China Visa-Free Entry and Invitation Letters for B2B Buyers

China Visa-Free Entry and Invitation Letters for B2B Buyers

If you are planning a sourcing trip to China, the first question is usually about paperwork: do you need a visa, and does anyone have to send you an invitation letter before you can apply? The answer depends entirely on your nationality and on how you structure the trip. This article sets out the two visa-free routes currently available, explains what an invitation letter is actually for, and flags the cases where a visa remains necessary.

The 30-Day Visa-Free Route: 11 Countries, Two Different Arrangements

China's 30-day visa-free arrangement covers 11 countries, but these are not all the same type of arrangement and should not be treated as one block. Nine countries fall under China's unilateral visa-free policy: the four GCC states — Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain — plus five South American countries: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. The remaining two, the UAE and Qatar, are covered by mutual visa-exemption agreements rather than a unilateral policy.

The common conditions are the same across all 11: holders of ordinary passports travelling to China for business, tourism, family visits, exchange visits or transit for no more than 30 days may enter without a visa. The duration of stay is counted from midnight of the day after entry. Anyone who does not meet the visa-free conditions still needs to obtain a visa before travelling.

Two country-level points are worth noting for planning purposes. For Saudi Arabia, the unilateral visa-free policy has been extended and is valid until 24:00 on 31 December 2026. The same extension date applies to Brazil. If your sourcing calendar runs into 2027, build your travel dates with that expiry in mind.

The 240-Hour Transit Visa-Free Route

The second route is transit visa-free entry, which currently applies to 57 countries following the most recent expansion on 20 August 2026, when Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added. The distribution is 40 European countries, 6 in the Americas, 2 in Oceania and 9 in Asia.

The mechanics matter more than the headline. Transit means you are travelling to a third country or region: your departure country, China and your destination country must not be the same. The permitted stay is 240 hours, or 10 days, counted from midnight of the day after entry, and you may not overstay.

You must submit four things: a valid passport or other international travel document with at least three months' validity; a confirmed connecting ticket to a third country or region with a fixed date and seat within the 240 hours, or equivalent proof; a temporary entry card for foreign nationals; and you must submit to border inspection questioning. If you have not booked the connecting ticket before arrival, the temporary entry procedure cannot be completed.

Yiwu Airport is one of the ports of entry designated for 240-hour transit visa-free entry. Within Zhejiang Province, transit visa-free travellers may move throughout the entire provincial administrative area, and travel across provincial borders is permitted within 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Zhejiang is listed in full, while some provinces restrict travel to specific cities. Nationally, 65 open ports are designated under the current rules, six of them in Zhejiang: Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, Ningbo Lishe International Airport, Wenzhou Longwan International Airport, Yiwu Airport, Wenzhou Port (passenger) and Zhoushan Port (passenger).

During your stay you may engage in tourism, business, visits and family visits; work, study and news reporting require a visa obtained in advance, and activities inconsistent with your stated purpose of entry are not permitted. You must also complete accommodation registration in accordance with the law: hotel stays are registered under the hotel industry rules, while stays outside hotels require a temporary accommodation registration with the local public security police station within 24 hours of moving in, by you or your host.

For buyers from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile, the transit route is available; Peru and Uruguay are not on the 240-hour transit list but do fall under the 30-day unilateral visa-free arrangement. Mexico has no 30-day visa-free arrangement, which makes transit visa-free its only visa-free route to China.

What an Invitation Letter Is Actually For

An invitation letter is one of the supporting documents in a business (M) visa application. It is not a requirement for visa-free entry — visa-free entry to China does not require an invitation letter at all.

This distinction causes a lot of unnecessary delay. Buyers who qualify for 30-day visa-free entry sometimes wait weeks for a letter they do not need. Conversely, buyers who do need an M visa sometimes assume the letter alone is enough, when it is one item in a document set.

In practice, the invitation letter is normally issued by the Chinese business partner you are dealing with — the supplier, trading company or sourcing agent that is hosting your visit. If you are working with us, that letter comes from our side as your counterparty, not from any government body. We do not provide invitation letters or visa assistance as a standalone service; the letter is part of an actual commercial relationship.

Africa: The Route Is Open, But It Requires a Visa

African buyers are not covered by either visa-free route. No African country appears on the 57-country 240-hour transit visa-free list — Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania and Ethiopia are among those not covered. No African country is on the 30-day unilateral visa-free list either.

That is a statement about lists, not about access. African buyers travel to Yiwu in large numbers and continue to do so. The route works; it simply requires a business (M) visa, and the invitation letter supporting that application is normally issued by the Chinese supplier or partner you are buying from.

Practical Preparation Before You Book

Whichever route applies to you, a few habits reduce friction at the border. Confirm your eligibility against the official lists before booking flights, and check the expiry dates on the unilateral policy if your trip falls late in the year. If you are using transit visa-free entry, book the onward connecting ticket first — without it the temporary entry procedure cannot be completed. Keep your accommodation registration in order from day one.

For buyers who want to review product ranges before travelling, our online catalogue is a useful starting point: the 3-Tier Sink Storage Rack (ABS Top / PP Bottom), the 12-Tier Drawer Storage Rack with Small Bins, and the 21V Cordless Hedge Trimmer are representative of the home goods and small-appliance categories our partner factories produce. Samples and quotations can be arranged ahead of a visit so that your time in Yiwu is spent on decisions rather than introductions.

If you are planning a sourcing trip and would like to discuss product categories, sampling or a showroom visit, contact us to arrange the details.

Policy status

• This arrangement is currently in effect until 31 December 2026 (2026-12-31; policy checked 16 September 2026).

Policies can change. Please confirm with your local Chinese embassy or consulate before travelling.

Sources

• F-VISA-0001 — China Consular Service Network (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) · Chinese Embassy/Consulate in Saudi Arabia · https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/zytz/202607/t20260721_11988625.html · https://sa.china-embassy.gov.cn/lsfw/lsbtz/202505/t20250528_11635542.htm — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0010 — Chinese Embassy/Consulate in Montreal · https://montreal.china-consulate.gov.cn/zjfw/lszj/fhqz/cjwd2/202505/t20250530_11637915.htm — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0001 — National Immigration Administration (NIA) · Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office · The State Council of the PRC (gov.cn) · https://wsb.sh.gov.cn/ztzl/lstx/20260820/f4b8510709544ce8a06ef9978055bed9.html — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0003 — Chinese Embassy/Consulate in Montreal · https://montreal.china-consulate.gov.cn/zjfw/lszj/fhqz/cjwd2/202505/t20250530_11637915.htm — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0011 — Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office · Zhejiang Provincial Government · https://wsb.sh.gov.cn/ztzl/lstx/20260820/f4b8510709544ce8a06ef9978055bed9.html · https://www.zj.gov.cn/art/2024/12/18/art_1229823372_60250059.html — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0009 — China Consular Service Network (MFA) · Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office · https://wsb.sh.gov.cn/ztzl/lstx/20260820/f4b8510709544ce8a06ef9978055bed9.html — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0007 — Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office · https://wsb.sh.gov.cn/ztzl/lstx/20260820/f4b8510709544ce8a06ef9978055bed9.html — checked 2026-09-16
• F-VISA-0019 — Official source (visa policy) · https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/zytz/202607/t20260721_11988625.html · https://sa.china-embassy.gov.cn/lsfw/lsbtz/202505/t20250528_11635542.htm · https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/wjbzwfwpt/kzx/tzgg/202504/t20250414_11594222.html · https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/lgk1/201812/t20181214_831234.shtml · https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741577/c1731154/content.html — checked 2026-09-16
• F-VISA-0012 — China Consular Service Network (MFA) · National Immigration Administration (NIA) · https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741577/c1731154/content.html · https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/zytz/202607/t20260721_11988625.html — checked 2026-09-16
• F-VISA-0007 — China Consular Service Network (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) · National Immigration Administration (NIA) · https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/zytz/202607/t20260721_11988625.html · https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741577/c1731154/content.html — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0005 — Chinese Embassy/Consulate in Montreal · https://montreal.china-consulate.gov.cn/zjfw/lszj/fhqz/cjwd2/202505/t20250530_11637915.htm — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0004 — Chinese Embassy/Consulate in Montreal · https://montreal.china-consulate.gov.cn/zjfw/lszj/fhqz/cjwd2/202505/t20250530_11637915.htm — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0002 — Zhejiang Provincial Government · Chinese Embassy/Consulate in Montreal · https://www.zj.gov.cn/art/2024/12/18/art_1229823372_60250059.html · https://montreal.china-consulate.gov.cn/zjfw/lszj/fhqz/cjwd2/202505/t20250530_11637915.htm — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0006 — Chinese Embassy/Consulate in Montreal · https://montreal.china-consulate.gov.cn/zjfw/lszj/fhqz/cjwd2/202505/t20250530_11637915.htm — checked 2026-09-16
• F-T-0013 — Chinese Embassy/Consulate in Montreal · https://montreal.china-consulate.gov.cn/zjfw/lszj/fhqz/cjwd2/202505/t20250530_11637915.htm — checked 2026-09-16
• F-VISA-0013 — National Immigration Administration (NIA) · https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741577/c1731154/content.html · https://bio.visaforchina.cn/MES4_ZH/qianzhengyewu/jichuzhishi/banliliucheng/551660259878506497.html — checked 2026-09-16