Canton Fair Invitation Letter and M Visa: How to Get Both

Last checked October 19, 2026 against official sources. How we check

Canton Fair Complex from the Pearl River, with the numbered hall entrances

Quick answer

Many passports can enter China visa-free for 30 days for business, so check that first. If you need a visa, apply for an M visa and attach a Canton Fair invitation letter, which you request through your buyer account after registering. Some buyers report the letter is not offered, so start early.

Key facts

Visa-free first	50 countries, 30 days, for business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange visits or transit
One-sided list ends	December 31, 2026 for 48 of 50 countries
Visa type for trade fairs	M (commercial and trade activities)
Accepted invitation	Canton Fair Invitation Letter, or a letter from a real Chinese company
Processing time	Varies by embassy: check your visa centre

Step 1: check whether you need a visa at all

Many travellers do not. Visa-free entry for 30 days covers business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange visits or transit, and 50 countries are on the one-sided list, with 28 more under mutual agreements. It does not cover work, study or journalism.

Use the visa-free checker with your passport.
Read China 30-day visa-free entry for the rules and the end date. The one-sided list ends on December 31, 2026 for 48 of 50 countries, so a spring 2027 trip needs a check close to departure.
If you are visa-free, you still need the buyer badge but not the letter. Go to registration and badge.
For a trip with meetings beyond the fair, the Guangzhou business trip guide covers arrival, transport and payments.

Step 2: understand the two documents

Document	What it does	Who issues it
Buyer badge	Lets you into the Canton Fair Complex	Canton Fair organiser, free
Invitation letter	Supports your M visa application	Canton Fair organiser, or a real Chinese company

The badge is not a visa document and the letter is not a ticket into the halls. See registration and badge for the badge.

Step 3: request the Canton Fair invitation letter

The letter is requested through the official buyer system, after you have registered as a buyer. The official badge notice describes the buyer account and the pre-registration QR code, which you create first.

Register as a buyer on the Canton Fair buyer system with your passport details exactly as printed.
Apply for the badge and the invitation letter in the same application (returning buyers use the invitation letter section).
View, download or print the letter in the system.

The organiser said for the 139th session that new buyers apply for the letter as part of the badge application, and the system generates it when the application is submitted successfully. Buyers report that this does not always happen (next section), so leave time to get a letter another way.

When the letter is not available

Some buyers hit this problem. A buyer on Reddit asked for help in March 2026, writing that visitors now have to get the letter from a business partner, and a commenter had the same problem even after receiving the badge. One agent blog quotes this message from the system: “due to adjustments of the issuance requirements for Canton Fair invitation letters, we suggest contacting your business partners to request an invitation letter”. We could not confirm that message on an official page, so treat it as unconfirmed.

What to do:

Finish the buyer registration with complete company details, then request the letter again later.
Contact the organiser at info@cantonfair.org.cn or (8620) 28-888-999 and quote your registration number.
Ask a real Chinese business contact for an ordinary invitation letter (next section).

Step 4: apply for the M visa

An embassy visa page (the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, 2025) lists M as the visa for commercial and trade activities. For M it accepts a Canton Fair Invitation Letter or an invitation letter from a real organisation in China, among other letters. The same page asks for a passport valid for more than six months with at least one blank visa page.

Requirements differ by country, so use the page of your own Chinese embassy or visa application centre for forms, photos, fees and timing. Our China visa application guide explains the general process.

What an ordinary invitation letter must contain

If a Chinese company invites you, the embassy page lists the contents:

your name, gender, date of birth and passport number
the purpose of your visit, arrival and departure dates, places to visit, your relationship with the inviter and who pays
the inviter’s full name, contact number and address, its formal stamp, the signature of its legal representative or the inviter, and the date

The stamp must be the organisation’s official seal or the special seal for foreign affairs, according to the same page.

A timeline that works

Now: check visa-free eligibility and register as a buyer. Overseas buyer pre-registration is open all year. See Canton Fair Spring 2027 dates.
Request the letter. Chase the organiser if it is unavailable after a few days.
Apply for the M visa as early as your visa centre allows.
Book flights and hotels when the visa is approved, or take refundable rates. See where to stay for the Canton Fair.

Traps and how to avoid them

Applying for a tourist (L) visa to attend the fair
An embassy visa page lists L for tourist groups and M for commercial and trade activities. Apply for the one that matches why you are going.
Waiting until after you book flights
The invitation letter is issued after your buyer registration, and the visa then takes embassy processing time. Book refundable flights or wait until you hold the visa.
Paying anyone for a letter
An embassy page says the letter must come from a real inviting organisation with its formal stamp, so a letter you cannot trace to the Canton Fair or a real company is a risk to your visa.
Assuming the rules in a blog match your embassy
Document lists differ by country. Read the page of the Chinese embassy or visa centre in your own country before you collect papers.

FAQ

Do I need an invitation letter if my country is visa-free?

No. If your passport is on the visa-free list and the visit is for business, you can enter without a visa. Check the end date of the list for your country before booking.

Where do I get the Canton Fair invitation letter?

You request it in your buyer account on the official Canton Fair buyer system, as part of your badge application. The organiser says the system generates the letter when the application is submitted successfully.

The system says the invitation letter application is not open yet. What can I do?

Buyers on Reddit asked for help with the letter in March 2026, including one who already had a badge. One agent blog says the system now asks some new buyers to request a letter from a Chinese business partner. Contact the organiser's call centre and keep your application reference.

Can a Chinese company invite me instead?

Yes. An embassy visa page accepts an ordinary invitation letter from a real inviting organisation in China for an M visa. It must list your passport details, visit purpose and dates, and carry the organisation's formal stamp and signature.

How long does the M visa take?

It depends on the embassy or visa centre, so we cannot give a number. Start as soon as you hold the letter and ask your visa centre for its current processing time.

Sources

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.