Invitation letter for a Chinese visa: what the consular instructions require

2026-10-11

An invitation letter for a Chinese visa must contain the items listed in the section of the visa class you apply for, and Article 19 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law makes the issuer responsible for the accuracy of its contents.

An invitation letter for a Chinese visa must contain the items that the Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China list in the section for your visa class. The F, L, M, Q2 and S2 sections list different contents, so check the section that matches your class. Article 19 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law makes the issuer responsible for the letter's accuracy.

Contents of the letter by class

The class sections below quote the Visa Application Instructions on the China Consular Services website. Each list keeps the items of its own section. For the classes themselves, see visa classes.

F visa

The F Visa section says the invitation letter is "an invitation letter issued by a relevant entity or individual in China." It must contain:

Personal information of the invited: name, gender, date of birth, etc.;
Information about the invited person's visit to China: reason for coming to China, dates of arrival and departure, place of visit, relationship with the inviting entity or the inviting person, who will pay for the travel, etc.;
Information of the inviting entity or the inviting person: name of the inviting entity or name of the inviting person, phone number, address, official seal of the entity, signature of the legal representative or the inviting person, etc.

L visa

The L Visa section lists itinerary documents, such as round-trip air ticket booking records and hotel reservations, or an invitation letter issued by an entity or individual in China. If you use an invitation letter, it must contain:

Personal information of the invited: name, gender, date of birth, etc.;
Information about the invited person's itinerary: dates of arrival and departure, places to visit, etc.;
Information of the inviting entity or the inviting person: name of the inviting entity or name of the inviting person, phone number, address, official seal of the entity, signature of the legal representative or the inviting person, etc.

M visa

The M Visa section asks for "invitation documents issued by a trade partner in China, such as documents on commercial activities or invitations to economic and trade fairs." These documents, not a letter of a general type, must contain:

Personal information of the invited: name, gender, date of birth, etc.;
Information about the invited person's visit to China: reason for coming to China, dates of arrival and departure, place of visit, relationship with the inviting entity or the inviting person, who will pay for the travel, etc.;
Information of the inviting entity or the inviting person: name of the inviting entity or name of the inviting person, phone number, address, official seal of the entity, signature of the legal representative or the inviting person, etc.

Q2 visa

The Q2 Visa section says the invitation letter is issued by "a Chinese citizen residing in China or a foreign citizen with Chinese permanent residence." It must contain:

Personal information of the invited: name, gender, date of birth, etc.;
Information about the invited person's visit to China: reason for coming to China, dates of arrival and departure, place of visit, relationship with the inviting individual, who will pay for the travel, etc.;
Information of the inviting individual: name, phone number, address, signature of the inviting individual, etc.

The section also requires one of the following with the letter: a photocopy of the Chinese ID card of the inviting individual, or photocopies of the bio-page of the foreigner's passport and the permanent residence permit.

The Q2 section lists no official seal among the items for the inviting individual.

S2 visa

The S2 Visa section says that for short-term family visits, the following documents are required:

Photocopies of the passport and residence permit of the inviting individual (specifically, a foreigner staying or residing in China for work or studies);
An invitation letter issued by the inviting individual, which must contain:
Personal information of the invited: name, gender, date of birth, etc.;
Information about the invited person's visit to China: reason for coming to China, dates of arrival and departure, place of visit, relationship with the inviting individual, who will pay for the travel, etc.;
Information of the inviting individual: name, phone number, address, signature of the inviting individual, etc.
A photocopy of certification (marriage certificate, birth certificate, kinship certification issued by the public security police station, notarized kinship certificate, etc.) showing the relationship of family members (spouses, parents, sons, daughters, spouses of sons or daughters, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandsons, granddaughters and parents-in-law) between the applicant and the inviting individual.

For other personal affairs, the S2 section says "relevant supporting materials shall be provided as required by the consular officers."

Fax, photocopy, printout or original

The Important Tips section of the Visa Application Instructions says: "The invitation letter may be a fax, a photocopy or a printout, but the consular officers may require the applicant to provide the original one."

The same section says the consular officers may ask for other supporting documents or supplementary materials, and may require an interview.

Suggestion, not a rule: keep the signed original of the letter ready in case the consular officers ask for it.

What the Law says about the letter

Article 19 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law (English text published by the National Immigration Administration) has two sentences that apply to different people.

The first sentence says that foreigners applying for visas who need written invitations from entities or individuals within China "shall provide such invitations in accordance with the requirements of the visa-issuing authorities abroad."
The second sentence says: "Entities or individuals that issue written invitations shall be liable for the fidelity of the contents."

Article 74 of the same Law applies to people who issue invitations in violation of the Law. Its first paragraph says persons who issue written invitations or other application materials to foreigners in violation of this Law "shall be fined not less than RMB 5,000 yuan but not more than RMB 10,000 yuan, with the illegal gains confiscated if there are any, and shall also be ordered to bear exit expenses of the invited foreigners."

The second paragraph of Article 74 says entities engaging in those acts "shall be fined not less than RMB 10,000 yuan but not more than RMB 50,000 yuan, with the illegal gains confiscated if there are any, and shall also be ordered to bear exit expenses of the invited foreigners." It also says the persons in charge who are directly responsible and other persons directly responsible shall be punished under the preceding paragraph.

Questions people ask

Can the invitation letter be a fax or a printout?

The Important Tips section of the Visa Application Instructions says the invitation letter may be a fax, a photocopy or a printout. The same section says the consular officers may require the applicant to provide the original.

Who decides whether the visa is issued?

The Important Tips section says the consular officials will decide whether to issue a visa and determine its validity, duration of stay and number of entries according to the applicant's specific circumstances.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the National Immigration Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, any embassy, consulate or visa application service centre, and it is not legal or immigration advice. If the official text and the current notice of the office handling your case differ, the official text and that notice prevail.