August 2024)
- Chinese Visa Application Service Centre New Delhi: important notice on bank statements and biometrics (10 April 2026)
- Chinese Visa Application Service Centre New Delhi: fees and processing times
- Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the USA: tourist visa documents to be simplified
- National Immigration Administration of China: 240-hour visa-free transit
Last reviewed by the DTV Editorial Team. Visa requirements change, so confirm the current checklist with the embassy, consulate or official application centre before you apply. A reservation supports a visa file and cannot guarantee a visa decision.