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New Delhi: India has asked its citizens not to accept Chinese visas that come in separate sheets of paper instead of on passports.

Paper visas stapled to the passport are not valid for travel out of the country, the government has clarified for citizens.

The Chinese embassy in New Delhi and consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata, for some time, have been issuing visas to Indian passport holders from Jammu and Kashmir on a separate sheet of paper rather than stamping them in their passports, which is the norm with other Indian citizens.

Chinese officials have given stapled visas earlier to residents of Arunachal Pradesh, over which China claims its sovereignty.

The move is fraught with security risks as the unattached visa does not leave any trail behind and does not fully reflect the travel record of the passport holder.

IANS reports the External Affairs Ministry had in October conveyed its unhappiness to the Chinese government after a media report disclosed the practice that is seen to give separate status to Jammu and Kashmir, claimed by Pakistan, widely considered Beijing's all-weather ally.

"It is our considered view and position that there should be no discrimination against visa applicants of Indian nationality on grounds of domicile or ethnicity," the External Affairs Ministry said in October.

"We have conveyed our well-justified concern to the Chinese government in this regard," said the Ministry in October.

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