Canton Fair 2026:
Dates, Badge, and the Visa Change
The 140th session runs in three phases: 15–19 October (electronics, machinery, vehicles, hardware, lighting), 23–27 October (consumer goods, gifts, home decor, furniture, building materials) and 31 October – 4 November (textiles, garments, shoes, toys, medical, food, children's products), all 09:30–18:00 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex on Pazhou Island — Metro Line 8 → Pazhou, straight into the entrance. The genuinely new fact for 2026: buyers traditionally needed an M business visa with an official invitation letter, but UK, Canadian, EU, Australian, Japanese, Korean and 40+ other nationalities can now simply attend visa-free for up to 30 days. Nobody in the sourcing industry has written this up.
140th session, autumn 2026
| Phase | Dates | What is exhibited |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 15–19 October | Electronics, machinery, vehicles and NEVs, hardware, lighting |
| Phase 2 | 23–27 October | Consumer goods, gifts, home decor, furniture, building materials |
| Phase 3 | 31 October – 4 November | Textiles, garments, shoes, toys, medical and health, food, children's products |
All phases 09:30–18:00. Venue: 382 Yuejiang Middle Road, Pazhou Island, Haizhu — a 1.1 million m² site with 338,000m² indoor and 43,600m² outdoor exhibition space, one of the largest convention complexes on earth. Metro Line 8 to Pazhou goes directly to the entrance; Xingangdong also serves it. An airport express shuttle runs every 30 minutes, 13:00–18:00 on fair days.
Most Western buyers no longer need a business visa
This is the single most useful thing on this page and it is essentially unreported in the sourcing industry.
The traditional route was an M business visa obtained with the fair's official invitation letter — four to six weeks and US$50–140, with invitation-letter problems the number one recurring administrative blocker every session.
But China's unilateral visa-free scheme explicitly permits business as a purpose of visit. So a UK, Canadian, EU, Australian, Japanese, Korean or 40-plus other passport holder can now simply turn up and stay up to 30 days, with no application, no fee and no invitation letter needed for immigration purposes. You still need the buyer badge to enter the halls — that is separate.
One thing to watch if you are attending more than one phase: the three phases span 15 October to 4 November, which is 21 days. That fits comfortably inside 30 days, but make sure your permission covers the gaps between phases as well as the phases themselves. And if your passport is not on the unilateral list, the 240-hour transit scheme gives ten days — enough for one phase, not for two.
China runs two separate schemes and most English-language guides are a policy generation behind. 50 countries get 30 days visa-free — the UK and Canada were added on 17 February 2026. Another 55 nationalities, including the United States, get 240 hours (10 days) of visa-free transit, and Guangzhou Baiyun became a designated port for it on 5 November 2025. The unilateral scheme is a trial currently valid through 31 December 2026 — it has been rolled forward twice and will probably be rolled forward again, but check before you book a flight into 2027.
Getting your badge
At buyer.cantonfair.org.cn via the Buyer e-Service Tool (BEST). Free, and the sane route. The buyer badge is the only official entry pass — nothing else gets you into the halls.
Quoted as both ¥100 and ¥200 across sources. We cannot resolve it and will not guess; budget ¥200 and expect change.
At the venue, Baiyun Airport, Guangzhou South Station, roughly 40 partner hotels, and the Canton Fair Hong Kong office in Wan Chai. Collecting at the airport on arrival saves a morning.
Even though most Western buyers no longer need one for the visa, letters remain the top recurring admin complaint each session. Start early if you do need one.
The practical stuff nobody writes about
Scale first, so you know what you are walking into: the 139th session (spring 2026) drew 314,000 overseas buyers from 220 countries, with 32,000+ exhibitors across 75,700 booths. Phase 1 alone drew 167,000 buyers — the largest opening phase in the fair's history. Growth is decelerating (+17.3% → +7.5% → +1.1% across recent sessions), which reads as plateauing at a very high level rather than declining.
Transport: there is a severe taxi shortage around Pazhou at phase open and close, and DiDi surge pricing is heavy at those hours. Line 8 is packed 08:30–10:00 and 17:00–18:30. The practical answer is to stay within walking distance of Pazhou or directly on Line 8, and use the metro rather than fighting for a car.
Hotels: rates run 2–4× normal and sell out sixty to ninety days ahead. Our hotels page breaks down Pazhou proximity against Line 8 access with real numbers.
And one warning aimed squarely at you, which appears nowhere else: the hostess-bar 'celebration dinner' scam targets Canton Fair attendees specifically. A new supplier contact suggests a deal-closing dinner; the venue turns out to be a hostess bar; drinks are ¥800–2,000 each plus undisclosed companion fees, with bills reaching ¥10,000–50,000+. Choose the venue yourself, state a budget out loud, and pay by credit card so a chargeback is possible. See our safety page.
The services that actually help a buyer
Questions people actually search
When is the Canton Fair 2026?
The 140th session runs in three phases: 15–19 October, 23–27 October, and 31 October to 4 November 2026, all 09:30–18:00 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex on Pazhou Island. Phase 1 is electronics and machinery, Phase 2 consumer goods and home, Phase 3 textiles, toys and food.
Do I need a visa for the Canton Fair?
Probably not any more, and this is the big 2026 change. China's 30-day unilateral visa-free scheme explicitly permits business as a purpose, so UK, Canadian, EU, Australian, Japanese, Korean and 40+ other passport holders can simply attend. You still need a buyer badge for the halls. If your passport is not on that list, the traditional M business visa route with an invitation letter still applies.
How do I register for the Canton Fair?
Free online pre-registration at buyer.cantonfair.org.cn through the Buyer e-Service Tool. Badges can be collected at the venue, Baiyun Airport, Guangzhou South Station, around 40 partner hotels, or the fair's Hong Kong office in Wan Chai. On-site registration is quoted at both ¥100 and ¥200 depending on the source.
How do I get to the Canton Fair complex?
Metro Line 8 to Pazhou takes you directly to the entrance; Xingangdong also serves the complex. Expect Line 8 to be packed 08:30–10:00 and 17:00–18:30, and expect a severe taxi shortage at phase open and close — the metro is genuinely the better option during fair weeks.
Is the Canton Fair worth attending as a first-time buyer?
For sourcing at scale, it remains the largest trade event of its kind — 314,000 overseas buyers and 32,000+ exhibitors at the last session. What catches first-timers out is the sheer physical scale (338,000m² indoors), the three-phase structure meaning your category may only run for five days, and the hotel market, which needs booking sixty to ninety days ahead.