Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce on foreigners coming to China during the epidemic prevention and control period.
In accordance with the relevant requirements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Affairs Office of the Provincial Party Committee, this guideline is formulated for the purpose of effectively applying for visa invitation letters (hereinafter referred to as “invitation letters”) for foreigners to come to China for business during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Scope of visa invitations for foreigners handled by the Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce:
In order to promote the implementation of substantive projects (excluding competitions, performing arts or technical and educational exchange activities), the scope of these guidelines cover foreign personnel who come to Hainan for business negotiations or participate in investment promotion activities organized by Hainan Province; staff of foreign-invested and foreign trade enterprises registered in Hainan Province or returning to Hainan to resume work.
Foreigners who do not fall within the scope of the above-mentioned visa invitation letter to China, please apply to the Foreign Affairs Office of the Provincial Party Committee.
Special reminder
(1) The invitation letter application is a part of the visa application process for foreigners to come to China. Whether the invitee can obtain a visa and the type of visa obtained are ultimately determined by the Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, the Commissioner’s Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong and Macau, etc.
The necessity for the invitee to come to Hainan is an important basis for issuing an invitation letter.
Qualified application materials are a necessary condition for obtaining an invitation letter, but there is no guarantee that an invitation letter will be obtained.
(2) The application for invitation letter must be handled directly by the inviting unit (the applicant unit), not through an intermediary agency.
The inviting unit (the applicant unit) must ensure that there is a genuine and direct business relationship with the invitee.
Application and approval process
(1) Application process
1. Invite the unit or enterprise to submit an application for coming to Hainan for business to the industry competent department of the city or county or the provincial industry competent department.
2. The municipal and county industry authorities or provincial industry authorities shall issue a letter of opinion to the municipal and county epidemic prevention and control headquarters on the necessity, urgency and significance of the project according to the purpose of the invitees’ coming to Hainan.
3. Invite units or enterprises to apply for resumption of work to the epidemic prevention and control headquarters of the city and county where they are located, and the epidemic prevention and control headquarters of the city and county will issue a letter of advice to the Provincial Department of Commerce on approving the issuance of the invitation letter.
4. The inviting units or enterprises submit application materials through the “online processing” portal of the “verification form for foreigners’ invitation to China” of the Hainan provincial government service network. Please mail the original to the comprehensive window of the Hainan Provincial Government Service Center (65328982).
Approval process
Comprehensive window of the Government Service Center
→ Approval Office of the Provincial Department of Commerce
→ Leader of the Division of the Provincial Department of Commerce
→ Approval Office of the Provincial Department of Commerce submits information through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Visa Invitation Letter Management Information System”
→ The Provincial Department of Commerce Approval Office issues a visa invitation letter.
Application materials
Come to Hainan for business activities
Scope of acceptance by the Provincial Department of Commerce:
Foreigners who come to Hainan for business negotiations or participate in investment promotion activities organised by Hainan Province in order to promote the implementation of substantive projects (excluding competitions, performing arts or technical and educational exchange activities).
| # | Materials | Specific requirements | Remark |
| 1 | Application form | Content includes: （1）Basic information of the inviting party. （2）Basic information of the invited party. （3）Name, gender, date of birth, nationality, passport number, position, time and place of entry and exit of foreigners coming to China. （4）Reasons for foreigners to come to Hainan. The reasons for coming to Hainan should specifically include the following: The specific project content of the business negotiations or investment promotion activities in Hainan, the progress of the preliminary work, the items that need to be negotiated and promoted, the expected benefits and relevant business transactions certification materials, etc. If multiple foreigners are invited to the same project, it is necessary to explain that each foreigner comes to Hainan to discuss specific matters. Please be sure to fully explain the necessity of the invitee to come to Hainan, as the issuing authority will use this as an important basis for issuing the invitation letter. （5）The itinerary of the invited foreigner to visit China, the itinerary of the visit to China must specify the place name and specific date of each province, city and county. （6）The name, gender, ID number and mobile phone number of the accompanying person in China. （7）The inviter’s contact person and mobile phone number. | （1）The main unit for communication is the Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce. （2）Please use official letter paper of the applicant unit to write and affix the official seal of the unit. |
| 2 | (1) Opinion letter from the competent industry department. (2) Opinion letter from the city and county epidemic prevention and control headquarters and the prevention and control plan formulated by the guidance enterprise. | (1) The opinion letter needs to review the necessity, urgency and significance of the project for foreigners to come to Hainan for resumption of work or production, and make a clear review opinion, which must state “My unit believes that the reason for a certain person’s visit to Hainan is sufficient and it is indeed the current situation. If necessary, our unit recommends agreeing to issue an invitation letter”. (2) The prevention and control plan should clearly state the opinions that “the plan is jointly formulated by the enterprise under the guidance of the epidemic prevention and control headquarters” and “has been assisted by the corresponding industry authority for review and approval”. (3) The first station of entry, 14-day quarantine and nucleic acid testing measures must be clarified. | Original |
| 3 | Alien Entry Application Form | Original and stamped with official seal | |
| 4 | Supporting materials of the inviting party and the invited party | Copy and stamp | |
| 5 | “Invitation Letter” issued by the inviting party | (1) It must be written in Chinese and English. (2) Indicate the basic information of the invitee (name, gender, date of birth, nationality, passport number, position, etc.); (3) Indicate the purpose of coming to China and Entry and exit time, the itinerary to China must specify the place name and specific date of each province, city and county; (4) It must be printed on letter-sign paper from the inviting unit, signed by the legal representative and stamped with the official seal. | Original and stamped with official seal |
| 6 | “Dispatch Letter” issued by the invitee’s unit | (1) The relationship with the inviting party, the position of the invitee in his unit, the purpose of coming to China, the intended time of entry and the number of days of stay in China must be explained; (2) It must be printed on letterhead paper of the dispatching unit and signed by the legal representative with the official seal. | Copy and stamp |
| 7 | Invitee’s valid passport | (1) The identity information is clear and identifiable, and the validity period is at least six months; (2) Applicants who apply for a visa to China for the first time need to provide notarized documents and Chinese translations of the non-criminal certificate in the country of residence. Copy of Chinese visa. | Copy and stamp |
| 8 | Letter of commitment signed by the legal representative of the inviting party, and letter of commitment to inform of epidemic prevention and control. | Original and stamped with official seal | |
| 9 | A copy of the ID card of the person accompanying the inviting party | Copy and stamp | |
| 10 | The power of attorney and the ID card of the agent that need to be submitted by the legal representative for the non-legal representative | Original and stamped with official seal | |
| 11 | Customs shall issue the statistical data of direct import and export between the invitee and the invitee’s country (region) in the past two years (provided by foreign trade enterprises), or the business transaction certificate between the invitee and the invitee (provided by foreign-funded enterprises). | Copy and stamp | |
| 12 | Residence certificate or work certificate (if the applicant applies for a visa to China from a non-national or works in a non-national company, he/she also needs to provide a residence certificate or work certificate in the country where the visa is applied for). | Copy and stamp | |
| 13 | Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 | In principle, the invitees should be vaccinated with the new crown vaccine approved by China or the World Health Organization for emergency use or marketing, or other vaccines approved by the Chinese embassy or consulate in the country. If they are not vaccinated, the invitee may not be able to obtain a visa to China. (If the vaccine is a non-Chinese vaccine, a Chinese translation of the vaccination document is also required.) | Photocopy and stamped with official seal (translations also need to be stamped with official seal) |
(2) Come to Hainan for employment
The acceptance scope of the Provincial Department of Commerce: the staff of foreign-funded and foreign trade enterprises registered in Hainan Province return to work.
| # | Materials | Specific requirements | Remark |
| 1 | Application form | content include: （1）Basic information of the inviting party. （2）Name, gender, date of birth, nationality, passport number, position, time and place of entry and exit of foreigners who come to Hainan. （3）The reason for the foreigner to come to Hainan (for the specific reason, please be sure to fully explain the necessity of the invitee to come to China, as the issuing authority will use this as an important basis for issuing the invitation letter); （4）The inviter’s contact person and mobile phone number. | (1) The main unit for communication is the Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce. (2) Please use official letter paper of the applicant unit to write and affix the official seal of the unit. |
| 2 | (1) Opinions of the competent industry authorities. (2) Letters of opinions from the epidemic headquarters and the prevention and control plans formulated by the guidance enterprises. | （1）letter of opinion needs to review the necessity, urgency and significance of the project for foreigners to come to Hainan to resume work and production and make a clear review opinion. “The unit recommends agreeing to issue an invitation letter…..”. （2）prevention and control plan should clearly state the opinions that “the plan is jointly formulated by the epidemic prevention and control headquarters under the guidance of the enterprise” and “has been reviewed and approved by the corresponding industry authority”. （3）In the content of the epidemic prevention and control plan, it is necessary to clarify the first station of entry and the measures for 14-day quarantine and nucleic acid testing. | original |
| 3 | Alien Entry Application Form | Original and stamped with official seal | |
| 4 | Invitee’s valid passport | (1) The identity information is clear and identifiable, and the validity period is at least six months; (2) Applicants who apply for a visa to China for the first time need to provide notarized documents and Chinese translations of the non-criminal certificate in the country of residence and non-first time applicants for the visa in China shall provide a copy of the previous visa to China. | Copy and stamp |
| 5 | Letter of commitment signed by the legal representative of the inviting party, and letter of commitment to inform of epidemic prevention and control. | Original and stamped with official seal | |
| 6 | Alien Work Permit Notice or Alien Work Permit | Copy and stamp | |
| 7 | The power of attorney and the ID card of the agent that need to be submitted by the legal representative for the non-legal representative. | Original and stamped with official seal | |
| 8 | Customs shall issue the statistics of direct import and export between the invitee and the invited country (region) in the last two years (provided by foreign trade enterprises), or the business transaction certificate of the invitee and the invited party (provided by foreign-funded enterprises) | Copy and stamp | |
| 9 | Residence certificate or work certificate (if the applicant applies for a visa to China from a non-national or works in a non-national company, he/she also needs to provide a residence certificate or work certificate in the country where the visa is applied for). | Copy and stamp | |
| 10 | Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 | In principle, the invitees should be vaccinated with a vaccine approved by China or the World Health Organization for emergency use or marketing, or other vaccines approved by the Chinese embassy or consulate in the country. If they are not vaccinated, the invitee may not be able to obtain a visa to China. (If the vaccine is a non-Chinese vaccine, a Chinese translation of the vaccination document is also required.) | Photocopy and stamped with official seal (translations also need to be stamped with official seal) |
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