Business visa · from Nigeria
China business visa from Nigeria
Commercial travel to China is made on an M visa, applied for through the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Abuja or Lagos. The document that carries the application is the invitation — from the Chinese company you are trading with, or from the organiser of a trade fair such as the Canton Fair. Without a credible invitation naming you, the rest of the file has little to work with.
Typical processing
10–15 business days
Government fee, estimated
USD 168 (business / tourist, single entry)
Paid to the mission, not to us
How this differs from a visitor application
A tourist application describes an itinerary. A business application describes a commercial relationship, and the consulate is reading whether that relationship is real. Who invited you, what they manufacture or trade, what you buy, and whether your own company's registration supports the claim — that is the substance. For Canton Fair travel the fair registration itself does much of this work.
What this application needs in addition
On top of the standard documents for China, which are listed in full on the destination page.
- ✓Invitation letter from the Chinese company or trade fair organiser, naming you and your dates
- ✓The inviting company's business licence or registration
- ✓Your own CAC registration and evidence the business trades in the goods described
- ✓Canton Fair buyer registration or badge confirmation, where that is the purpose
- ✓Correspondence or contracts with the supplier, where a relationship already exists
- ✓Bank statements supporting the trip and the purchasing described
- ✓Previous Chinese visas and entry stamps, if you have travelled before
Where these applications go wrong
These are the failures our desk sees most often on this route. None of them is about the applicant being unqualified — they are all preparation.
A generic invitation letter
An invitation that does not name you, does not state dates, or does not describe the business being done is the most common weak point. It should read like a real business communication because it is one.
The trade described does not match the company
A registration in an unrelated line of business against an invitation about, say, textiles raises the obvious question. Where the business has genuinely broadened, that has to be evidenced rather than assumed.
Applying too close to the fair
Canton Fair season concentrates demand at the same centres at the same time. Applying late in that window is where otherwise sound applications run out of calendar.
Not sure how strong your file is?
The free assessment takes about a minute and tells you what a consulate is likely to take issue with — and what would fix it — before you pay a government fee.
Questions people ask
Can I use a tourist visa to attend the Canton Fair?
The fair is commercial travel and the M visa is the category for it. Applying under the wrong category is a straightforward reason for a problem at application or at entry.
Do you arrange the trip as well as the visa?
Yes — our China business package covers flights, accommodation near the trade complex and ground arrangements, and the visa is prepared alongside it rather than after the flights are already paid for.
How long is an M visa valid?
Validity, number of entries and permitted stay vary by applicant and history, and are set by the consulate. Your previous travel affects what you are granted, so it is not a fixed answer.
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.