# China visa invitation letters: who writes what?

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Start with the purpose of your trip, then identify the person or organization responsible for the document. A practical invitation-letter workshop for applicants in the United States.

## Choose the document before choosing a sample

The Embassy’s September 2025 requirements distinguish invitations from work and study documents. This is a document-routing guide, not a complete eligibility checklist. Check your responsible office and individual application instructions; an invitation alone does not establish eligibility.

| Trip / category | Document route | Who supplies it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tourism · L | For applications in the US, an invitation is no longer a routine requirement under the January 2024 simplification. | Applicant follows the current L checklist and any additional request. |
| Trade · M / exchange · F | M: commercial-activity documentation. F: an invitation for the relevant visit or exchange. | M: Chinese trade partner. F: relevant entity or individual in China. |
| Family · Q1 / Q2 | Invitation plus evidence of the inviter’s identity/status; other family evidence depends on the category. | Relative in China who is Chinese or holds Chinese permanent residence. |
| Visiting foreign family · S1 / S2 | For family visits: invitation and evidence concerning the inviter and relationship. | Foreign family member working or studying in China. |
| Employment · Z | Work-permit notice, not an ordinary business invitation. | Employer coordinates the applicable work-permit process with the competent authority. |
| Study · X1 / X2 | Admission and applicable study-confirmation documents, not a generic invitation. | School / admitting institution provides the relevant study documents. |

## One file, several responsibilities

| Applicant | Inviting party | Consular office / CEV |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Confirms identity, trip purpose and the application details. | Confirms the real relationship and visit arrangements; issues the invitation where required. | Consular office sets requirements and decides the application. |
| Compares the invitation with the form and asks the author to correct discrepancies. | Corrects its own document and supplies the signature/seal required by the applicable instructions. | CEV can help check materials within the existing review service; it cannot replace the inviter. |

CEV is an independent service provider, not a consular office. CEV does not issue, ghostwrite or buy invitation letters, and does not supply an inviter. The genuine inviting party is responsible for the letter; the applicant verifies their own information; the consular office decides what to accept and whether to issue a visa. Existing form and material review can help check preparation within the selected service, without guaranteeing approval or timing.

## Read an invitation in three passes

1. Identity: compare the invitee’s details against the current passport; compare the inviter against supporting evidence.
2. Visit: trace the purpose, dates, locations, relationship and funding statements through the application.
3. Issuance and delivery: check author, signature/seal instructions, document completeness and the office’s upload/original request.

The business page uses annotated fictional fragments, not a ready-to-submit letter. The company-letter page separates an employer’s explanation from a Chinese invitation. The format page compares five US offices and identifies what the checked sources do not confirm.

## Prepare your next check

Use the discrepancy exercises before requesting review. Keep the genuine issuer’s final version and your application consistent; if the office requests a correction, follow that request rather than adding unsourced wording from an online template.

- [Existing form and material review](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/services/china-visa-form-review)
- [Understand the stage after online review](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/after-online-review)
- [Tourist visa requirements](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-tourist-visa/requirements)

## In this guide

- [Business visa invitation letter: contents and annotated examples](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-visa-invitation-letter/business.md): Use the M-visa content checklist to ask your genuine Chinese trade partner for the right information. Learn from fictional fragments, then have the inviting party prepare its own letter.
- [Company letter, cover letter or invitation: which one do you need?](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-visa-invitation-letter/company-letter.md): A US employer can explain employment and a trip it supports. That explanation has a different author and purpose from a Chinese partner’s invitation.
- [Invitation letter: original, scan, printout or handwritten?](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-visa-invitation-letter/original-copy-handwritten.md): Separate the letter’s content and signature from the way it is submitted. Compare the checked instructions for five US offices without assuming one office’s rule applies everywhere.
- [Tourist and family invitations: L, Q and S are different](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-visa-invitation-letter/tourist-and-family.md): The US tourist-visa simplification does not remove family-visa invitation requirements. Start with your real purpose, the inviter’s status and the intended length of the visit.
- [Invitation-letter mistakes: a discrepancy-checking workshop](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-visa-invitation-letter/common-mistakes.md): Compare identity, dates, funding, authorship and submission instructions. Each exercise below is hypothetical, with a concrete way to check and correct the discrepancy.

## Related guides

- [Business visa invitation letter: contents and annotated examples](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-visa-invitation-letter/business.md)
- [Company letter, cover letter or invitation: which one do you need?](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-visa-invitation-letter/company-letter.md)
- [Invitation letter: original, scan, printout or handwritten?](https://app.chinaentryvisa.com/guides/china-visa-invitation-letter/original-copy-handwritten.md)

## Official references

Follow the current instructions of the Embassy or Consulate handling your application. These references do not confirm CEV service availability or an order-specific receiving address.

- [Chinese Embassy in the US: visa requirements and invitation annexes (September 2025)](https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/qz2021/202509/t20250920_11712385.htm) — verified on 2026-10-01
- [New York: visa requirements and invitation annexes](https://newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/Visa/rhsq/202509/t20250924_11714483.htm) — verified on 2026-10-01
- [Chinese Embassy in the US: online application and document uploads](https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/qz2021/202509/t20250920_11712388.htm) — verified on 2026-10-01

Content updated: 2026-10-01

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