Guide
Coming to China for treatment
Some Shanghai public hospitals take bookings from abroad and review your records by video first. Before you plan the trip, check three things: which visa applies, what to bring, and whether the treatment is allowed for foreign patients at all.
Facts checked 9 October 2026. Sources at the end of the page.
Which visa
National Immigration Administration.
- We found no separate medical visa category.
- China's 30-day visa-free entry and 240-hour visa-free transit list business, tourism, visits and transit as purposes, not medical treatment.
- Only Hainan's visa-free scheme lists medical treatment, and it covers Hainan only.
- Some hospitals issue an invitation letter for a visa application; the hospital pages say which.
Hospitals that take bookings from abroad
An official or media source says you can book before arriving.
- Ruijin HospitalBooking from abroad confirmed
- Renji HospitalBooking from abroad confirmed
- Ninth People's HospitalBooking from abroad confirmed
- Fudan Children's HospitalBooking from abroad confirmed
- Red House HospitalBooking from abroad confirmed
- Xinhua HospitalBooking from abroad confirmed
- Shanghai Children's Medical CenterBooking from abroad confirmed
- Shanghai Eye HospitalBooking from abroad confirmed
Remote review before you travel
A specialist looks at your records by video before you book flights.
- Ruijin HospitalAvailable; price not published
- Renji HospitalCNY 2,000 per 30-minute basic video consultation; CNY 5,000 per 60-minute multidisciplinary consultation with three experts
- Ninth People's HospitalAvailable; price not published
- Fudan Children's HospitalAvailable; price not published
- Xinhua HospitalAvailable; price not published
- Shanghai General HospitalAvailable; price not published
What to bring
- A medical summary in English, and the reports behind it
- Your scans on disc (DICOM), not only the written reports
- A list of your medicines with doses
- Your passport, and your insurer's pre-approval if you plan to claim
Treatments with restrictions
National rules; they apply at every hospital.
- IVF is for married couples only; foreign patients show a passport and marriage certificate. Surrogacy, buying eggs, sperm or embryos, and sex selection without a medical reason are prohibited.
- Organ transplants: a 2007 notice, still on the National Health Commission's site, bars them for foreigners who come as tourists; other foreign residents need national approval, and organs go to Chinese citizens first.
- Paid stem cell treatment has no legal route: unapproved stem cell products can only be used in registered clinical research, which may not charge patients.
Costs and deposits
- Hospital fees follow each hospital's prices; the prices guide compares them.
- Admission needs a deposit. No hospital we checked publishes the amount; we ask for you before you travel.
- Renji's international department charges CNY 2,000 for a 30-minute video review, or CNY 5,000 for 60 minutes with three specialists.
Sources
Not yet verified
- Whether the 2007 transplant notice is still in force has not been confirmed.
- National Immigration Administration: unilateral visa-free countries, checked 8 October 2026
- National Immigration Administration: 240-hour visa-free transit, checked 8 October 2026
- National Immigration Administration: Hainan visa-free entry (lists medical treatment), checked 8 October 2026
- National Health Commission: technical rules for assisted reproduction (2003), 2003
- Ministry of Health notice on organ transplants for people from abroad (卫办医发〔2007〕110号), 26 June 2007
- State Council regulation on clinical research of new biomedical technologies, in force from 1 May 2026
- Renji Hospital international department: telemedicine fees, checked 11 October 2026
Ask about your case.
Tell us what you need. A person replies by email with the hospital, the date and the full price.