Last updated: October 14, 2026.
Quick answer
You get a China hospital invitation letter from the hospital that will treat you. The hospital's international department usually sends it once the doctors have read your records. The letter names you, the hospital, the planned visit and its dates. Chinese visa centers ask for it with an S2 or S1 treatment visa. An agency's letter cannot replace it.
What is a China hospital invitation letter?
A hospital invitation letter is a document from a Chinese hospital that says it expects to see you for diagnosis or treatment. Visa centers list it under three names. It may be called a certificate of hospitalization, a certificate of planned treatment, or an invitation letter. You submit it with your S2 visa application (stays up to 180 days) or S1 application (longer stays).
The hospital signs its name to what the letter says. Under Article 19 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law, whoever writes an invitation letter is responsible for what it says. So a hospital will only put in writing what its doctors have agreed to. The letter comes after the medical review, not before it.
How do you get a hospital invitation letter?
The steps below are the usual sequence. An international department is the office in a Chinese hospital that handles foreign patients. Each hospital runs its own process, so ask its international department how it works there.
- Choose the hospital and contact its international department. Ask what it needs before a doctor can review your case.
- Send your medical records and a copy of your passport. Records such as scan reports, test results and a summary from your own doctor help them decide. They will say whether they can see you and what the first visit will be.
- Wait for the hospital to confirm. It may offer an outpatient appointment, an admission for assessment, or a treatment plan, depending on what your records show.
- Ask for the letter, and for an escort certificate for each family member who will travel with you. An escort certificate is a letter from the same hospital confirming that a named family member will come with you. Request them together so the names, dates and hospital details match.
- Check every detail against your passport before you book a visa appointment.
You cannot apply for a treatment visa without the hospital's letter. Leave time for the review before you book flights or pay for anything you cannot cancel.
What should a hospital invitation letter include?
The Chinese Visa Application Service Center lists three groups of details for an invitation letter.
| Group | What it covers |
|---|---|
| About you | Full name, gender, date of birth and passport number |
| About the visit | Purpose, planned arrival and departure dates, where you will stay, your relationship to the inviting party, and who pays |
| About the hospital | Hospital name, phone number, address and the signature of a hospital official |
Source: Chinese Visa Application Service Center S2 checklist. A fax, photocopy or printout is fine when you apply. The consular officer can still ask for the original. Last verified October 14, 2026.
A few checks go beyond the checklist and save trouble later.
- Your name and passport number should match your passport exactly. If you renewed your passport, give the hospital the new number.
- The letter should say what has actually been agreed. If doctors have only agreed to assess you, an accurate letter says "assessment" and not "surgery".
- The dates should cover the realistic length of treatment, including follow-up visits you must attend in person.
- The payer line should say who will pay (you, a family member or an insurer). It should not say a bill has been paid if it has not.
Which visa does the letter support?
How long treatment will take decides the visa. The letter is your proof. If the letter shows treatment within 180 days, you apply for an S2. If it shows a longer course, you apply for an S1 and convert it to a residence permit within 30 days of arrival.
An S2 covers stays of up to 180 days, but your actual limit is the stay period printed on the visa. Check that number when you receive the visa, and compare it with the dates in the hospital's letter.
An S1 has one more hospital step after you arrive. To get a residence permit for treatment, you need a hospital letter showing at least six months of care, according to the immigration authority's residence permit guide. It must come from a county-level hospital or one rated Grade 2A or above (Grade 2A is the upper tier of China's mid-level hospitals). With it, the exit-entry office can issue a residence permit of up to one year.
Can an agency write the letter instead?
No. A visa center asks for a document issued by the medical institution. An agency or a medical travel company can write about its own services. It cannot confirm a diagnosis, a bed or a treatment plan for the hospital.
Do not let anyone change the purpose of your trip to make the paperwork easier. A business invitation or a tourist visa does not match a treatment trip, and the hospital's letter will show the real purpose.
Common mistakes with a China hospital invitation letter
- Booking flights before the hospital has reviewed your records and issued the letter.
- Accepting a letter that promises more than the doctors agreed, such as surgery when only an assessment is planned.
- Dates in the letter that do not match your visa application or your flight plans.
- A passport number from an old passport.
- Forgetting to ask for escort certificates for family members at the same time.
- Treating a visa center's acceptance of your file as approval. The consulate decides whether to issue the visa, and border officers decide on entry.
FAQ
Who issues a hospital invitation letter for a China visa?
The hospital that will treat you writes it. Its international department usually handles this. The letter must come from the medical institution itself. An agency or travel company can help you collect documents. Its own letter does not replace the hospital's letter.
What information does a China hospital invitation letter need?
It needs your full name, gender, date of birth and passport number, the purpose and dates of the visit, where you will stay and who pays. It also needs the hospital's name, phone number and address, and the signature of a hospital official.
Does the visa center need the original invitation letter?
Not at first. Visa centers accept a fax, photocopy or printout of the letter when you submit your application. The consular officer can still ask you to show the original, so keep it safe and bring it to your appointment if the center asks.
What if my treatment plan changes after I get the letter?
Ask the hospital for an updated letter that reflects the new plan and dates, then check that your visa still covers the stay. If you are already in China, apply for an extension at least seven days before your permitted stay ends.
Does an invitation letter guarantee a visa?
No. The letter supports your case. The Chinese embassy or consulate decides whether to issue the visa. Border officers then decide on entry. A letter that accurately describes what the hospital has agreed gives the consular officer a clear picture of the trip.
Sources
- Chinese Visa Application Service Center, S2 visa required documents (medical treatment certificates, invitation letter contents). https://bio.visaforchina.cn/KWI4_EN/qianzhengyewu/jichuzhishi/banliliucheng/553118735670579220.html
- Chinese Visa Application Service Center (Canada), S2 visa required documents. https://visaforchina.cn/YTO4_EN/qianzhengyewu/jichuzhishi/banliliucheng/552371933803581457.html
- Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China, Articles 19, 29 and 30. National Immigration Administration. https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741547/c1013311/content.html
- National Immigration Administration, Service guide for issuing foreigner residence permits (private affairs, medical treatment). https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741587/n1316094/n1355872/c1356308/content.html
- Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners, Article 6 (S1 and S2 visas). Ministry of Foreign Affairs. https://cs.mfa.gov.cn/wgrlh/flfg/201307/t20130722_961411.shtml
- Facts on invitation letters and the residence permit requirement first drawn from "外国患者来中国看病，签证怎么办？医院这封邀请函，不能只写'欢迎'," Fang Le (lawyer), 出海有方-律动全球 (WeChat), September 7, 2026, and checked against the official sources above. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/MUc_2nzFpGtbc3TQRvvx5A
Last verified: October 14, 2026
How Goji Health can help
Goji Health is a US-China operated medical coordination company. We do not diagnose or treat. We handle the process of getting an international patient to the right hospital in China and home again.
It starts with a case review. You send your medical records, our team goes through them with experienced Chinese general practitioners, and we reply within 24–48 hours of receiving the complete file. From there an English-speaking care manager takes you through each step in order, including help preparing your visa application documents.
Send your records for a case review
This article is for general information and is not medical or legal advice. Rules change, so check the official sources listed above before you travel.