China visa invitation letter: what it must contain

The China visa invitation letter for a business application: every item the embassy requires, who may issue it, whether a copy is accepted, and the free fair route.

Important: ChinaBridge is a private Nigerian company, not the Chinese Embassy, Visa Application Service Centre, or any government agency. We simply help you prepare and review your application. You submit it yourself and pay official fees directly to the Centre. No agent can approve or guarantee a visa.

The invitation letter is one of the most important documents in a Nigerian M-business visa application.

And the biggest mistake is treating every invitation as the same document.

For a normal first-time M-visa application in 2026, China asks for:

Invitation Letter (TE) or Verification Letter of Invitation

plus:

the ordinary invitation letter from the Chinese company or individual inviting you.

If you have travelled to China before, the formal:

TE / Verification Letter

may be waived.

But the ordinary invitation from your Chinese inviter still matters.

That distinction is the first thing to get right.

What does a first-time Nigerian M-visa applicant need? #

China's updated Nigeria visa guidelines of 20 May 2026 say an M-visa applicant should provide:

Invitation Letter (TE) or Verification Letter of Invitation

and:

an invitation letter issued by the inviting party in China.

The TE or Verification Letter is processed by the inviting party inside China.

So for a first-time applicant, do not tell the supplier:

“Just send me one invitation letter.”

Ask whether they can also arrange the required:

TE or Verification Letter of Invitation.

What changes if you have visited China before? #

The same 2026 guidance says:

non-first-time visitors may be exempt from providing the Invitation Letter (TE) or Verification Letter of Invitation.

That does not mean:

“repeat travellers need no invitation.”

The regular invitation from the Chinese inviter remains part of the M-visa file.

The exemption is specifically for the formal:

TE / Verification Letter.

What must the ordinary invitation letter contain? #

China publishes the list.

A proper M-visa invitation should cover four areas.

1. Your personal details #

The letter should state:

• full name
• gender
• date of birth
• passport number.

Your name should match the passport exactly.

If the passport says:

CHUKWUDI CHARLES NWAFOR

do not let the supplier write:

CHARLES C. NWAFOR

because:

“That is what everybody calls me.”

Visa documents are not the place for nicknames.

2. Why you are going to China #

The invitation should explain the purpose of the trip.

For a Nigerian trader, that might be:

supplier meeting

factory inspection

commercial negotiation

product sourcing

order discussion

or:

trade-fair attendance.

Avoid vague wording such as:

“Business visit.”

A clearer purpose is:

“To visit our Guangzhou office and Foshan production facility to inspect samples and discuss the purchase of ceramic tiles for import into Nigeria.”

That tells the officer what the trip actually is.

3. Your travel dates and itinerary #

The letter should state:

arrival date

departure date

places you will visit

and:

the itinerary.

Those dates should match:

your visa application

flight booking

and:

hotel booking.

If the invitation says:

15–22 October

but the application says:

12–30 October,

you have created a question that did not need to exist.

4. Your relationship with the inviter #

The letter should explain how the Chinese company or person knows you.

For example:

existing customer

prospective buyer

distributor

business partner

or:

buyer visiting for first commercial discussions.

Be accurate.

If this is your first meeting, say so.

You do not need to invent a five-year business relationship because you think:

“old customer sounds stronger.”

A genuine first meeting is still a legitimate commercial purpose.

Who is paying for the trip? #

The official invitation requirements also ask for the:

financial source for the visit.

That means the letter should make clear who pays for things such as:

flight

hotel

local transport

and:

daily expenses.

For many Nigerian buyers, the simplest wording is that:

the applicant or applicant's company bears all travel and accommodation expenses.

If the Chinese inviter genuinely pays for some costs, state that accurately.

The financial story should agree with your China visa bank statement.

What must be included about the Chinese inviter? #

For an organisation, the invitation should show:

• company name
• contact telephone number
• address
• company seal
• signature of the inviter or legal representative.

This is why a plain Word document saying:

“We invite Mr Charles to China”

with no company details and no chop is not enough.

The letter should clearly identify who is standing behind the invitation.

The company chop matters #

For a company invitation, the current Nigeria guidance expressly requires the:

organisation's seal.

In China, that normally means the red company chop.

Do not accept:

logo only

or:

typed company name only

because the supplier says:

“This is our normal letterhead.”

Ask for the proper company seal.

Who should sign it? #

The official wording allows the signature of:

the inviting individual

or:

the legal representative of the organisation.

For a company invitation, the safest version is:

company chop + authorised/legal representative signature.

Ask your supplier to use the person their company normally uses for foreign invitation documents.

There is one more sentence people forget #

The 2026 guideline says the inviter should expressly undertake that the applicant will:

comply with Chinese laws and regulations

and:

leave China according to schedule.

This is easy to leave out because it sounds ceremonial.

But it is in the published requirement.

Put it in.

A simple closing can say that the company understands the visitor will comply with Chinese law during the visit and depart within the stated travel period.

The full invitation-letter checklist #

Before accepting the PDF, check:

APPLICANT

✓ Full name exactly as passport

✓ Gender

✓ Date of birth

✓ Passport number

TRIP

✓ Business purpose

✓ Arrival date

✓ Departure date

✓ City or cities

✓ Itinerary

✓ Relationship with inviter

✓ Source of trip expenses

CHINESE INVITER

✓ Full company/person name

✓ Telephone

✓ Full address

✓ Company seal where applicable

✓ Authorised/legal representative signature

UNDERTAKING

✓ Compliance with Chinese laws

✓ Departure according to schedule

That checklist comes directly from China's current Nigeria-specific M-visa guidance.

Who can invite you? #

The official wording allows an:

individual or entity in China.

For Nigerian traders, the usual routes are:

Your supplier #

This is the most straightforward route when you already buy from the company.

A prospective supplier #

You do not need to have placed an order already.

A genuine trip to inspect samples, tour the factory or negotiate an order is still a commercial visit.

A Chinese sourcing company #

Fine if it is a real company and it is genuinely hosting or arranging your business visit.

A trade fair #

For Canton Fair, the Fair itself provides an official invitation route for overseas buyers.

Should you pay a stranger for an invitation letter? #

Do not.

A person whose only relationship with you is:

“Pay me and I will send invitation”

is not describing a genuine business relationship.

China's current Canton Fair visa notice also specifically warns applicants about forged documents and says the applicant is responsible for the consequences.

Your invitation should come from the real commercial activity behind the trip.

Can the supplier email you the invitation? #

China's older official Embassy instructions state that an invitation can generally be:

fax

photocopy

or:

computer printout,

although the consular officer may ask to see the original.

The Nigeria-specific instructions also expressly described the formal Invitation Letter TE as acceptable as a:

printout or photocopy.

In practice, that means your Chinese supplier can normally send the completed, signed and stamped document electronically for you to print.

But keep the original available if the Chinese company can provide it and the visa authority requests it.

Scan quality matters #

Do not submit a:

dark photograph

crooked WhatsApp screenshot

or:

blurred scan where half the chop is missing.

Ask the Chinese company to send:

a proper PDF scan.

Check:

every corner

signature

seal

and:

company details

before uploading it.

The company name must match everywhere #

This is one of the easiest errors to prevent.

Suppose the inviter is:

Guangzhou ABC Lighting Technology Co., Ltd.

Use that same company name consistently on:

invitation

visa application

itinerary

and any other document referring to the inviter.

Do not write:

ABC Lighting

in one place and:

Guangzhou ABC Import Export Company

in another unless those really are different entities and the relationship is explained.

Consistency makes a file easier to understand.

What should you send the supplier? #

Do not make the supplier ask five times for your information.

Send one clean message containing:

Full name: exactly as passport

Gender

Date of birth

Passport number

Nationality: Nigerian

Expected arrival date

Expected departure date

Cities to visit

Purpose of trip

Who pays the expenses

and:

your company name in Nigeria.

Then say:

“Please prepare the invitation for my China M-business visa, signed and stamped with the company seal.”

If this is your first China trip, also ask:

“Can your company arrange the Invitation Letter TE or Verification Letter of Invitation required for a first-time Nigerian applicant?”

That question can save days of back-and-forth.

Do not send more passport information than necessary to random people #

Your supplier needs the details for the invitation.

A stranger offering to:

“help arrange invitation”

does not.

Send passport information only to the actual company/person involved in your visa file.

The Canton Fair route is different #

For the 140th Canton Fair, the Lagos Visa Application Centre published a special visa procedure for overseas buyers holding a valid Fair invitation.

The Fair runs:

Phase 1: 15–19 October 2026

Phase 2: 23–27 October 2026

Phase 3: 31 October–4 November 2026.

Those dates are now confirmed on the official Canton Fair site.

So there is no need to rely on secondary sources for the 140th session.

The Canton Fair invitation is free to apply for #

Canton Fair's Buyer E-Service Tool — BEST — is the Fair's free overseas-buyer self-service platform.

The Fair says overseas buyers can use it to:

apply for an invitation

pre-register

apply for buyer credentials

and:

search exhibitors and products.

Use the Fair's official buyer system.

Do not pay somebody simply because they tell you:

“Canton Fair invitation costs $200.”

The 140th Canton Fair has a special Nigeria visa route #

This is important for first-time Nigerian visitors.

The Lagos China Visa Application Centre's 27 August 2026 notice says applicants holding a valid Canton Fair invitation can apply for an:

M-category visa

under the Fair procedure.

The Chinese-language version of the Visa Centre notice goes further and states that during this special Fair process:

first-time China applicants do not need to submit the Invitation Verification Letter or Invitation Letter TE.

That makes the Fair invitation especially useful for a first-time Nigerian buyer.

Do not mix the normal M-visa checklist with the Fair checklist #

The normal May 2026 M-visa guideline asks for:

six months of bank statements.

But the special 140th Canton Fair notice published by the Lagos Visa Centre asks Fair applicants for:

• Canton Fair invitation
• flight booking
• hotel booking
• Nigerian CAC/business licence
• company introduction letter
• three months of bank statements.

That is a special published procedure for the 140th session.

If you are applying specifically through the Fair process, follow the current Canton Fair notice rather than combining random requirements from several older pages.

The special Fair process also has its own dates #

The Lagos Visa Centre says it accepts 140th Canton Fair visa applications during its published Fair application window.

It also says ordinary processing after document submission is around:

four working days

and that:

expedited service is not offered for the Fair visa procedure.

Apply early.

Do not wait until the week your flight leaves.

What should you write as the inviting party for Canton Fair? #

The current Lagos notice instructs applicants to enter:

“140TH Session of China Import and Export Fair”

as the inviting party in the relevant section of the online visa application.

Use the wording shown by the current Visa Centre notice.

Do not invent a Guangzhou supplier as inviter if your application is actually based on the Canton Fair invitation.

Which route is better: supplier or Canton Fair? #

If you are genuinely attending Canton Fair:

use the Fair invitation route.

It is official.

It is tied directly to the reason for your trip.

And for the current 140th Fair procedure it gives first-time Nigerian buyers a published route without the normal TE/Verification Letter requirement.

If you are travelling outside Fair season to visit:

factory

supplier

or:

market,

use the real Chinese commercial inviter.

Do not manufacture a Fair trip simply because you think the invitation is easier.

A simple supplier invitation workflow #

Step 1 #

Confirm the company you are actually visiting.

Step 2 #

Send your passport details and proposed dates.

Step 3 #

If first-time traveller, ask about:

TE / Verification Letter.

Step 4 #

Supplier prepares:

ordinary company invitation.

Step 5 #

Check:

name

passport number

dates

trip purpose

funding

company name

address

phone

seal

signature

and:

law/departure undertaking.

Step 6 #

Make sure the same information appears in:

COVA/online application

flight

hotel

and:

itinerary.

Then submit.

Common invitation mistakes #

Wrong passport number #

One digit wrong can make the invitation unusable.

Check it character by character.

Wrong dates #

Supplier copies dates from an old template.

Fix them.

Different company name #

The name on the invitation does not match the company you entered in the application.

Fix it.

No company chop #

Ask for the official seal.

No financial source #

State who is paying.

No relationship with applicant #

Explain whether you are:

customer

prospective buyer

or:

business partner.

No legal-compliance undertaking #

Add it.

Invitation says tourism #

You are applying for an M-business visa.

Your purpose should describe real commercial activity.

Do not write a novel #

The letter does not need to be four pages long.

It needs to be:

complete

specific

and:

consistent.

One well-written page can do the job.

The purpose is not to impress the officer.

It is to answer every required question without creating another one.

A final invitation checklist #

Before uploading:

YOUR DETAILS

✓ Passport spelling correct?

✓ Passport number correct?

✓ Date of birth correct?

THE TRIP

✓ Purpose stated?

✓ Arrival and departure dates?

✓ Cities?

✓ Itinerary?

✓ Relationship with inviter?

✓ Who pays?

THE INVITER

✓ Correct legal company name?

✓ Address?

✓ Telephone?

✓ Company seal?

✓ Signature?

THE UNDERTAKING

✓ Obey Chinese laws?

✓ Leave on schedule?

FIRST-TIME TRAVELLER

✓ TE or Verification Letter available?

Or:

✓ Applying under the current Canton Fair special route?

If every line is answered, the invitation is doing its job.

The short answer #

For a normal Nigerian M-business visa application in 2026:

first-time China visitor

normally needs:

TE / Verification Letter + ordinary Chinese invitation.

A:

repeat visitor

may be exempt from the TE/Verification Letter, but the regular business invitation remains part of the file.

The invitation should contain:

your identity

purpose

dates

cities/itinerary

relationship with inviter

source of expenses

inviter's contact details

company seal/signature

and:

an undertaking that you will follow Chinese law and leave on schedule.

For the 140th Canton Fair, however, the current Nigeria Visa Centre has published a special M-visa process using the official Canton Fair invitation, with first-time applicants exempt from the normal TE/Verification Letter requirement under that Fair procedure.

For the full application, continue with how to apply for China visa in Nigeria.

For the Fair route, use how to get a Canton Fair invitation letter from Nigeria.

And before uploading anything, check China visa application form guide.

First published 24 Sep 2026. Last checked 24 Sep 2026 by The ChinaBridge desk. Something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.