Patient guide
Plan your trip to Guangzhou
Read this before you book flights. It covers documents, visas, money and what happens at the hospital. Facts checked in October 2026.
01Before you go
Get ready before you fly
Most of the planning happens at home. Visa times vary by country, so start early.
Documents checklist
Tick things off as you get them ready. Start with the essentials.
0 of 19 ready
10 essentials left
ID and visa
0 of 5 readyFor a visa application it needs at least 6 months left and 2 blank pages. Hospitals ask for it at every visit.
Visa-free entry doesn't cover medical care, so plan on a visa. Treatment trips usually come under the S2 visa.
Keep them with your passport, and show them if border officers ask why you're visiting.
Keep photos on your phone and a paper copy in a separate bag.
China only offers IVF to married couples, so bring both passports and the certificate. It usually needs an apostille from the country that issued it. That's official proof that it's genuine.
Medical
0 of 7 readyA summary of your diagnosis and the treatment you've had so far. Not needed for a health check.
Bring the latest written reports for the doctors at the hospital.
Ask the imaging department for two copies on CD or DVD, as DICOM files. They'll know the term. If you only have films, bring those.
Pack enough for the whole trip plus a few spare days. Keep them in your hand luggage with the prescriptions.
Write each medicine's generic name (not the brand) and dose. Add a letter from your doctor. Some brands aren't sold in China.
Strong painkillers, ADHD medicine and some sleeping pills need a letter with your diagnosis. China limits how much you can bring, so check before you pack.
Ask your doctor about routine vaccines and hepatitis A and B. If you're staying a month or more, ask about typhoid and Japanese encephalitis too.
Money and insurance
0 of 3 readyNormal travel insurance usually won't cover planned treatment abroad. Look for cover that includes medical evacuation.
Install one before you fly and link your bank card. Your bank has to approve the link.
Handy for small shops. Many ATMs take foreign cards. You can bring up to 20,000 yuan in cash (about US$3,000).
Travel
0 of 3 readyKeep them in your hand luggage, in case border officers ask about your trip.
Fill it in online before you fly, or at the border. Use the official NIA 12367 app from China's immigration service, and ignore any website that charges for it.
Roaming on your home SIM usually keeps WhatsApp and Google working. Install WeChat and sign up with your own number.
Other
0 of 1 readyChina runs on 220 volts. Check that your chargers say 100–240V.
Don't pack biopsy slides or tissue blocks
Pathology slides and tissue blocks may need customs approval to enter China. Bring the pathology reports instead.
Your ticks are saved in this browser only.
Visas
People from 50 countries can visit China visa-free for up to 30 days. That covers tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchange visits and transit.
Medical care isn't on that list, and that includes check-ups. For any medical trip, apply for a visa before you travel.
Treatment trips usually come under the S2 visa, for private affairs. Your visa centre will tell you which documents it needs.
- Your passport needs at least 6 months left and 2 blank pages.
- In the US, you do an online pre-check, then hand in your passport. A standard visa takes 4 working days from then. US citizens pay US$140 (2026 rate).
- Always give the real reason for your trip. A false statement can now get you banned from China for 1 to 5 years.
- Some countries have two-way visa-free deals with China. They include the UAE, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Check what yours allows before you plan a medical trip.
- If treatment runs longer, apply to extend your stay at the local exit-entry office. Apply at least 7 days before your stay ends. Approval isn't automatic.
Visa rules change often. Check the current rules with your local Chinese visa centre before you book flights.
Flights
These cities have nonstop flights to Guangzhou.
Economy returns from London, North America, Australia and New Zealand cost about US$800 to US$1,100. From Dubai it's about US$640, and from Singapore about US$340 (October 2026 estimates).
Nonstop flight times
- London
- about 12 hours
- Los Angeles
- about 15 hours
- Vancouver
- about 14 hours
- Toronto
- about 15.5 hours
- Sydney
- about 9.5 hours
- Auckland
- about 11.5 hours
- Dubai
- about 7 hours
- Singapore
- about 4 hours
Typical fares from KAYAK and Google Flights route pages, October 2026.
Money
Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly and link your bank card. Most shops and taxis take them, and so do many hospitals.
These apps limit what you can spend with a foreign card. In 2024 the limits rose to US$5,000 a payment and US$50,000 a year. Your app shows your own limit.
Payments under 200 yuan (about US$30) usually cost nothing extra. Bigger foreign-card payments can carry a 3% charge, and your bank may add its own.
- You can change money at banks or at machines in the airport.
- Allow about US$35 a day per person for food and local transport (our estimate).
Many hospitals don't take foreign cards, and big bills can go over the app limits. Plan how you'll pay for treatment before you fly.
Phone and internet
Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and many other apps are blocked on Chinese Wi-Fi and SIM cards. Google Translate was withdrawn from mainland China in 2022.
Roaming on your home SIM usually keeps them working. Some travel eSIMs do too. Before you buy one, check it says these apps work in mainland China.
Download WeChat before you travel and sign up with your own number. You can message us on WeChat or WhatsApp.
- Hotel Wi-Fi blocks the same apps.
- For a local number, carrier counters at major airports usually sell SIM cards. Bring your passport.
Insurance
Normal travel insurance usually won't cover planned treatment abroad. It may not pay for complications either. Read your policy, and ask about specialist cover for planned treatment.
Most people pay for treatment in China themselves. Check what your health plan covers abroad. Buy travel insurance that includes medical evacuation.
If you plan to claim, ask the hospital for itemised receipts. Some insurers can pay a hospital directly, so ask yours before you travel.
What to pack
Pack for a hospital stay as well as a city trip. In Chinese hospitals, patients often bring their own basics.
For the hospital and the trip
- Grippy slippers and loose, comfortable clothes
- Toiletries and a towel
- A cup or water bottle
- Earplugs and an eye mask
- A long charging cable and a universal plug adapter
- Your medicines in their boxes, in your hand luggage
- A warm layer for winter nights, and rain gear from April to September
International wards usually supply more.
02In Guangzhou
What to expect while you're here
We book your appointment and let the hospital know you're coming. At the hospital, its international department helps you. Here's what else to expect.
Your first day
International flights land at Baiyun airport's Terminal 2 or 3, depending on the airline. Check your booking.
If you didn't fill in the arrival card online, do it at the border.
At the hospital
Chinese hospitals work by appointment, and slots usually open 1 to 14 days ahead. We book yours and tell the hospital when you're coming.
When you arrive, go to the hospital's international department (the international patient section) and give your appointment details. Its staff will assist you from there.
Bring your passport to every visit. Hospitals register foreign patients by passport.
How a visit works
A visit usually goes like this. You register and pay, see the doctor, then pay for any tests. After the tests, you see the doctor again with the results.
Some tests can't be done the same day, so you may need to come back another day.
Not every doctor speaks English. The international department is there to help international patients.
Big hospitals are busy, and other patients may be in the room during a consultation. International departments offer more privacy.
How Chinese hospitals work
China sorts its hospitals into three levels, then grades them A or B. Grade 3A means Level 3, the highest, with an A grade. Only about 1 in 20 of China's 38,000 hospitals has it.
Guangzhou has about 50 Grade 3A hospitals. Some have international departments with more privacy and English-speaking staff, at higher prices.
You pay as you go: for each appointment, test or medicine, before you get it. A hospital stay needs a deposit. You may need to top it up, and you get back what's left.
- Standard care follows government price lists. International and premium services are priced by each hospital.
- In 2026 Guangdong named 25 pilot hospitals with separate services for international patients. Seventeen are in Guangzhou.
- In Chinese wards, family usually helps with meals and washing. Think about bringing someone with you.
Staying in Guangzhou
A hotel room in Guangzhou costs about US$60 to US$125 a night (Trip.com averages, October 2026).
Hotels register you with the police at check-in. In a flat or a friend's home, your stay must be registered within 24 hours.
You or your host can do it online in the NIA 12367 app. The first time at a new address, your host has to help.
Serviced apartments may not register guests the way hotels do, so ask when you book.
Getting around
From Terminal 3, a shuttle bus reaches Gaozeng metro station in about 15 minutes. From Terminal 2, Metro Line 3 reaches Tianhe in about 45 minutes.
A taxi from the airport to the city centre takes about 40 to 60 minutes. It costs around US$15 to US$27 (estimate).
- A metro ticket costs about 3 yuan, and taxis start at about 12 yuan (estimates).
- Keep your hotel's and the hospital's addresses in Chinese on your phone to show drivers.
- The fastest trains from Hong Kong's West Kowloon station reach Guangzhou in about 47 minutes. For treatment, you still need a visa for mainland China.
Food and water
Don't drink the tap water. Bottled water is sold everywhere.
A simple meal costs about 20 yuan (about US$3).
Hospital food varies, and families often bring meals in.
Weather by season
Guangzhou is warm and humid, with about 1,900 mm of rain a year. Most of it falls from April to September.
December to February
Mild and fairly dry
Highs of 19–21 °C
Nights drop to about 11 to 13 °C, so bring a warm layer.
March to May
Warm and getting wetter
Highs of 22–30 °C
Rain builds through spring, to about 330 mm in May.
June to September
Hot, humid and wet
Highs of 32–33 °C
June is the wettest month. Typhoons are most likely from July to September.
October and November
Warm and dry
Highs of 25–29 °C
Usually comfortable, though most Octobers still have a few days above 32 °C.
Typhoons can hit between May and November. Build a spare day or two into summer trips in case flights are delayed.
Averages for 1991 to 2020.
Emergencies
In an emergency, call 120 for an ambulance or 110 for the police.
The person who answers may not speak English. If you can, ask someone nearby to help.
What to tell us
Send these through the quote form, WhatsApp or WeChat. We pass them to the hospital, and its specialists give an estimated price. If you go ahead, we book your appointment.
The treatment you need
If you're not sure yet, tell us what you'd like looked at.
Your condition, in your own words
Any diagnosis, and the treatment you've had so far. The specialists use it to estimate a price.
Your medicines and allergies
Generic names and doses, plus any allergies.
When you'd like to come
Rough dates are fine. We book your appointment around them.
Every price is an estimate from the hospital's specialists, based on what you tell us.
Where these facts come from
We checked this guide in October 2026, mostly against official sources. Rules change, so check visas and payment limits again before you travel.
- National Immigration Administration of China (opens in a new tab)
- Embassy of China in the United States (opens in a new tab)
- National Health Commission of China (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China (opens in a new tab)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (opens in a new tab)
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab)
- NHS (opens in a new tab)
- Guangzhou Municipal Government (opens in a new tab)
- Hong Kong Observatory (opens in a new tab)
- Trip.com Guangzhou hotel price averages (Oct 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Numbeo cost of living, Guangzhou (Oct 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- KAYAK route page, London to Guangzhou (Oct 2026) (opens in a new tab)
Next step
Get an estimated price
Tell us what treatment you need. Specialists at the hospital review it and give an estimated price. If you go ahead, we book your appointment.
Prices are estimates. You don't have to go ahead.