China Medical Visa & Hospital Invitation Letter
The visa you need to travel to China for treatment, the hospital letter it depends on, and how to get both lined up — coordinated for you, end to end.
The medical visa at a glance
The three pieces that matter
Get these aligned and the visa follows.
The linchpin
An official invitation or admission letter from the Chinese hospital, confirming it will treat you. Without it, the visa application has no foundation.
No dedicated medical visa
There's no separate medical visa: treatment usually uses a short-term private-affairs (S2) visa, or an S1 for long treatment, and some consulates accept an M visa. The consulate decides — we confirm the right route.
Usually possible
Most patients can bring a family member or carer on an accompanying route. We arrange this alongside the patient's visa.
Typical documents for a medical-treatment visa
The usual set — your consulate may ask for more, which we confirm before you apply.
| Document | Why it's needed |
|---|---|
| Passport | Valid well beyond your trip, with blank pages |
| Hospital invitation / admission letter | Confirms the Chinese hospital will treat you — the core document |
| Application form & photo | The standard visa application |
| Medical summary / records | Supports the hospital's decision and your purpose of travel |
| Proof of funds | Evidence you can cover treatment and stay (varies by consulate) |
How to get your China medical visa
The order that works — HCSG can run the whole thing for you.
Get the hospital to accept your case
Share your medical summary with the hospital's international department so it can agree to treat you and issue the letter.
Obtain the invitation/admission letter
We liaise with the hospital to obtain the official letter — the step that's slowest from abroad.
Apply for the medical visa
Apply at the Chinese embassy, consulate or visa centre serving you, with the letter and supporting documents.
Plan for a long stay if needed
If treatment runs long, we handle the move to a residence permit and arrange an accompanying carer's status.
Start with the hospital letter — it's the long pole
The single biggest cause of delay is leaving the hospital letter to last. A Chinese hospital won't issue an invitation until it has reviewed your case and agreed to treat you, and chasing that from another country, in another language, is slow. So begin there: get your medical summary to the right international department and secure the letter, then build the visa around it. That liaison — on the ground, in language — is exactly what we do for you.
We obtain the letter and prepare the visa — you focus on treatment
Coordinating a hospital and a consulate from abroad, in another language, is where medical trips stall. A China-based team removes that friction. HCSG liaises with the hospital's international department to obtain your invitation or admission letter, confirms the correct visa category for your case, assembles and submits the application, and handles the residence-permit step and a carer's status if you need them. We coordinate the paperwork; your clinical care stays entirely with your doctors.
How HCSG handles this for you
The visa and the hospital letter, coordinated from inside China.
Hospital liaison
We work with the hospital's international department to get your case accepted and the letter issued.
Visa preparation
We confirm the correct category and prepare and submit your medical-visa application with the letter.
Residence permit for long stays
If treatment runs long, we handle the conversion to a residence permit at the right time.
Accompanying carer
We arrange the visa for a family member or carer to travel with you.
The outcome: the hospital letter obtained and the right visa filed — the practical barriers cleared so you can travel for care.
Questions founders ask us
Specific, net-new answers — not a repeat of the guide above.
What visa do I need for medical treatment in China?+
What is a hospital invitation letter?+
Why is the letter the hard part?+
Can I bring a family member or carer?+
What if my treatment takes longer than my visa allows?+
What documents do I need for the visa?+
Does HCSG decide my treatment or hospital?+
How much will it cost?+
Can HCSG handle the letter and the visa together?+
Need a medical visa for China?
Send us your situation — we'll liaise with the hospital for the invitation letter, confirm and file the right visa, and arrange travel and a carer if you need one.
