ChinaBridge GlobalNigeria's China trade desk
Home › Guides › China Visa

Documents for a China business visa in Nigeria: the full list

The documents for a China business visa in Nigeria and what each is for: passport, photo, online form, invitation, six months of bank statements, company papers.

Guide China Visa Updated The ChinaBridge desk 14 min read
A neat stack on a desk: Nigerian passport, printed bank statements, a passport photo on white background, a CAC certificate, and a printed invitation letter, fa

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.

China Business Visa Requirements for Nigerians in 2026: M Visa Documents Checklist

If you are applying for a China business visa from Nigeria, the visa category you normally need for commercial and trade activities is the M visa.

The basic documents are straightforward.

But there are two different situations Nigerian traders should understand:

A normal China M visa application

and

a Canton Fair M visa application.

The supporting-document requirements are not exactly the same.

For a normal M visa, the current China visa guidance for Nigerian citizens requires your passport, online application, photograph, business invitation documents, six months of personal or company bank statements, and your China itinerary including flight and hotel arrangements.

For the Canton Fair, the Visa Application Centre can publish a separate checklist for that particular session.

This guide explains every document, what it should contain and the mistakes that can delay a China business visa application from Nigeria.

China business visa documents for Nigerians: quick checklist #

For a normal M visa application, prepare:

Depending on the purpose of your trip, your Nigerian company documents may also become relevant.

For Canton Fair applications, check the separate section below because the requirements can be different.

1. Your Nigerian passport #

Your passport is the first thing to check.

For a China visa application, it should have:

Bring the original passport.

You will also need a clear copy or scan of the passport information page for the online application.

Do not wait until every other document is ready before checking your passport expiry date.

If the passport is close to the six-month limit, renewing it first is safer than building the entire visa application around a document that may not be accepted.

2. Passport data-page copy #

You need a clear photocopy or scanned copy of the page showing your:

The information you enter into the China visa application must match this page exactly.

If your passport says:

NWANKWO CHINEDU PAUL

do not enter:

CHINEDU NWANKWO

because that is how you normally write your name elsewhere.

Follow the passport.

3. Complete the China visa application online #

China now uses an online visa application process in Nigeria.

You complete the application online and upload the required supporting documents.

The application first goes through an online preliminary review.

If something is missing, you may be asked to:

When the application reaches the passport-submission stage, follow the instructions issued through the system and print the required Visa Application Certificate or confirmation document.

Our step-by-step China visa application guide explains the full process.

4. Make every detail on the application match #

Consistency matters.

Your:

should make sense across the application.

For example, if your invitation says:

15 October to 4 November

but your visa form says:

10 October to 20 November

check why before submitting.

A difference may be completely explainable.

But unexplained contradictions can create unnecessary questions.

5. China visa photograph #

You need a recent passport photograph.

The standard China visa photograph is approximately:

33mm × 48mm

It should normally be:

The online application also requires a digital photograph.

When taking the photograph at a studio, ask for:

China visa photograph — 33mm × 48mm

and request the digital file at the same time.

Do not heavily edit the face.

The photograph should still look like the person presenting the passport.

6. The invitation documents #

For a normal M visa, the invitation is one of the most important parts of the application.

Under the current Nigerian M-visa guidance, a first-time China applicant may need:

Invitation Letter (TE) or Verification Letter

together with an invitation issued by the organisation or company in China.

The TE or Verification Letter is arranged through the inviting party in China.

Applicants who have previously travelled to China may be exempt from submitting the TE or Verification Letter under the current rules.

That does not necessarily mean the ordinary Chinese invitation itself disappears.

7. What should the Chinese invitation letter contain? #

The invitation from China should clearly contain the applicant's information.

That normally includes:

It should also explain the visit:

The Chinese inviting organisation's details should include:

The invitation should also contain the required undertaking concerning compliance with Chinese laws and departure from China as planned.

Check every passport number and spelling before submitting it.

One wrong passport digit can turn a perfectly good invitation into a problem.

8. Canton Fair invitation letter #

If you are travelling specifically for the Canton Fair, the process can be simpler because the fair issues official invitations to registered overseas buyers.

A genuine Canton Fair invitation identifies you as an invited buyer attending the China Import and Export Fair.

Our Canton Fair invitation letter guide explains how Nigerian buyers can obtain one.

Do not buy a fake Canton Fair invitation from somebody on WhatsApp.

Get the invitation through the official buyer-registration process or another legitimate authorised route.

9. Important: Canton Fair documents can be different #

Do not assume the normal M-visa checklist and the Canton Fair checklist are identical.

For the 140th Canton Fair in October 2026, the Visa Application Centre published a specific checklist asking applicants to prepare:

That is important because the normal M-visa guidance asks for six months of bank statements, while the special 140th Canton Fair notice asks for three months.

Follow the checklist that applies to the application route you are actually using.

10. Bank statement for China business visa #

For a normal M visa, the current official requirement is:

Bank statements for the previous six months

from either:

the applicant

or

the applicant's company.

There is no official minimum balance published in the general Nigerian M-visa guidance.

So be careful with anybody saying:

“You must have exactly ₦5 million.”

or:

“The minimum is ₦10 million.”

There is no universal official figure stated in the published requirement.

The statement should instead make financial sense for the trip you are proposing.

What should a good bank statement show? #

The statement should be genuine.

It should also be consistent with the rest of your application.

For example, someone describing themselves as an established trader would normally expect their financial records to make sense in the context of that business.

What matters is not simply one large closing balance.

The visa authority may consider the overall application and can request additional evidence when necessary.

Never manufacture transactions or submit an altered bank statement to make the account look stronger.

False documents can create far more serious problems than an ordinary weak application.

Personal or company bank statement? #

Either may be used under the published M-visa requirement.

If you submit a company statement, it helps if the rest of your documents clearly show your relationship with that company.

For example:

The visa officer should not have to guess why a company's bank account is being used to support your personal visa application.

11. Do you need CAC documents? #

For the normal M-visa checklist, CAC documents are not separately listed as one of the universal core supporting documents.

But they can be useful where your application is based on your Nigerian business.

And for some application routes they become specifically required.

For example, the 140th Canton Fair 2026 application notice specifically asks for the CAC business licence of the introducing Nigerian company and a company introduction letter.

If you run a registered Nigerian business, useful company papers can therefore include:

Do not upload twenty unrelated company documents simply because you have them.

Submit what is relevant to the purpose of the application and what the current checklist requests.

12. Company introduction letter #

For a Canton Fair or business-related application, a company introduction letter can explain:

Keep it short.

One clear page is normally more useful than three pages of company history.

The purpose is to explain the business reason for the trip.

13. Flight booking #

Flight documentation is not merely an optional extra under the current normal M-visa guidance.

The published Nigerian M-visa requirements include a China itinerary containing air tickets and hotel orders.

For Canton Fair applications, the relevant notice asks for flight and hotel bookings.

Make sure the dates match:

Where possible, choose booking arrangements that reduce your financial risk if the visa is delayed or refused.

Do not assume visa approval until the visa has actually been issued.

14. Hotel booking #

Your hotel booking should cover the relevant period of your planned stay.

The name on the booking should be clear.

If you will visit several Chinese cities, your accommodation plan should make sense with the itinerary.

For example:

Guangzhou → Shenzhen → Guangzhou

is understandable if your invitation and travel purpose support it.

The hotel does not need to be the most expensive hotel in Guangzhou.

It simply needs to be a genuine booking consistent with the trip.

15. Your China itinerary #

Keep the itinerary practical.

For a Canton Fair buyer, it could look like:

Day 1 — Arrive Guangzhou

Days 2–5 — Canton Fair

Day 6 — Supplier meetings

Day 7 — Guangzhou wholesale markets

Day 8 — Shenzhen supplier visit

Day 9 — Return to Guangzhou

Day 10 — Depart China

Do not fill the itinerary with activities you do not actually intend to do.

Simple and believable is better.

16. Travel history #

Travel history is not listed as a separate mandatory M-visa supporting document in the general checklist.

But the visa application asks about previous travel and previous Chinese visas.

Answer those questions accurately.

If you previously travelled to China, enter that information correctly.

This is particularly important because under the current M-visa rules, previous China travellers may be exempt from providing the TE or Verification Letter required from first-time applicants.

Do not invent trips or visas.

17. Previous China visas #

If you previously held a Chinese visa, keep the details available.

If the previous visa is in an old passport, retain that passport if you still have it.

The application system or Visa Centre may request evidence depending on your circumstances.

Previous travel does not guarantee a new visa.

Every application is considered on its own circumstances.

18. Do you need a yellow fever card for the visa? #

A yellow fever vaccination certificate is not listed among the standard M-visa application documents.

But that does not mean you should travel without one.

China requires proof of yellow fever vaccination from travellers arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission, which includes Nigeria.

So think of the yellow fever card as:

a travel and entry-health document

rather than one of the standard China business visa application documents.

Keep it with your passport when travelling.

19. Do you need a police character certificate? #

A police character certificate is not part of the standard published M-visa checklist.

Some long-term visa categories can have different requirements.

For an ordinary short-term M business visa, do not automatically pay someone to obtain a police certificate unless your particular application has specifically been asked for one.

20. Do you need a marriage or birth certificate? #

Not for an ordinary M business visa simply because you are travelling for trade.

Marriage and birth certificates are normally relevant to visa categories involving family relationships.

Do not confuse requirements for:

with an M business visa.

21. Are fingerprints required in 2026? #

This has changed.

For short-term Chinese visa applications with an intended stay of 180 days or less, fingerprint collection is currently exempt until:

31 December 2026.

That includes the ordinary short-term M business visa.

Fingerprints are still required for categories connected with residence permits, including:

So an article telling every Nigerian M-visa applicant in 2026 that fingerprints are compulsory is now outdated.

The Visa Application Centre can still require passport submission, document verification or other biometric/identity procedures where applicable.

22. What happens after the online application? #

The current process begins online.

You:

  1. Create an account
  2. Complete the visa form
  3. Upload the supporting documents
  4. Submit for preliminary review
  5. Correct or add documents if requested
  6. Wait until the application reaches passport-submission stage
  7. Print the Visa Application Certificate or confirmation requested
  8. Submit your passport and required originals/documents
  9. Pay the applicable fees
  10. Wait for processing
  11. Collect or receive your passport according to the available service

The online approval is not the visa itself.

It means the application has moved to the next stage.

23. Lagos China Visa Application Centre #

If you are applying through Lagos, note that the Visa Application Centre moved in 2026.

The current Lagos location is:

3rd Floor, Purple Mall
Freedom Way
Lekki Phase 1
Lagos, Nigeria

Do not use an old blog or Google result that still sends you to the previous Manor House address.

The most common document mistakes #

Before submitting, check for these:

Wrong passport number #

Compare the invitation with the passport character by character.

Different travel dates #

Make your:

consistent.

Wrong name order #

Use the passport exactly.

Invitation missing company details #

The Chinese inviter's contact information, address and required company details should be complete.

Weak scans #

Do not upload dark, blurred or cropped documents.

Fake financial documents #

Never alter a bank statement.

Unrelated company bank statement #

If a company is funding the trip, make your connection to that company clear.

Applying with an old checklist #

China's visa procedures have changed repeatedly.

Use the requirements for the year and application route you are actually applying under.

Normal M visa vs Canton Fair visa documents #

For a normal business M visa, think:

Passport + online application + photo + Chinese invitation documents + six months bank statements + flights + hotel + itinerary.

For a Canton Fair application, check the notice for that particular fair.

For the 140th Canton Fair in 2026, the published checklist includes:

Passport + photo + Canton Fair invitation + flight/hotel bookings + CAC + company introduction letter + three months bank statements.

That difference is worth remembering.

China business visa documents checklist before submission #

Put these in one folder:

Then compare every document against the passport one final time.

The short version #

For a Nigerian applying for a China business visa in 2026, start with the invitation and passport.

Then prepare your:

online application → photograph → bank statements → flight → hotel → business documents → final submission.

If this is your first trip to China, pay particular attention to the current invitation requirements.

If you are attending the Canton Fair, use the specific Canton Fair checklist for that session rather than assuming the general M-visa list is identical.

And do not rely on old information saying every M-visa applicant must provide fingerprints.

For short-term M visas of 180 days or less, the current fingerprint exemption runs through 31 December 2026.

Our step-by-step China visa application guide covers the application process.

If you still need the invitation, read how to get a Canton Fair invitation letter from Nigeria.

For planning, see how long a China visa takes in Nigeria and how much a China visa costs in Nigeria.

And if the purpose of your trip is the fair itself, start with our complete how to attend the Canton Fair from Nigeria guide.

First published 27 Sep 2026. Last checked 27 Sep 2026 by The ChinaBridge desk. Something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.

Useful? Share

Start here, it takes about two minutes

Tell us what you need. A person from the ChinaBridge desk will reply on WhatsApp, usually the same working day.

Buying, selling, shipping, a visa or the paperwork, it is the same desk. Nothing is payable to open a file, and nothing is due until you have agreed a plan in writing.

Or talk to a person on WhatsApp

Tagged: china visa, documents, bank statement, photo, invitation letter, m visa

Ask us before you send money

Tell us what you want to buy and where it is going. A person from the desk replies on WhatsApp, usually the same working day, with a straight answer even if the answer is no.

Talk to our team on WhatsApp

Questions and comments

Ask anything about this. We read every one and answer here so the next person benefits too.

We check every comment before it appears, so nobody can drop a fake agent number under our writing.
Start my fileWhatsApp