Medical Tourism in China: What International Patients Should Know

The short version

China has a very large hospital system — 38,710 hospitals at the end of 2024, of which 1,876 held the top Grade III, Class A rating. A small part of that system is organised to receive patients from abroad: the international medical departments of large public hospitals, and private or foreign-invested hospitals. Travelling for care is possible, but it takes more preparation than a holiday, and the practical details (visa category, payment, language, records) matter as much as the choice of hospital.

This guide covers logistics. It does not tell you whether a treatment is right for you; only a clinician who has reviewed your case can do that.

Where international patients are seen

International departments of public hospitals. Many leading public hospitals operate an international medical department or special-service clinic with separate registration and, in some cases, English-language booking and insurer direct billing. National policy limits special services to no more than 10% of a public hospital’s medical services. A National Health Commission official has said that foreign patients in these departments pay by commercial insurance or out of pocket, not through China’s public medical insurance.

Private and foreign-invested hospitals. China has foreign-invested joint-venture medical institutions, and since late 2024 has been piloting wholly foreign-owned hospitals in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hainan. Traditional Chinese medicine hospitals are excluded from that pilot.

City-level initiatives. Shanghai has issued measures to standardise public hospitals’ international departments, add foreign-language booking and widen payment options. Policies like this are goals; what an individual hospital offers today is what counts, which is why our hospital profiles separate confirmed facts from unconfirmed ones.

Entry and visas

• There is no separate “medical visa”. Travel for treatment falls under the private-affairs visa categories (S2 for shorter stays, S1 for long stays). At least one official Chinese visa application centre lists a hospital admission certificate — or a certificate that the hospital intends to admit you — as the supporting document for treatment, and an accompanying-carer certificate for a companion. Requirements differ between embassies, so confirm with the one that serves you.
• Visa-free entry is not designed for treatment. China’s unilateral 30-day visa-free policy lists business, tourism, family visits, exchange and transit as its purposes; medical treatment is not among them. The current arrangement is stated to run until 31 December 2026.
• Hainan is the exception. Hainan’s 59-country visa-free scheme explicitly names receiving medical treatment as a permitted purpose, for stays of up to 30 days within Hainan Province.

See International Patient Planning for extensions and longer stays.

Paying for care

Expect to pay yourself or through private insurance. China’s rules tie foreigners’ participation in basic medical insurance to lawful employment in China, so visiting patients should not expect public coverage. Hospitals generally take payment before tests, medicines and admission.

For everyday spending, Alipay and WeChat Pay let foreign visitors link international cards such as Visa and Mastercard, and hospitals are named in national policy as venues that should accept mobile payment, bank cards and cash. Acceptance of foreign cards still varies by hospital — ask the department directly.

Records and privacy

Chinese regulations give patients the right to consult and copy their records, including test reports, imaging, surgical records and costs, so you can take documentation home for follow-up. China’s Personal Information Protection Law treats medical and health information as sensitive personal information: processing it, or transferring it across borders, requires separate consent. See Preparing Medical Records.

Limits to plan for

• Language support differs widely, even between departments of the same hospital.
• We could not confirm remote consultation for patients overseas at any of the hospitals we have profiled so far.
• Official information is often published only in Chinese and can be out of date.
• No directory, including this one, can guarantee that a hospital will accept your case.

ChinaMedMap is not an emergency service. In mainland China the ambulance number is 120.

Find hospitals in China →

Sources

1. 2024年我国卫生健康事业发展统计公报National Health Commission · Chinese · dated 2025-12 · retrieved 21 September 2026
2. Xinhua report quoting NHC Medical Administration Bureau on international medical servicesXinhua News Agency · Chinese · dated 2026-01-20 · retrieved 21 September 2026
3. 国办发〔2015〕38号 城市公立医院综合改革试点指导意见 (reprint)State Council General Office (reprinted by Beijing Municipal Government) · Chinese · dated 2015-05-06 · retrieved 21 September 2026
4. China to allow wholly foreign-owned hospitals in nine regions (pilot work plan)State Council (english.www.gov.cn, carrying Xinhua) · English · dated 2024-11-30 · retrieved 21 September 2026
5. 沪府办发〔2024〕32号 (international medical services measures)Shanghai Municipal Government · Chinese · dated 2024-12-30 · retrieved 21 September 2026
6. NIA — List of countries eligible for unilateral visa-free entryNational Immigration Administration · English · dated 2026-02-17 · retrieved 21 September 2026
7. NIA — Hainan 59-country visa-free entry (expanded purposes)National Immigration Administration · English · dated 2024-02-09 · retrieved 21 September 2026
8. Chinese Visa Application Service Center (Medan) — S2 document checklistChinese Visa Application Service Center · Chinese · dated 2025-07-15 · retrieved 21 September 2026
9. Payment guide for foreign visitors in ChinaState Council (english.www.gov.cn, carrying Xinhua) · English · dated 2024-04-11 · retrieved 21 September 2026
10. 在中国境内就业的外国人参加社会保险暂行办法Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (gov.cn) · Chinese · dated 2011-10-15 · retrieved 21 September 2026
11. 医疗纠纷预防和处理条例 (State Council Decree 701) (reprint)State Council (reprinted by Beijing Municipal Health Commission) · Chinese · dated 2018-10-01 · retrieved 21 September 2026
12. Personal Information Protection Law of the PRC (English)Supreme People’s Procuratorate · English · dated 2021-12-29 · retrieved 21 September 2026

Found an error? Tell us.