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Visiting Canton Fair Autumn 2026? Dates, China Visa & Forex Guide

Thousands of suppliers await across three phases in Guangzhou. Here's how to make sure you're in the right place, at the right time, with the right setup.

Every year, in spring and autumn, buyers from around the world head to Guangzhou for the Canton Fair, officially the China Import and Export Fair. It is China's largest trade fair, where thousands of manufacturers show everything from electronics to furniture and fashion, all under one roof.

The 140th Autumn Canton Fair in Guangzhou runs in three phases (15-19 Oct, 23-27 Oct, 31 Oct-4 Nov 2026), each for different industries. Indian buyers need an M visa backed by the fair invite, and should carry yuan cash, a forex card and Alipay or WeChat Pay, always paying in CNY, not INR.

This guide covers what each phase sells, registration, visa planning and travel in Guangzhou, plus the forex setup that works best in China. Pick the wrong phase and you could land in Guangzhou to find your suppliers exhibited a week earlier, so read on before you book anything.

Canton Fair Autumn 2026 Dates

When exactly is it, and which phase is yours? The Autumn Canton Fair, formally the 140th China Import and Export Fair, takes place at the Canton Fair Complex in Pazhou, Guangzhou. The dates are confirmed in the fair's official overseas buyer attendance guide.

Phase

Dates

Best suited for

Phase 1

15-19 October 2026

Electronics, machinery, vehicles and industrial products

Phase 2

23-27 October 2026

Homeware, furniture, building materials and gifts

Phase 3

31 October-4 November 2026

Textiles, fashion, food, healthcare and consumer goods

There is a three-day break between Phases 1 and 2, followed by another three-day break before Phase 3. If your sourcing interests cross two phases, those gaps add hotel nights without adding exhibition access. Plan meetings with factories or visit nearby manufacturing hubs during the break instead of leaving the days empty.

Phase 1: Electronics, Machinery and Industrial Products

Phase 1 runs from 15 to 19 October and is the most technical part of the fair.

It covers consumer electronics, household electrical appliances, lighting equipment, electrical products, industrial automation, processing machinery, agricultural machinery, vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, vehicle parts, hardware, tools and new-energy products.

This is the right phase for buyers sourcing:

Electronics and electrical appliances
Manufacturing or packaging equipment
Solar, battery and energy products
Auto parts and two-wheelers
Industrial hardware and tools
Smart-home and automation products

Do not expect to finish Phase 1 in a single day. Shortlist exhibitors before arrival, divide them by exhibition area and leave time for follow-up meetings. Walking between halls without a route wastes more time than the supplier conversations themselves.

Phase 2: Home, Furniture and Building Products

Phase 2 runs from 23 to 27 October and shifts from industrial equipment to products used in homes, commercial properties and hospitality.

The main categories include household goods, kitchenware, ceramics, glassware, furniture, building and decorative materials, sanitary equipment, gifts, clocks, watches, festival products, garden supplies and home decorations.

Phase 2 suits:

Furniture and homeware retailers
Interior and building-material businesses
Hotel and restaurant suppliers
Gift and décor importers
Kitchenware and ceramics buyers
Private-label lifestyle brands

Samples in this phase can be bulky and fragile. Confirm sample charges, packaging, courier arrangements and Indian customs implications before paying. A low unit price means little if breakage, freight or minimum order quantities make the landed cost unworkable.

Phase 3: Fashion, Textiles and Consumer Goods

Phase 3 runs from 31 October to 4 November and contains the broadest mix of consumer-facing products. It includes clothing, textiles, footwear, bags, office supplies, toys, maternity and baby products, sports and leisure goods, healthcare products, personal care, medicines, medical devices, pet products and food.

Choose Phase 3 if you source:

Apparel, fabrics or home textiles
Footwear, luggage and fashion accessories
Toys and children’s products
Beauty and personal-care products
Sports and recreation goods
Medical and agricultural products

For clothing and consumer goods, ask whether the quoted price covers the sample, packaging, labelling and customisation. Also confirm certification requirements for India before discussing volume. Product compliance is cheaper to check before an order than after the shipment reaches customs.

Registration and the Overseas Buyer Badge

Overseas buyers should pre-register through the official Canton Fair buyer system. You can also apply for an official invitation through the fair’s buyer platform if you need it for your visa application.

The buyer badge is required for entry and can be used during the fair. First-time visitors may need to complete identity verification and collect the physical badge in Guangzhou. Carry the same passport used during registration, a recent photograph if requested and your registration confirmation.

Do not leave badge collection until the first morning if an earlier collection option is available. Opening-day queues can take away the most useful part of the day.

China Visa Requirements for Indian Visitors

Indian passport holders generally need a visa before travelling to mainland China. For the Canton Fair, the relevant category is normally the M visa, issued for commercial and trade activities.

The Canton Fair invitation can support the application, but it does not itself grant entry into China. The final decision remains with the Chinese embassy or consulate.

The cost is lower than most business destinations. China has held reduced visa fees for Indian applicants through 31 December 2026. A single entry visa currently runs about ₹2,900 in government fees, with a visa centre service charge of roughly ₹2,100 on top. Double and multiple entry options cost more, and frequent buyers often take the six or twelve month multiple entry instead. Confirm the current table on the visa centre site, since the reduced rates carry an end date.

PAN Card
Passport (front and back pages)
Air Ticket + Visa (if destination requires)

Documents to prepare

Requirements can vary by applicant and jurisdiction, but buyers should be ready with:

When to apply

If you have not started the visa yet, start today. The processing period begins only after the centre accepts your passport and complete documents. It does not include the time spent correcting the online form, obtaining an invitation or submitting additional paperwork.

October also includes China's National Day break from 1-7 October that can affect visa centres, transport and business schedules. Do not treat a standard processing estimate as permission to apply one week before departure.

Where to Stay and How to Reach the Fair

The Canton Fair Complex is in Pazhou, Haizhu District. Hotels near Pazhou save time but become expensive during exhibition dates.

Staying near a Guangzhou Metro Line 8 station is usually the best compromise. The complex is served by Pazhou and Xingangdong stations, and the metro avoids the road congestion that builds before opening and after closing.

If you stay in Tianhe, Zhujiang New Town or central Haizhu, check the number of metro changes rather than road distance alone. A cheaper room that needs two transfers each morning can become a poor bargain over five days.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport connects to the metro network. A taxi may still be more practical if you have samples and heavy luggage. Keep the venue and hotel addresses saved in Chinese, since an English name may not be enough for every driver.

How Payments Work in China

China relies heavily on mobile payments. Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate everyday spending, while international card acceptance can be inconsistent outside large hotels, malls and established businesses.

Foreign visitors can register for these apps and link an international card, but one catch matters here. Both apps accept most credit cards, while prepaid cards, which is what a travel forex card is, are often refused at the linking stage. Plan to link a regular credit card and treat the forex card as a separate layer rather than the wallet's funding source.

Set all of this up before you fly. Binding a foreign card can take a day or more, and repeated failed attempts can lock the account temporarily.

Carry three layers:

Alipay or WeChat Pay for taxis, restaurants, convenience stores and local purchases
A forex or international card for hotels, larger merchants and ATM withdrawals
Chinese yuan cash for small vendors, deposits and emergencies

Cash remains legal tender in China, although some businesses may struggle to provide change. Keep smaller ¥10, ¥20 and ¥50 notes rather than depending only on ¥100 notes.

The wallets are not free either. With a foreign card linked, both apps waive the service fee on payments under ¥200 and charge around 3 percent above that. Each app also caps what you can spend, per transaction and per year, and the limits are lower than most buyers expect. Check both before you rely on an app to pay for samples.

Forex Tips for Canton Fair Visitors

1. Do not rely only on a credit card

Many Indian credit cards charge a foreign currency markup of roughly 2 to 3.5 percent, with 18 percent GST applied to that markup. ATM withdrawals may also attract a withdrawal fee, interest and a separate currency conversion cost.

Across hotels, meals, transport and supplier samples, repeated card markups can become a meaningful part of the trip.

2. Carry yuan for immediate expenses

Buy some Chinese yuan before departure for the airport transfer, food and situations where a foreign card or mobile wallet does not work.

Airport exchange counters generally offer weaker rates than a pre-booked forex order. Compare the offered rate against the live CNY-to-INR rate rather than judging the transaction only by its service fee.

3. Use a forex card for hotels, ATMs and larger merchants

The BookMyForex Global USD Forex Card , loaded with USD, fits the card-friendly parts of a Canton Fair trip well: the hotel bill, larger merchants and ATM withdrawals. It supports spending in more than 180 currencies and can be used at supported merchants, online stores and ATMs worldwide.

The card offers zero cross-currency charges, zero ATM withdrawal fees and no issuance, reload, unload or annual fees, making it a practical option for managing business travel expenses.

4. Always pay in Chinese yuan

If a terminal or ATM offers to convert the transaction into INR, decline it and choose CNY.

The INR option uses dynamic currency conversion, where the merchant or ATM provider sets the exchange rate. It is usually less competitive than allowing your card provider to process the payment in the local currency.

5. Separate travel expenses from supplier payments

A forex card is suitable for hotels, meals, local transport and normal business-trip expenses. It is not the correct method for paying a factory deposit or settling a commercial import invoice.

Supplier payments should go through documented business banking or trade-remittance channels with the correct invoice, purpose code and compliance paperwork. Avoid paying a large commercial order through a personal wallet or travel card simply because the supplier suggests it.

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What to Budget For

The fair itself may not be the largest expense. Flights, hotel inflation, samples, freight and the time between phases usually decide the real cost.

Budget separately for:

Return flights to Guangzhou or a nearby gateway
Five to seven hotel nights per phase
Metro, taxi and airport transfers
Meals and mobile connectivity
Translation or sourcing assistance
Sample purchases and courier charges
Travel insurance
Visa and application-centre charges
An emergency reserve

If you plan to attend two phases, compare the cost of staying through the gap with flying home or spending the break near supplier clusters. For most Indian buyers, using the gap for factory inspections makes better commercial sense than paying peak Guangzhou hotel rates without meetings.

Where to Check the Real Cost

Where does a good Canton Fair plan begin? With the right phase. An electronics buyer gains little from cheaper flights to Phase 3, just as a textile importer does not need five days of industrial machinery in Phase 1.

Register early, obtain the invitation before starting the visa process, arrange mobile payments before departure and split your money between a forex card and yuan cash. The fair is built for comparison at scale, and your travel and forex setup should be organised with the same discipline.

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