China S2 Visa for Medical Treatment: What the Hospital Letter Must Include

Quick Answer

China does not issue a visa category called a "medical visa". A trip for treatment usually falls under one of three routes:

Route	Who it fits	Key limit
Visa-free entry (30 days)	Passport holders from the 50 countries on China's unilateral visa-free list, including the UK, Canada, Australia, most EU states, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Brazil	Permitted purposes are business, tourism, family visits, exchanges and transit. Medical treatment is not listed as a purpose. Policy currently runs to 31 December 2026
S2 visa	Anyone whose treatment needs a planned stay of up to 180 days, or whose nationality has no visa-free access (for example the United States)	Needs a letter from the Chinese hospital that has accepted you
S1 visa	Treatment or recovery expected to exceed 180 days	Residence permit applied for after arrival

The 240-hour transit exemption (55 countries, including the United States) requires an onward ticket to a third country and is not designed for a return trip for treatment.

The one document that decides an S2 medical application is the hospital's letter. Embassies call it an invitation letter, hospitalization certificate or treatment acceptance letter. It must come from the Chinese hospital that has agreed to treat you, on letterhead, with the hospital's seal.

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Which Route Fits Your Trip

Short consultation, second opinion or diagnostics, under 30 days, visa-free nationality. Many patients enter visa-free. The official purposes are "business, tourism, family reunion, visits to friends, exchange and/or transit"; medical treatment is not named, and border inspection "will examine the purpose of the intended stay" and can deny entry to travellers whose purpose does not meet the waiver (Beijing Municipal Government FAQ based on China Consular Affairs, 2025-05-23). We have found no national guidance that either permits or excludes a short outpatient visit under the waiver, so carry your hospital appointment confirmation, return ticket and accommodation booking, and answer the officer's questions plainly. If your treatment plan may run past 30 days, do not count on extending inside China; apply for an S2 before you leave.

Planned inpatient treatment, or any stay you expect to exceed 30 days. Apply for an S2. Embassies treat "medical treatment" as a recognized private-affairs purpose under S2 and list specific documents for it (see below).

US passport holders and other non-exempt nationalities. S2 for any treatment trip. Transit exemption does not apply to a trip whose purpose is China itself.

Family coming with you. Embassies generally allow up to two accompanying close relatives on S2, with their own hospital-issued "accompany certificate" and proof of kinship.

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What Embassies Ask For

Document lists are set by each Chinese embassy or consulate and vary slightly. Two current official lists:

Chinese Embassy in Iraq, notice of 22 October 2024 (source). For medical treatment:

• a. Invitation letter or certificate of hospitalization;
• b. Bank statement, closing balance no less than US$10,000;
• c. For an accompanying family member: original and photocopy of the family relationship certificate, plus a "patient accompany admission" issued by the Chinese hospital.

Chinese Embassy in Türkiye, S1/S2 required-documents list (source, PDF). For "Medical Purpose and Accompany Person (2 persons only, close relatives only)":

• Invitation letter, inpatient certificate or treatment acceptance letter issued by the Chinese treating hospital;
• Accompany certificate issued by the same hospital;
• Family relationship certificate (spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents and similar);
• Original bank deposit certificate, not less than US$10,000;
• Round-trip flight ticket;
• If required, the original diagnosis certificate from a hospital in the applicant's home country;
• If required, a "confirmation letter of invitation" from the Chinese hospital.

Chinese Embassy in the UAE, visa information updated May 2025 (source): "For medical treatment, please provide hospitalization or acceptance certificates by medical institutions; Caregivers should be less than two family members and notarization of family relation and accompanying certificates by the same medical institution need to be provided as well."

Documents every applicant submits, in addition to the above: a passport valid for at least six months with blank pages; the online application form completed at the COVA portal, printed and signed; a recent photo to the embassy's specification; proof of legal residence if you are applying outside your country of nationality; and any previous Chinese visas.

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The Hospital Letter: A Checklist

Embassies describe the letter by function rather than by a fixed template, so the practical test is whether a consular officer can see from it who you are, which hospital has accepted you, for what, and for how long. Ask the hospital's international department to include:

• Your identity exactly as in your passport: full name, passport number, date of birth, nationality.
• The hospital's identity: full official name in Chinese and English, address, the department accepting you, and a named contact with phone or email.
• What you are being accepted for: the diagnosis or reason for treatment and the proposed treatment or admission. Embassy lists refer to a "treatment acceptance letter" or "certificate of hospitalization", so the letter should state acceptance clearly.
• Dates: expected admission or first-visit date and the expected length of treatment. For stays over 180 days, say so; that moves you to S1.
• Accompanying persons: names and passport numbers of up to two close relatives, if they will come, and a separate "accompany certificate" for them.
• Signature and seal: signed by an authorized person and stamped with the hospital's official seal. Some embassies may ask for a further confirmation letter.
• Language: Chinese or English.

Letters from medical travel agencies, clinics without inpatient capacity, or anyone other than the treating hospital are not what the embassy lists describe. Medvoyal does not issue invitation letters and cannot obtain one on your behalf; the hospital issues it after it has reviewed your case and agreed to accept you.

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Timelines You Don't Control

1. Hospital review. The international department needs your records first. See our guide on getting a second opinion on China test results for how records reach a hospital without going through our website.
2. Letter issuance. Hospitals do not publish turnaround times. Third-party medical-travel guides report three to seven business days for straightforward cases and up to three weeks where a cost estimate or pre-admission review is needed; treat these as unofficial. Ask the international department for its own estimate when you send your records.
3. Appointment booking and processing. Applications go through the COVA online form and, in most countries, an in-person appointment at the embassy or a visa center. Standard processing is typically four working days after submission; some posts offer no express service.
4. Your own documents. Bank statements, kinship notarization and translations take time to assemble. Start before the hospital letter arrives.

Build the trip around the visa, not the other way round. Do not book non-refundable flights or hospital deposits before the visa is issued.

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FAQ

Can I enter visa-free and then apply for an S2 inside China? Changing status inside China is at the discretion of the local exit-entry administration and is not something to plan on. If you know you need an S2, apply before departure.

Does a Grade 3A hospital have to issue the letter? Embassy lists say "the Chinese treating hospital" or "medical institutions", and we found no official list that restricts this to Grade 3A public hospitals. Third-party guides often recommend Grade 3A or registered international hospitals because consular officers can verify them easily. Some public hospitals say they do not issue "invitation letters" as such; what they issue is a hospitalization or treatment acceptance certificate, which is what the embassy lists actually ask for. If in doubt, ask the consulate serving your country which document name it expects.

How much money do I need to show? Two embassies list a bank balance or deposit of at least US$10,000. Others may differ. Check the list published by the embassy where you will apply.

Can my spouse and a parent both come? Embassy lists allow up to two accompanying close relatives, each needing kinship proof and a hospital-issued accompany certificate.

Is the visa-free policy going to continue after 2026? As of this guide's review date, the unilateral policy for most countries runs to 31 December 2026 and no extension had been announced. Check before you book.

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Next Step

Tell us which hospital you are in contact with and your rough dates. We will check your document list against the embassy page for your country and tell you what to ask the hospital to include. This is non-clinical planning help; visa decisions are made by the consulate, and Medvoyal cannot expedite or guarantee any application.

Visa rules change. This guide is reviewed every two months; confirm current requirements with the Chinese embassy or consulate where you will apply. Not legal or medical advice. In an emergency in China, call 120.