Asia· Visa support
China visa requirements from Nigeria
Nigerian passport holders need a visa for China, and the category you apply under is decided by why you are going — a sourcing or trade-fair trip is a business application, not a tourist one. The document that carries the most weight is the invitation: from a Chinese host company, a supplier, or the organiser of the fair you are attending. Without it, a business application has very little to stand on.
- Nigerian passport
- Visa required
- Typical processing
- 10–15 business days
- Government fee
- USD 168 (business / tourist, single entry)
- Paid to the embassy. Rayonner's fee is separate and quoted before you commit.
Who needs a visa for China?
By passport, for the nationalities we most often process. Where an answer is conditional it depends on the length of your stay, the purpose of the trip, or what other visas you already hold — tell us your situation and we will confirm it.
- Nigerian passportVisa required
- Ghanaian passportVisa required
- Kenyan passportVisa required
- South African passportVisa required
- British passportVisa required
- American passportVisa required
- Canadian passportVisa required
China visa requirements: what you need
The document set we work to. Missions ask for additional items depending on the visa class and your circumstances, and we tell you which apply to you before anything is submitted.
- International passport valid for at least 6 months past travel
- Recent passport-style photograph (white background)
- Completed Chinese visa application form (Rayonner walks you through it)
- Invitation letter from a Chinese host, business, or trade-fair organiser
- Confirmed return air ticket and hotel reservation
- Bank statement for the last 3 months
- Employment letter or business registration (depending on visa type)
What actually decides a China application
Nearly every China application we handle is commercial. Buyers heading to the Canton Fair, importers going to Yiwu or the Guangzhou wholesale markets, and manufacturers visiting a supplier they have been dealing with by message for a year. That pattern is well understood by the consulate, which is helpful — but it also means an application that looks like a sourcing trip while claiming to be tourism invites questions it does not need to attract.
Start it before the fair dates are close
Applications cluster hard in the weeks before each Canton Fair session, and that is exactly when the queue is longest. Beginning early is worth more on this route than on almost any other, because the deadline is fixed by the fair and cannot move for you.
The invitation has to match the business you describe
An invitation from a company with no evident connection to what your own registration says you do is the kind of mismatch that gets flagged. If you are newly incorporated or changing sector, say so up front and we will document the position properly rather than leaving it to be discovered.
Tourist applications have tightened
Our catalogue notes that tourist visas have become harder in 2026. If your trip is genuinely commercial, apply as business with the documentation to support it — routing a buying trip through a tourist application to avoid gathering paperwork is a false economy.
How Rayonner helps
Best for Canton Fair, Yiwu trade, or general business travel. Tourist visas have tightened in 2026 — book processing review early so we catch missing documents before the embassy submission.
In practice that means we check the document set against what the mission is currently asking for, flag what is missing or inconsistent before it is submitted rather than after it is refused, and book the flights and accommodation the application needs — as reservations, so you are not buying non-refundable travel against a decision you do not yet have. We are an IATA Accredited Travel Agent, so the ticketing and the visa file are handled by the same people.
This page is first-time guidance, not a legal source. The embassy, consulate or immigration authority for your destination is the only authority on its own requirements, and they can change without notice. Fees shown are what the government charges and are estimates — they are paid by you to the mission, and Rayonner's processing fee is separate and quoted before you commit. No agency, including this one, decides or can guarantee the outcome of a visa application.
Free assessment
How strong is your China application?
A few quick questions, one at a time. At the end you will see the specific things weakening your file and what would change them — not a guess at the decision.
Free · no sign-up to begin · about a minute
China visa: common questions
Do Nigerian passport holders need a visa for China?
Yes. Nigerian passport holders need a visa for China, and it must be arranged before you travel rather than on arrival.
How long does a China visa take to process?
10–15 business days. That is the published window rather than a promise — missions do move, and a file that comes back with a query starts the clock again. Work backwards from your travel date and leave margin.
How much does a China visa cost?
The government charge is USD 168 (business / tourist, single entry). You pay that to the embassy or consulate directly. Rayonner's processing fee is separate from it and is quoted to you before you commit to anything.
What documents do I need for a Canton Fair visa?
The standard China business set — passport, photograph, completed application, bank statements, and employment or business-registration evidence — plus the invitation, which for the fair means your buyer registration or the organiser's invitation letter. Bring your company registration and, if you have traded with Chinese suppliers before, evidence of it: a demonstrable trading history makes the purpose of the trip obvious.
How far ahead should I apply for a China business visa?
Work back from your travel date using the processing window shown above, then add margin for the pre-fair rush and for the possibility that the consulate comes back asking for something. Starting six to eight weeks out is comfortable; starting two weeks out is how people miss the opening days of a fair they have already paid to attend.
Flights you will need for this trip
We book the travel and the visa together, so the dates on your application and the dates on your reservation are the same dates.
Travelling for study or business?
Those applications are assessed differently and need documents this page does not cover. We have written up each one separately.
Other visas we process
Prepared in Abuja and Lagos
Rayonner Travels & Logistics Ltd is an IATA Accredited Travel Agent, certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Your file is reviewed by a person you can call, in an office you can visit.
