China Business Visa and Invitation Letters for Business Groups

A business visa application normally needs an invitation from an organisation in China. The invitation is issued by the host organisation, and the traveller applies for the visa. Requirements, processing times and fees differ by nationality and by embassy. The group's organiser should confirm them early. Some nationalities can also enter without a visa for short stays under separate schemes, which change from time to time.

China allows visa-free transit of up to 240 hours for travellers from 57 countries, who may move within permitted areas of 24 provincial-level regions and enter through any of 65 ports. The list includes the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, most of Europe, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Business visits, tourism and family visits are allowed. Work, study and news reporting are not, and need a visa.

The condition that catches people is the onward ticket. The traveller must hold a confirmed onward ticket, with a seat and a departure date, to a third country or region within the 240 hours. Travellers apply on arrival at the port, and border officers decide on the spot. A passport valid for at least three months is needed.

• A traveller flying from Sao Paulo to China and back to Sao Paulo does not meet the condition, because the onward destination is not a third country.
• A traveller flying from Sao Paulo to China, then to South Korea, then home, meets it.

Rules checked October 2026 against the notice of the National Immigration Administration as published on the Shanghai government's English portal, updated 20 August 2026, when Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added to the list. Background summaries are also published by ChinaDiscovery. Rules change, so confirm the current rule before buying tickets.

PreeChina plans the route so that the dates, the ports and the onward ticket fit the rule the group intends to use. Visa applications are made by the travellers.

• Visa and permits. The current visa procedure.
• Arriving in China. What happens at the border and after it.
• Pay and apps. Paying and getting around once there.

• A traveller who needs legal advice on a refused visa or an immigration question.

Common entry cities for business groups, with their guides.

• Cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen.
• Provinces: Guangdong. All regions are on the province map.