The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in Mumbai has notified applicants that the facility will be closed on 25 September for the Mid-Autumn Festival and from 1–7 October for China’s National Day holidays. Only passport-collection services will operate on 25 September; no new submissions will be accepted. The centre has published revised pick-up schedules: normal-service applications lodged on 24 September will now be available on 8 October, while express-service files submitted on 30 September will not be ready until 12 October. Applicants are urged to “plan submissions accordingly” and avoid last-minute travel bookings that rely on visas being issued before early October. With Indian outbound travel to China rebounding—particularly among pharmaceutical and tech executives— the temporary shutdown could cascade into flight re-bookings and postponed project kick-offs. HR teams should factor the blackout dates into assignment timelines and consider using CVASC centres in Delhi or Kolkata for urgent cases, subject to jurisdictional rules. The holiday closures also highlight an annual pinch-point in global mobility planning: China’s week-long National Day break routinely shutters visa offices worldwide, making September one of the worst times for just-in-time visa procurement. Companies are advised to lock in Q4 travel schedules by mid-August each year to avoid disruption.
