The Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair) is held in Guangzhou twice a year, in spring and autumn. For many overseas buyers, the first question is not which hall to visit but whether they can enter China at all. This guide covers the autumn 2026 session: do you need a visa, how do you get the fair’s invitation letter, and how do you apply for a business visa.
Every rule below links to its official source as of 18 September 2026. Procedures change, so check the link before you apply.
When and where is the autumn 2026 Canton Fair?
The 140th session runs in three phases at the China Import and Export Fair Complex, No. 382 Yuejiang Zhong Road, Guangzhou. Each phase covers different product sections:
| Phase | Dates | Main product sections | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 15–19 October 2026 | Household appliances, consumer electronics, lighting, new energy, hardware and tools, machinery, vehicles and spare parts, motorcycles, bicycles | 2026 Attendance Guide |
| Phase 2 | 23–27 October 2026 | Building and decorative materials, sanitary ware, furniture, kitchenware and tableware, ceramics, household items, gifts, home decorations, gardening products | 140th session section table |
| Phase 3 | 31 October – 4 November 2026 | Toys, baby and maternity products, garments, shoes, bags, home textiles, office supplies, medicines and medical devices, food, personal care, pet products | 2026 Attendance Guide |
Choose your phase first: your visa timing, flights and hotel all follow from its opening day. For everything else about the fair itself (sections by phase, registration, getting there and on-site services), see our Canton Fair visitor guide.
Do you need a visa to visit the Canton Fair?
It depends on your nationality, not on where you live. As of September 2026, ordinary passport holders fall into three groups:
| Group | Who | Stay without a visa | Valid until | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unilateral visa-free policy | 48 countries, including 25 of the 27 EU member states (not Czechia or Lithuania), the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Brazil and Saudi Arabia | Up to 30 days | 31 December 2026 | MFA FAQ, NIA list |
| Unilateral visa-free policy | Russia | Up to 30 days | 31 December 2027 | MFA notice |
| Unilateral visa-free policy | Brunei | Up to 30 days | No end date set | MFA FAQ |
| Mutual visa-exemption agreements | 28 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Serbia | Set by each agreement, often 30 days per entry | No end date listed | MFA list (29 May 2026) |
| Everyone else | For example the United States, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Mexico | Visa required | — | Not on either official list |
The 50 unilateral visa-free countries (NIA). Europe: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. Asia: Bahrain, Brunei, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia. Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, Uruguay. Oceania: Australia, New Zealand.
The 28 mutual-exemption countries for ordinary passports (MFA list, in Chinese; stay limits per country in the NIA English table): Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dominica, Fiji, Georgia, Grenada, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Qatar, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan.
What visa-exempt travellers should know:
- The 30 days count from the day after entry. The MFA FAQ confirms the policy covers business, conferences and exhibitions, and recommends carrying an invitation letter and hotel booking.
- Staying longer than 30 days (the fair plus weeks of factory visits, for example) requires a visa obtained before you travel.
- An Indian or Egyptian national living in Dubai still needs a visa: exemption follows nationality.
- All foreign visitors fill in an arrival card, which is free on the NIA website. The NIA has warned about fake sites that charge for it.
- Visa-free entry gets you into China, not into the fair. You still need a buyer badge.
Which visa should you apply for?
Visiting the fair and negotiating with suppliers is a commercial activity, so the matching category is the business visa (M). Several Chinese missions list a “trade fair invitation” among accepted M-visa documents, such as the Embassy in Jordan and the Embassy in Saudi Arabia. Requirements differ between missions, so read the M-visa page of the mission where you will apply.
Do you have to pre-register online for the fair?
The official 2026 Attendance Guide asks all overseas buyers attending on site to pre-register online, and pre-registration is open all year. Pre-registered buyers collect their free badge at alternative registration offices: Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou South Railway Station, Pazhou Ferry Terminal, designated hotels in Guangzhou and the Canton Fair Hong Kong Representative Office. They can also collect it at the registration offices in the complex.
Without pre-registration, the registration offices at the complex still provide badge services to overseas buyers who present an original, valid passport. However, the visa invitation letter is only issued from a pre-registered account, so if you need a visa, register before you travel.
How do you get the Canton Fair invitation letter?
You generate it yourself in the fair’s Buyer Service System, following the fair’s invitation guide:
- Create an account on the system or the Canton Fair app. Returning buyers log in and confirm their personal and company details.
- Complete the pre-registration questionnaire.
- Apply for the buyer badge, uploading your passport and photo, and tick “Generate invitation letter simultaneously”.
- Alternatively, go to Invitation Letter, then My Invitation Letters, then Apply for Invitation Letter. From there you can view, print or download it.
Rules to keep in mind:
- You can apply up to 5 times per session, and each new application makes the previous letter invalid. Submit only the current letter with your visa application.
- People under 18 cannot apply for an invitation letter.
- Applying for, replacing or renewing the badge is free of charge, and the fair states it has never authorised any third party to provide badge services.
Check that your name and company name on the letter match your passport and your visa form.
How do you apply for the M visa?
- Online form. Create an account on the China Online Visa Application system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It has replaced the older COVA form, on dates that varied by country: 29 June 2025 in Saudi Arabia and 30 September 2025 at the Consulate General in New York, for example.
- Fill in and upload. Complete the form in English or Chinese, choose the M visa and upload your documents (US Embassy guide).
- Online review. The result appears after 1 to 2 working days at the Embassy in Jordan. If the application is sent back, correct it and resubmit.
- Submit your passport with the printed application page and any originals requested, at the visa application service centre or consular section.
- Pay and collect. Regular processing takes about 4 working days in Jordan and in New York, for example, with an express option of 3 working days at both.
Where to apply. In countries listed on the Chinese Visa Application Service Center directory, applications usually go through the centre. Elsewhere, apply at the consular section of the Chinese embassy or consulate covering the area where you live.
Applying outside your country of citizenship? Provide proof of legal stay, such as a residence permit or valid visa for the country where you apply (Jordan, New York).
Fingerprints. Until 31 December 2026, all Chinese visa authorities overseas waive fingerprint collection for short-term visas with stays of up to 180 days (Embassy in India).
What documents and photo do you need?
- Passport valid for at least six more months, with blank visa pages. Some missions ask for at least two blank pages.
- The application form, printed after online approval.
- A photo meeting the specifications below.
- The Canton Fair invitation letter, or business documents from a trading partner in China.
- Proof of legal stay, if you apply outside your country of citizenship.
- Translations where required. The Embassy in Saudi Arabia, for example, requires Arabic-only documents to be translated into Chinese or English.
Photo specifications (Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco):
- 48 × 33 mm, head width 15–22 mm, head height 28–33 mm.
- Colour photo with a white background, taken within the past six months.
- Head coverings are allowed only for religious reasons, and the face must remain fully visible.
How much does the visa cost?
Fees depend on your nationality, the country where you apply and the number of entries. Visa application service centres also charge their own service fee (Cairo example). Many missions have extended a temporary visa-fee reduction to 31 December 2026. In the United States, for example, US citizens pay USD 140, while the listed fee for non-US citizens is USD 23 for a single entry, with different amounts for some nationalities (Consulate General in New York). Check the fee page of the mission where you will apply.
When should you apply?
Apply at least 30 days before you travel. The visa centre in Cairo advises applying one month before entry, and not earlier than three months. At the US Embassy, the online system only accepts entry dates within the next 90 days. To plan, count back 30 days from the day you arrive:
| Phase | Opens | If you arrive the day before | Suggested application date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 15 October | 14 October | By 14 September (already passed: apply now) |
| Phase 2 | 23 October | 22 October | By 22 September |
| Phase 3 | 31 October | 30 October | By 30 September |
Allow for holidays. For example, the visa office of the Chinese Embassy in Washington is closed 1–5 October 2026 for China’s National Day. Generate your invitation first, submit your passport as soon as the form is approved online, and book flights once the visa is issued.
A word of caution: if you are not sure you will travel, it is better not to apply for a visa with the fair’s invitation. If you do not attend after the invitation and visa have been issued, you may find it harder to get invitation letters for future sessions. This is our practical caution, not a published rule. Wait until your trip is confirmed, then start.
What commonly delays or gets an application refused?
- Mismatched details in your name, company or inviter information across the invitation, form and passport.
- A superseded invitation: submitting an older letter after generating a new one.
- Passport problems: less than six months’ validity, or not enough blank pages.
- The photo: wrong size, background or age.
- Untranslated documents where the mission requires Chinese or English.
- Wrong place: applying outside your consular district, or without proof of legal stay.
- Late submission close to your trip or to public holidays.
Approval of the online review does not guarantee a visa. Consular officers decide on the visa, its type, entries and length of stay (US Embassy).
Should you apply yourself or with Alshumul’s help?
You can do all of it yourself. Fair registration, the badge and the invitation letter are on the fair’s official website. The visa goes through the embassy, consulate or visa centre, following the steps above.
If you want support, Alshumul Commercial Services is a company registered in Guangzhou. Our team can:
- help you with registration in the Buyer Service System and the invitation letter steps;
- review your documents and visa form before you submit, checking that the details match;
- help you pick the right phase for your products, and arrange factory visits after the fair;
- verify the suppliers you meet before you pay, and inspect your order before shipment.
To be clear, the visa decision belongs to the embassy or consulate alone. Our help is guidance, not a substitute for the official application. Send us your nationality, country of residence and the phase you plan to visit, and we will go through the steps with you.
