How to organise a visit by a Chinese business delegation to Barcelona

Why a Chinese delegation needs different preparation

A Chinese business delegation travelling to Barcelona usually has a very specific objective: to meet companies in its sector, visit a trade fair, close deals or study a management model. The trip is short, the agenda is full and the delegation reports to someone back home who expects results and a report.

What changes compared with a European group is the distance (a long flight and a time difference), the visa, the working language, payment methods and some points of protocol. None of it is complicated if it is prepared in good time. What does not work is improvising: a late invitation letter can leave half the group at home.

The market is still small in corporate meetings: according to Turisme de Barcelona, companies headquartered in China organised 0.7% of the destination's corporate meetings in 2025. That means not every supplier is used to these delegations, and it is worth working with a team that is. We have a website in Simplified Chinese and work as a DMC in Barcelona for companies and agencies based in China.

Schengen business visa: deadlines and documents

Citizens of the People's Republic of China need a Schengen visa to travel to Spain. For a business visit, a short-stay visa (type C) for business purposes is applied for at the relevant Spanish consulate.

The deadlines that set the whole timeline

The Consulate General of Spain in Beijing has warned in the past that processing times can lengthen when application volumes are high, and recommends applying well in advance. Our rule: the invitation letter leaves Barcelona at least two months before the travel date.

What the invitation letter must include

According to the requirements published by Spanish consulates for business visas, the letter:

• Is written in Spanish by the host company in Spain.
• Includes contact details for the inviting company and for the invited person and company.
• Explains the relationship between the two parties.
• States the length of stay and the planned dates.
• Attaches a work agenda and other details of the stay.
• Where applicable, is accompanied by proof of the business relationship, such as contracts or invoices.

If the delegation is visiting several companies, it is usual for one of them (or the inbound agency together with the main company) to issue the letter and attach the full programme. We make sure that names, passport numbers and dates match the application exactly.

Documents usually required from the applicant

Each consulate publishes its official list, which is the one that counts. As a guide, applicants are usually asked for a valid passport, a signed application form, photographs, travel insurance, flight and accommodation bookings, the invitation letter, a letter from the applicant's company and proof of financial means.

On arrival: the Entry/Exit System

Since 10 April 2026, the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational at external borders. It records travel document details, the date and place of each entry and exit and biometric data of non-EU nationals coming for short stays. On the first entry, border control can take longer: we factor this in when planning the transfer from the airport to the first item on the programme.

Flights between China and Barcelona

At the end of 2025, Barcelona had direct flights to four Chinese cities:

China Eastern launched its Shanghai-Barcelona route in September 2025 with four weekly flights and a journey time of around 13 hours; Air China operates the same route three times a week. Between January and August 2025, Barcelona airport recorded 210,600 passengers travelling to or from China, 64% more than in the same period of 2024.

What this means for the programme:

• An easy first day. After an overnight flight of more than 12 hours and a time difference of six or seven hours, the delegation arrives tired. Check-in, a light meal and a short activity.
• Weekly frequencies. If the direct flight operates three or four days a week, the arrival and departure dates are set for you. We build the programme around them.
• Connections. If the delegation is continuing to another European city, we coordinate times so the afternoon is not lost.

Payments: what works and what does not

The delegation should know before leaving how they are going to pay.

• Alipay+. It is accepted by businesses such as El Corte Inglés (in all its stores), some stalls in the Mercat de la Boqueria, Casa Batlló and taxis booked through the FreeNow app. Payment is made with a QR code from the customer's app or from the merchant's terminal.
• It is not universal. Many restaurants, bars and suppliers only accept card or cash. Each member should carry an international card as a back-up.
• Group expenses. Meals, tickets and transport are best paid centrally, invoiced to the organising company and paid by bank transfer in advance. That way the delegation does not pay at every table and the expense report is clean.
• Shopping. Non-EU residents can claim a VAT refund on eligible purchases. Ask in each shop about the procedure.

Meals: times and preferences

People eat late in Spain: restaurants serve lunch roughly between 13:00 and 16:00 and dinner between 20:00 and 22:30. For a jet-lagged delegation with an agenda that starts early, dinner at 21:30 does not help.

What we do:

• We ask in advance rather than assume. The registration form includes food preferences, restrictions and whether the group prefers local cuisine at every meal or alternating with Chinese cuisine.
• Agreed mealtimes. Lunch at 12:30 or 13:00 and dinner at 19:30 or 20:00, at restaurants willing to open earlier for private groups.
• Table format. Round tables with dishes in the centre for sharing work well for conversation. If the group prefers, individually plated menus.
• Hot water and tea. We request them at meetings and meals without the delegation having to ask.
• Translated menus. A menu in Simplified Chinese, with a line explaining each dish.

Hotel: what to ask for

For convention hotels and their locations, see our guide to convention hotels in Barcelona and our hotels section.

Interpreters and materials

• Consecutive interpreting for company visits and working meetings. Mandarin-Spanish or Mandarin-English depending on the host.
• Simultaneous interpreting with a booth and receivers for long presentations or seminars with more than 20 attendees.
• Advance briefing. We send the interpreter the sector's technical documentation in advance. On industrial visits, technical vocabulary determines the quality of the meeting.
• Materials in Chinese. Programme, profiles for each visit (company, contacts, topics) and a contact directory in Simplified Chinese.
• A Chinese-speaking escort throughout the trip, in addition to the technical interpreter.

Protocol: what to agree in advance

Every delegation is different. Rather than assume, we agree these points with the head of delegation or the agency in China:

• Order of precedence for introductions, table seating and the official photograph.
• Who speaks at each meeting and in what order. The Spanish host should know whom to address.
• Business cards with one side in Chinese for the host team.
• Gifts. If gifts will be exchanged, who presents them and whether there are preferences or sensitivities to respect.
• Photographs and press. What may be published and on which channels.
• Punctuality and a printed agenda. Each member receives the programme with times, addresses and contact telephone numbers.

Ideas for a business study visit (商务考察)

Barcelona has sectors where a delegation can learn specific things. Some of the themes we propose:

For trade fairs, we explain this in detail in the Barcelona trade fair calendar 2027 and in events during MWC. We also handle B2B meetings and stands; see trade show hospitality and congress events.

An honest warning: visits to companies and institutions depend on the host agreeing. We request them with a specific agenda of topics, at least two months ahead, and confirm each one to you in writing before finalising the programme.

Sample four-day programme

A model for a delegation of 20 to 30 people that combines technical visits and a cultural afternoon. We adapt it to the sector and the flight days.

Some keys to the model:

• Important meetings go on day 2 or 3, never on the day of arrival.
• Each technical visit has a profile sheet in Chinese with the company's background, the contacts and the questions the delegation wants to ask.
• The official dinner is the moment for speeches, gifts and photographs. We agree the order and who speaks in advance.
• The last day is flexible, because direct flights have fixed schedules.

Sightseeing with groups

If the programme includes a cultural afternoon, remember that in Ciutat Vella guided tours are limited to 20 people per group and megaphones are not allowed. With delegations of more than 20 people we split the group, each subgroup with its own guide and an interpreter or Chinese-speaking guide.

Preparation timeline

Checklist

• Invitation letter in Spanish with agenda, sent at least two months ahead
• Names and passport numbers in the letter identical to those in the application
• Travel insurance with minimum cover of €30,000
• Flights confirmed according to the direct route's operating days
• Time allowed at the airport for EES border control
• Hotel with room allocation by seniority and programme in Chinese
• Mealtimes agreed and menus translated
• Technical interpreter briefed with documentation in advance
• Precedence, gifts and photographs agreed with the head of delegation
• Centralised payment of group expenses
• Visits confirmed in writing by each host

How we help you

We prepare the invitation letter with the host company, coordinate visits, hotel, transport, meals and interpreters and accompany the delegation throughout its stay. If the visit includes a meeting or seminar, we organise it like any other company meeting in Barcelona.

Send us the purpose of the visit, the sector and the approximate dates. We will reply with a proposed programme within 24 business hours via our contact page.

Sources

1. Embajada de España en Zagreb (exteriores.gob.es): entrada en vigor del Reglamento (UE) 2019/1155 sobre visados
2. Consulado General de España en Pekín: aviso para solicitantes de visados
3. Embajada de España en Hanói (exteriores.gob.es): requisitos de visado Schengen de negocios
4. Gobierno de Eslovenia: aumento de las tasas de visado Schengen desde el 11 de junio de 2024
5. SEAE: viajar a Europa con el Sistema de Entradas y Salidas (EES)
6. Ara: el tráfico de pasajeros entre Barcelona y China crece un 60% (2025)
7. El Debate: diez ciudades chinas a las que se puede volar directo desde España (18/12/2025)
8. Merca2: Alipay+, pagar con un QR en España (03/03/2025)
9. Spain.info (Turespaña): horarios y días festivos en España
10. Turisme de Barcelona: Informe de turismo de reuniones 2025, Destino Barcelona
11. GSMA: MWC Barcelona 2027
12. Residential Systems: registration opens for ISE 2027
13. Catalonia.com: Barcelona entre las tres primeras ciudades de congresos del ranking ICCA
14. betevé: límite de los grupos turísticos en Ciutat Vella prorrogado hasta 2028