Conventional prescription drugs for personal use can be brought into the country, and it is recommended to keep the original packaging and prescription for customs inspection. There are restrictions on drugs containing anesthetics and psychotropic substances. You can provide a list of drugs, and DOVECURE will help you verify Chinese customs regulations, provide a carrying plan, and avoid entry issues.

Simple physical examination does not need to be postponed; If hospitalization is required for subsequent treatment, visa extension can be applied for with a hospital diagnosis and treatment certificate, and communication is cumbersome to handle on your own.

DOVECURE can assist in preparing diagnostic certificates, treatment plans, and other documents to guide visa extensions.

Short term medical examinations, travel, business, and tourist visas are sufficient; If hospitalization or surgery is required, it is recommended to apply for a medical visa.

DOVECURE can assist in preparing medical invitation letters, medical examination travel certificates, and other materials to guide visa processing.

It is recommended to make an appointment 3-5 days in advance during the off-season; During the peak season of Canton Fair and holidays, VIP schedules are tight, so it is best to arrive 1-2 weeks in advance. Relying on the exclusive cooperation channel, DOVECURE reserves priority scheduling for foreign merchants, and will do its best to coordinate urgent medical examinations without disrupting your itinerary.

Most domestic medical examination platforms are in Chinese, making it easy for foreigners to choose the wrong package and have poor communication when making appointments themselves. DOVECURE collaborates closely with Meinian Health to provide full-service appointment services. You only need to inform us of your medical examination needs, time and preferences in China, and we will help you match packages and time slots. The appointment information will be sent in English/Arabic, without the need to operate the Chinese system.

After you finish your medical treatment in China, you can use a simplified visa process to come back for a follow-up check-up — just show the recheck note from your original hospital and your past China medical records. No need to resubmit all your first-time paperwork, and approval is much faster. ‌DOVECURE‌ walks you through the whole simplified visa application, checks your documents and submits them fast, so your follow-up trip goes smoothly.

We suggest you start preparing your China medical visa ‌1-2 months early‌ — that leaves enough time for paperwork, online forms, application submission and the standard 4-working-day official review, so you won’t get delayed by last-minute document fixes or biometrics appointments. ‌DOVECURE‌ helps you sort out all materials efficiently, cut down prep time and make sure your medical trip goes ahead as planned.

If your visa expires during medical treatment in China, you need to submit documents such as the hospital's follow-up treatment certificate to the local exit and entry administration department ‌7 days before the expiry of the permitted stay period‌ to apply for an extension. If you have already overstayed, take the initiative to report immediately and cooperate with the handling to avoid leaving a bad entry record. ‌DOVECURE‌ provides full-process assistance including visa expiry early warning and compliant overstay handling, helping you avoid relevant risks.

With a Chinese medical visa, after completing the core medical treatment arrangements, you can arrange tourist itineraries within the legal permitted stay period. When entering the country, you only need to truthfully inform the border inspection that your core purpose is medical treatment, and there is no need to apply for an additional tourist visa. ‌DOVECURE‌ provides integrated planning assistance for medical treatment and surrounding cultural tourism itineraries, helping you balance the pace of medical visits and sightseeing experience.

When traveling to China for medical treatment via a third country, if you hold a connecting flight ticket with checked baggage through-checked and do not leave the international zone of the transit airport, transit visas are exempted in most mainstream transit cities. Some transit countries also offer 72-96 hours transit visa-free policies. ‌DOVECURE‌ provides transit policy verification and itinerary planning assistance to help you avoid transit visa risks.

The process of handling temporary accommodation registration after entry is simple. If you stay in a hotel, the hotel will directly complete the registration and submit the information on your behalf. For non-hotel scenarios such as private residences, you need to go to the local police station with your passport to complete the registration within 24 hours after check-in. Some regions support online self-declaration. The whole process is free of charge, and most cases can be completed on the spot. ‌DOVECURE‌ provides full-process guidance to help you avoid the risk of overdue declaration.

Your accompanying family members can't use the same medical visa as you. China's medical visa is only for the main patient seeking treatment here. Family members need to apply for their own separate visa: S2 (under 180 days) or S1 (over 180 days), with required documents including your medical proof, kinship certificate and invitation letter. ‌DOVECURE‌ sorts out all application materials and guides you through the whole process, making sure you and your family get your visas smoothly for the medical trip.

You can smoothly handle the border inspection by preparing the English version of your medical treatment itinerary and hospital appointment certificates in advance. ‌DOVECURE‌ will sort out the multilingual instruction materials specially for border inspection for you in advance, and can also arrange a dedicated accompanying medical staff to pick you up at the airport, ensuring a seamless connection throughout the whole process without any communication breakdown.

A Chinese medical visa can be extended by submitting documents such as a hospital's follow-up treatment certificate to the local exit and entry administration department ‌7 days before the expiry of the permitted stay period‌. Overstaying will result in penalties for illegal overstay. ‌DOVECURE‌ provides full-process document verification assistance to help you avoid overstay risks.

The overall visa rejection rate for applying for a China visa for legitimate medical purposes is relatively low. As long as you prepare a passport with a validity of more than 6 months and blank pages, an official medical invitation letter issued by a regular domestic medical institution, diagnosis and treatment-related certificates corresponding to your condition, and financial capacity proof covering the entire medical and stay expenses, ensuring that the materials are logically consistent and the information is complete, most applications can be approved smoothly. Applicants from countries with mutual visa exemption agreements who come to China for medical purposes and stay for no more than 30 days can even enter China without a visa. Doveture provides one-stop full-process assistance for China's medical visa application, helping you sort out compliant materials in advance, avoid common application pitfalls, and greatly improve the visa approval efficiency.

No Chinese ID? No problem. Your original valid passport is all you need to register and set up a medical file at any public or qualified private hospital in China. Many international-friendly hospitals even let you do this directly on passport-enabled self-service kiosks.

As a foreign national seeking medical treatment in China, you can use the following methods to quickly travel from the airport to your pre-booked hospital, all fully adapted to your medical travel needs:

‌Book a private airport transfer in advance‌: You can reserve an exclusive bilingual driver in advance through the DOVECURE medical escort platform. No queuing is required after landing, and you can head to the hospital directly via the dedicated passage with zero language barriers, which is the most hassle-free travel option for medical visits.

‌Use the official airport taxi lane‌: After arrival, follow the signs to the official regular taxi waiting area, show the pre-prepared Chinese-English bilingual paper or digital document with the hospital's name and address, and tell the driver your destination directly. Taxis at core airports in first-tier cities operate under standardized management, which can take you to the destination quickly.

‌Take the airport rail transit‌: Most large airports in China are connected to the city's metro lines. You can download a map navigation APP that supports overseas payment on your phone in advance, enter the hospital name to select the metro route, avoid ground traffic congestion and arrive at the hospital on schedule.

‌Reserve a ride-hailing service in advance‌: Ask your escort staff to help you register an account on China's mainstream ride-hailing platforms that support overseas payment in advance. You can call a ride right after getting off the plane, the vehicle will wait for you at the designated pick-up point, and the trip cost is transparent and traceable.

You can directly consult the Chinese embassy or consulate abroad for the latest medical visa application material list. Preparing the pre-visit confirmation letter from the hospital in advance can greatly increase the approval rate. Dovetour Medical Concierge provides full-process visa material pre-review and appointment guidance services, helping you sort out all application documents and greatly improve visa processing efficiency.

It is permitted. You can apply for a stay document at the local public security organ's exit and entry administration authority, with the hospital-issued treatment certificate, within 7 days prior to the expiry of your current visa's stay period.

We suggest you provide an honest statement of your purpose. Preparing the hospital's pre-visit confirmation letter and wellness experience reservation documents in advance will make your entry inspection process far more efficient.

It is not required. With the relevant Canton Fair participation certificates, overseas merchants can get normal medical treatment in China during the validity of their business visa, no separate medical visa is needed, and Dovetour Medical Concierge can help with visa material pre-review and entry guidance.

Yes, overseas visitors can enter China directly on a tourist or business visa for short-term regular medical treatment and TCM wellness experiences. For long-term inpatient care, a dedicated medical visa can be applied for with a pre-arranged hospital invitation letter.

No. Once you renounce Chinese nationality, you will no longer be eligible for the reimbursement benefits under China's basic medical insurance system. The national medical insurance program is primarily designed for Chinese citizens and eligible foreign nationals, on the premise of normal participation and premium payment. If you still maintain your Chinese household registration (even if you have resided overseas for years), you are still qualified to enroll in the resident medical insurance scheme or the flexible-employment employee medical insurance scheme. Overseas Chinese who have obtained foreign nationality will need to cover all medical expenses fully at their own cost or rely on international commercial insurance when seeking medical treatment back in China. It is recommended to confirm in advance whether your international medical insurance covers Chinese mainland and the corresponding claim settlement procedures.

Yes. Even if the hospital accepts international bank cards or the insurance covers part of the expenses, the applicant still needs to prove that they have sufficient payment capacity. It is usually required to provide a bank statement showing a balance of at least ‌10,000 US dollars‌. Some consulates or hospitals may suggest preparing funds equivalent to 120% of the estimated treatment cost as the financial proof.

Yes. The 240-hour (10-day) transit visa exemption applies to foreign nationals who hold a connecting air ticket to a third country or region. If the patient only needs a short-term consultation, preliminary medical assessment or minor treatment, the transit visa exemption policy can be utilized. However, it should be noted that the transit visa exemption is not a substitute for a dedicated medical visa, and it does not apply to major diseases that require hospitalization or systematic treatment. The relevant document preparation for medical treatment under the transit visa exemption and full-process in-hospital coordination can be completed in one stop through Dovecure China Medical Escort Platform, which covers all supporting services for short-term medical visits in China.

The S1 visa applies to patients who need to receive long-term medical treatment in China for more than 180 days, covering scenarios such as chronic disease management, organ transplantation, long-term cancer treatment and other related conditions. To apply for the S1 visa, you are required to submit a critical illness notice or long-term treatment certificate issued by a Class-A tertiary hospital in China. After entry, you must complete the residence permit conversion within 30 days. The maximum validity period of this residence permit can reach 5 years, and failure to submit the application within the time limit will result in a fine. The S1 visa permits accompanying family members to travel together, including spouses, parents, children under the age of 18, and parents of the spouse. The relevant visa document preparation and post-entry formalities can be completed in one stop through Dovecure China Medical Escort Platform, which also covers all supporting services for the entire medical visit journey in China.

The S2 visa allows a maximum single stay of 180 days. You can apply for an extension within Chinese mainland with supporting documents issued by the hospital, and the total cumulative length of stay shall not exceed 180 days. S2 visa holders cannot directly convert to a long-term residence permit; if your treatment duration exceeds 180 days, you need to leave China and re-apply for an S1 visa. The S2 visa permits accompanying family members including spouses, children, parents, grandparents and siblings to travel together.

The L tourist visa is designed for sightseeing or short-term visits, and in principle it is not suitable for hospitalization or systematic medical care. While some simple elective procedures (such as joint replacement, cataract surgery, dental implant placement, etc.) can technically be done on a tourist visa, the S2 visa is specifically established for medical purposes. The key difference between the two is that the S2 visa will be marked with the word "treatment" in its visa remarks, which offers greater legal flexibility if the treatment duration needs to be extended; in contrast, the tourist visa is much harder to extend, and extensions are usually only approved for emergency situations. For any treatment that involves hospitalization or a long period of rehabilitation, the S2 visa is the safer and legally compliant choice.

The invitation letter is the most critical and time-consuming document in the S2 visa application process. Patients need to first contact the International Medical Department or International Patient Center of their target hospital (usually a Class A tertiary hospital in China). After reviewing the patient's medical records and confirming the feasibility of the treatment plan, the hospital will issue an official bilingual (Chinese-English) invitation letter, which includes the patient's full name, diagnosis, treatment plan, intended duration of stay, and the official hospital seal. It is recommended that patients initiate contact with the hospital 4 to 8 weeks before their planned departure. Currently, Dovecure China Medical Concierge Platform can seamlessly integrate visa assistance and hospital communication, leveraging its partnered hospital network to help patients significantly speed up the invitation letter application process and effectively reduce the pre-trip preparation time.

The core document checklist includes:

Valid passport: Must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended period of stay, with at least one blank visa page

Hospital invitation letter: Issued by a Class A tertiary hospital or designated international medical institution in China, including the patient's full name, diagnosis, treatment plan, intended duration of stay, and affixed with the official hospital seal

Medical diagnosis certificate: Issued by a local physician in the applicant's home country, stating the medical condition and the necessity of seeking treatment in China, with a Chinese or English translation version provided

Visa application form: Submitted via the Chinese Visa Online Application System (COVAS), printed out and signed by the applicant

Recent passport photo: White background, 48mm×33mm in size

Proof of financial support: 3-month bank statement or pre-authorization letter from medical insurance

Return flight reservation

You can come to China for a short doctor's visit on a tourist or business visa. If you need long-term specialized treatment or to stay in hospital, we recommend getting a medical visa — it lets you stay longer and keeps all your paperwork fully compliant. The team at Dovecure Medical can help you with professional visa advice and handle the whole application process for you.