Getting into China for a buying trip
For a large number of passports, a buying trip to Foshan now needs no visa at all. Knowing which route applies to yours is a fifteen-minute job that used to take a fortnight.
China's entry rules changed substantially over the past two years and have kept moving. For many buyers the old routine — invitation letter, consulate appointment, passport surrendered for a week — is simply gone.
Because these policies change by announcement, treat what follows as the shape of the system and confirm the current detail with your nearest Chinese embassy or visa centre before you book.
Unilateral visa-free entry
China has extended visa-free entry to a long list of countries — around fifty at the time of writing, including Australia, New Zealand, most of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. The permitted stay is commonly thirty days.
The scheme has been extended in stages and currently runs to the end of 2026, with further expansion signalled. Business visits, including buying trips and factory visits, are within the permitted purposes.
What this means practically: if your passport is on the list, you book a flight and go. No invitation letter, no consulate, no fee.
The 240-hour transit rule
If your passport is not on the unilateral list, the transit rule may still cover you. Nationals of a wider group of countries — over fifty — may enter visa-free for up to 240 hours, ten days, when transiting to a third country through one of the designated ports.
The conditions are specific: you must hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country, enter and exit through eligible ports, and stay within the permitted regions. Guangdong province is covered, and Guangzhou Baiyun and Shenzhen Bao'an are both eligible ports, which suits a Foshan trip perfectly.
The catch is the third country. Home to China to home does not qualify; home to China to somewhere else does. Buyers routinely satisfy this by routing through Hong Kong, Singapore or Bangkok on the way out.
When you still want an M visa
The business M visa remains the right choice in three situations: your passport is on neither list; you need to stay longer than thirty days; or you travel to China frequently and want a multi-entry visa valid for years rather than repeating an entry process each time.
An M visa application typically wants an invitation letter from a Chinese company, and this is where your supplier or agent helps. The letter states who you are, why you are coming, how long you will stay and who is responsible for you. Any established Foshan factory or sourcing agent can issue one; ask early, because it takes a few days.
Multi-entry M visas of one to ten years are issued to some nationalities and are worth having if buying in China is part of your normal business year.
Practical arrival details
Fill in the arrival card, keep your hotel booking and return ticket accessible, and expect fingerprinting at immigration. If you stay in a hotel, it registers your address for you; if you stay in a private apartment, you must register with the local police station within twenty-four hours, and that obligation is enforced.
Set up your payment apps and a SIM or eSIM before you arrive, because the first thing you will need at the airport is a taxi and the second is a way to pay for it.
Give yourself a buffer day if your trip has a hard commitment at the other end. Entry is straightforward now, but a missed connection into an eligible transit port is a genuinely awkward problem to solve at a counter.
