M or F visa for China: commercial trade or a non-commercial visit
The M visa covers persons who come to China for commercial trade activities, and the F visa covers exchanges, visits, study tours and other relevant activities. This summary sets the two definitions and their invitation requirements side by side.
For a business trip to mainland China, the two classes to compare are M and F. The M visa is issued to persons who come to China for commercial trade activities, and the F visa is issued to persons who come for exchanges, visits, study tours or other relevant activities. Both classes are defined by the activity, so the purpose of the trip determines which definition applies.
The two definitions side by side
| M visa | F visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Category table, Visa Application Instructions | "Issued to those who intend to go to China for commercial and trade activities" | "Issued to those who intend to go to China for exchanges, visits, study tours and other activities" |
| Regulations, Article 6 | Item (7): "The M visa is issued to persons who come to China for commercial trade activities;" | Item (3): "The F visa is issued to persons who come to China for exchanges, visits, study tours or other relevant activities;" |
The Regulations use "commercial trade activities" for M and "other relevant activities" for F. The category table uses "commercial and trade activities" for M and "other activities" for F. Neither the category table nor Regulations, Article 6 gives a test for choosing between the two classes beyond the activity named in each entry.
Invitation requirements in the M and F sections
The M Visa section says the invitation documents are "issued by a trade partner in China, such as documents on commercial activities or invitations to economic and trade fairs." It names invitations to economic and trade fairs as one kind of document.
The F Visa section says the document is "an invitation letter issued by a relevant entity or individual in China."
The M Visa section says the invitation documents must contain the following information:
- 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.
The F Visa section says the invitation letter must contain the following information:
- 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.
The two sections list the same three groups of information. They differ in the name of the document and in who issues it: "invitation documents issued by a trade partner in China" for M, and "an invitation letter issued by a relevant entity or individual in China" for F.
Who decides the visa
Section III, Important Tips, 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 original. The same section says consular officers may require other supporting documents or supplementary materials, or may require the applicant to attend an interview.
Section III also 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."
Suggestion, not a rule: if your trip includes both trade meetings and exchange activities, compare each planned activity with the two definitions above before you choose a class, and prepare the invitation document that matches the class you apply for.
Questions people ask
Which visa is for a business trip to China?
Regulations, Article 6, item (7) gives the M visa for persons who come to China for commercial trade activities. The F visa in item (3) covers exchanges, visits, study tours or other relevant activities.
Does a trade fair invitation fit the M visa?
The M Visa section names "invitations to economic and trade fairs" as one kind of invitation document a trade partner in China may issue. The M Visa section and the category table give no further test for whether a particular fair counts as commercial and trade activities.
For the full list of classes, see the visa classes page.
Sources
- Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC (China Consular Services)
- Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners, National Immigration Administration
Checked 10 and 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 differs from this summary, the official text and the current notice of the office handling your case prevail.