What Documents Do Consulates Ask for Medical Travel to China?

China does not issue one nationwide “medical visa.” Most Chinese missions place short-term treatment under an ordinary private-affairs category—commonly S2. Start with China Consular Affairs · Visit China visa. What you must file, and whether a visa is issued, follows the live checklist of the embassy, consulate, or visa center where you apply. Do not treat another country’s post as a national rule.

The core file is a hospital letter, not a visa product name

Consular notes ask for a hospital inpatient certificate or an intended-admission / invitation letter. Names on the letter must match the passport exactly. If family will travel, most posts limit companions to at most two family members and require a companion letter from the same hospital plus kinship proof.

How one post writes S2

The Chinese Embassy in Peru’s Ordinary Visa Notes (25 September 2025) is a useful example. S2 covers short-term family visits (≤180 days) and other private affairs. For medical treatment, submit a hospital inpatient certificate or intended-admission letter. Companions must be family members (no more than two) and must upload kinship proof plus a companion letter from the same hospital. Common files include a passport with over six months’ validity and blank visa pages, plus a compliant photo. Apply at the China visa online portal.

The same notice states that officers may require extra documents or an interview, and that a visa does not guarantee entry: border inspection decides admission under Chinese law.

A deposit asked in one country is not a nationwide threshold

Posts may add extras. The Chinese Embassy in Iran’s Ordinary Visa Notes (12 June 2025), under S2 “medical treatment and other private affairs,” also asks for an original bank deposit certificate of at least USD 10,000, plus the hospital invitation or admission letter. Companions remain at most two family members. Treat that deposit figure as a post-specific extra, not a nationwide rule.

Align the hospital letter with the local checklist first

Ask the intended hospital for an inpatient or intended-admission letter whose names match the passport, with department and approximate dates. If family will travel, request a companion letter for at most two people plus kinship documents. Then open the live checklist where you will file and add any local extras—deposit, itinerary, insurance. How to prepare the visa category and invitation: China medical visa & invitation. How to pack passport, records, imaging, and insurer pre-authorization: China care document pack.

An intended-admission letter means the hospital is willing to assess or receive you. It is not a completed work-up or a locked surgery date. Complete files can still be returned, interviewed, or refused. Lexaid can help request the letter and check passport spelling. It does not replace the hospital or the consular post.