MEA issues travel advisory on Chinese Visas

New Delhi, Nov.12 (ANI): The Government in a travel advisory to all Indian citizens, intending to visit the People's Republic of China, has asked them to check before making travel arrangements whether the visa being issued to them would be affixed to the passport or in the nature of a stapled paper visa to avoid inconvenience.

Such paper visas would be invalid for traveling out of the country.

"It has come to the attention of Government of India that the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Delhi and the Chinese Consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata are issuing visas on a separate piece of paper "stapled" to the passport (rather than "pasted" as is the usual practice), to certain categories of Indian nationals on the basis of their domicile, ethnicity and/or place of issue of the passport," said a travel advisory issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday.

"Such paper visas stapled to the passport are not considered valid for travel out of the country," the MEA advisory stated.

"All Indian citizens intending to travel to the People's Republic of China are advised that before making any travel arrangements they should first ascertain from the Chinese Embassy or Consulate, as the case may be, whether the visa being issued to them will be affixed to the passport or will be in the nature of a stapled paper visa, so that they are not inconvenienced or put to any financial loss later on this count," the MEA's advisory further stated. (ANI)