Planning care in China? NEXA helps you understand the preparation pathway, coordinate hospital documents and prepare before departure.
This is general guidance, not a visa application service or a decision on your eligibility. The authorities decide visa issuance, entry and extensions.
Content updated:
Entry routes for care in mainland China
General information for mainland China only. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have separate entry rules. Confirm your travel purpose and dates with the responsible authority.
Travelling specifically for treatment: S2 guidance
Some Chinese consulates list medical treatment under S2 private affairs and request hospital admission or acceptance evidence. Confirm the category and documents where you apply; a 180-day stay is not guaranteed.
Check the particular arrangement, passport, purpose, travel dates and stay limits. Hainan explicitly includes medical treatment; do not apply that regional rule to the rest of mainland China.
Hospital registration and immigration permission are separate checks. Beijing's appointment rules accept passports as identification. Confirm your hospital's requirements and your permitted stay; an appointment does not extend immigration permission.
These are published policy figures, not a personal eligibility decision. The lists overlap: do not add the counts. Check the official list, applicable purposes and expiry dates before travelling.
Last verified:
Unilateral visa-free entry
50 countries
Policy conditions
Ordinary passports; up to 30 days for listed purposes such as business, tourism, family visits, exchanges or transit. Medical treatment is not separately listed: confirm planned care with the authority.
MFA's published figure for comprehensive mutual exemptions. Passport types, purposes, individual and cumulative stay limits depend on the bilateral agreement; there is no universal medical-care exemption.
Ordinary passport and confirmed onward travel to a third country or region required. Designated ports and permitted areas apply. Do not treat this as a general 10-day medical visa.
Ordinary passports; medical treatment is explicitly included among permitted short-stay purposes. Entry and exit through Hainan's open ports; activities limited to Hainan, for no more than 30 days.
Can I register at a hospital after entering with a port visa?
A Chinese port visa is not an automatic visa on arrival. It requires an urgent entry reason, supporting documents and approval. Confirm with the intended port authority before departure; do not assume it will be issued on arrival.
After lawful entry, ask the hospital about passport registration, appointments and payment. A booking does not prove that your intended treatment is covered by your entry permission, or allow you to overstay or leave a restricted area.
Some steps may need to be revisited as the hospital plan and travel details become clearer.
View guidance for a specific application location
Verified coverage: ordinary Kenyan passport holders living and applying in Kenya, Nairobi consular district. Other combinations can use the general guide or contact Care; they have not yet been individually verified.
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Further confirmation needed
Complete the known conditions and confirm the route with the responsible authority. No eligibility conclusion is shown.
Still to confirm: Passport nationality · Passport type · Country of residence · Country of application · Consular district
Do I need a visa?
Check the current requirements with the Chinese embassy, consulate or authorised visa centre responsible for your application location. Nationality, passport type, residence and consular district are different conditions.
Do not book non-refundable travel on the assumption that a visa or entry will be approved.
Does visa-free entry cover medical care?
Check whether the official rules explicitly cover your intended medical purpose, stay and itinerary. Visa-free entry, transit arrangements and a visa are not interchangeable.
Where medical-purpose coverage is unclear, ask the responsible authority before making travel commitments.
Which hospital documents should I prepare?
NEXA can coordinate hospital documents relevant to your planned care. The hospital decides what it can issue; NEXA cannot guarantee that a document will be issued or accepted.
Separate official required documents from possible additional requests and practical preparation suggestions. Do not send identity or medical files through this public page.
Can a family member or caregiver travel with me?
A patient's entry pathway does not automatically cover a companion. Confirm each person's passport, purpose, relationship documents and intended stay with the relevant authority.
What if treatment or recovery takes longer?
Treatment or recovery needs do not automatically extend permission to stay. Ask the relevant immigration authority about the applicable process before your authorised stay ends; approval is not guaranteed.
How can NEXA help?
NEXA provides pathway and preparation support, hospital document coordination and pre-departure preparation support. For case-specific help, start the existing Care consultation form; no separate registration is required before submitting.
NEXA does not guarantee visa approval, entry, extension, processing time or hospital document acceptance. This page does not provide legal advice.
Need help with your own situation?
Start the existing Care form. You can submit before creating an account; the team will guide the next steps.