In short: foreigners can be seen at any Chinese public hospital as self-paying patients, registering with a passport. You pay before each step, usually by Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card. Large hospitals are busy and work mostly in Chinese, so a coordinator who books, interprets and handles the queues makes the visit straightforward.
Two ways in: international department or regular clinic
| International department | Regular outpatient clinic | |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors and equipment | The hospital's own specialists | The same specialists and equipment |
| Language | Some English-speaking staff | Mostly Chinese |
| Waiting | Shorter, by appointment | Can be long; queues at every step |
| Fees | Higher | Public hospital price list |
Not every hospital has an international department. With a coordinator, you can use the regular clinics, with the same doctors at public hospital prices, without the language barrier.
Booking an appointment
Most public hospitals release appointments through their own app or WeChat account, which usually asks for a Chinese ID number and a local phone number. Foreign patients can register with a passport, but online booking is often the hardest step. Your coordinator books the right department and doctor for you, in your name, and confirms the time before you travel.
On the day: how a Chinese hospital visit works
- Registration: with your passport, at the counter or a machine, for the department you are booked into.
- Consultation: the doctor sees you and orders tests or scans.
- Pay first: each test, scan and prescription is paid before it is done, at a cashier or by phone.
- Tests: in different parts of the hospital, each with its own queue number.
- Back to the doctor: with the results, often the same day for blood tests and ultrasound.
- Pharmacy: pay, then collect medicines with the ticket.
Your coordinator walks you through every step, interprets everything the doctor says, puts your questions to the doctor and keeps the receipts.
Paying
- Alipay and WeChat Pay can be linked to many foreign Visa and Mastercard cards, and are accepted everywhere in hospitals.
- Some counters also take cash or UnionPay cards; carry some cash as a back-up.
- Keep every receipt: you need them for any insurance claim at home.
Before you travel you receive a written, itemised quote, with hospital fees and our coordination fee listed separately. See Before you arrive for setting up payments.
Language and records
- Reports and test results are issued in Chinese. We translate the full report into English, or another language on request, keeping every value and reference range.
- Ask for copies of your scans: CT and MRI images can be copied in DICOM, the standard format any doctor at home can open.
- Bring your recent reports, scans and list of medicines; we translate them for the hospital before your visit.
Insurance
Most visitors pay the hospital directly and claim from their own insurer afterwards with the receipts and translated records. Direct billing depends on the hospital and the insurer; tell us your insurer and we check what is possible.
Which hospital?
China's large public hospitals treat very high numbers of patients, and most of the hospitals in our guide hold Grade III, Class A, the highest rating in China's hospital system. We match you to the right department at a leading public hospital in the city you choose, or at the right specialist centre elsewhere in China. Browse our hospital guide, or start with a health checkup.
In an emergency
Call 120 for an ambulance in mainland China. Give the address as clearly as you can, ideally written in Chinese.
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose a specific doctor?
Do I need a visa?
Can a family member come into the consultation?
Sources: hospital procedures as experienced by BeWellTrip coordinators; Trip.com, healthcare in China for foreigners. Check with the specific hospital for current fees and booking rules.