CIIE 2026: badges, getting to NECC and what to expect

The 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) runs from 5 to 10 November 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai (1). Individual visitors can attend on only one of 8, 9 or 10 November (1 · 3). The badge service fee is 50 yuan per person per day, places are limited and given first come, first served, and the organiser said on 9 October that only a few remained (2 · 3). You must register online. The deadlines are the end of 20 October to register and the end of 23 October to pay (Beijing time), and there is no regular on-site registration (2). Your badge is then sent by courier to an address in mainland China — that is the part that catches visitors from abroad (2). This page was checked on 18 October 2026. If you are reading it after 20 October, individual registration has closed, so skip to [what to do instead](#what-if-i-miss-the-deadline).

Can I visit CIIE as a foreigner?

Yes — in two ways. Foreign nationals can register as individual visitors, and the CIIE bureau says registration covers visitors from China and abroad (1 · 2). The individual route is for people who are not part of a trade delegation or registering through an organisation. Applicants must be at least 14, and media professionals are sent elsewhere (2). Pay on a computer if you can: the mini-program takes only UnionPay, WeChat Pay and Alipay QR codes, while registering on a computer also allows Mastercard, Visa, JCB, Diners Club and UnionPay cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay (2). If your application does not pass review you can ask for a refund, but once it is approved the fee cannot be refunded and the visitor cannot be replaced (2).

Route two is the professional visitor route, for people who work in the trade. Overseas professionals register through the same website, with a fee of 200 yuan for 6 to 10 November or 100 yuan for 8 to 10 November, and the same 20 October registration and 23 October payment deadlines (4). Foreign nationals on this route can apply for an invitation letter once registered (4). The individual channel does not provide invitation letters: if you need one, register as a Professional Visitor, then Institutional Visitor, instead (2 · 4). Do not use the professional route if you are not in the trade: registration is reviewed, and an approved badge cannot be refunded or passed to someone else (2 · 4).

Two things you may read in 2025 posts do not match the official rules, so follow the official page. One says you can collect a badge on site, but for individual visitors in 2026 there is no on-site registration and badges are delivered by courier (2) (professional visitors can choose on-site collection or courier (4)). Another says individual visitors can attend all three public days, but the 2026 rule is one day (1).

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): One author expected Sunday 8 November to be the busiest public day. A Xiaohongshu author who wrote a guide to choosing a public-visitor day (September 2026) repeated the official rule that you pick one day and cannot change it, and guessed that Sunday 8 November would be the most crowded of the three.

Xiaohongshu, 2026-09-18. Keep in mind: A prediction by one author, not something they saw. The rule itself is on the official page.

Whether any public places are left by the time you read this, we cannot check.

What is the catch with the mainland address?

Every individual badge is sent by courier, free of charge, to a delivery address in mainland China that stays valid for the next six months (2). The same wording appeared in the 2025 guide (5). Neither page says whether a hotel address is accepted, and neither says how a visitor without a local address should proceed. We have not found an official answer, so if you are travelling from abroad, ask the CIIE hotline (021-968888) before you pay (4). A friend, colleague or relative with a mainland address is the safe option; a hotel is a guess until the organiser says otherwise.

Professional visitors have an alternative: collect the badge on site, at a time and place emailed to them (4).

How long does the badge take to arrive?

The organiser's step-by-step page for the 2024 expo said review takes about 7 days for domestic applicants and about 15 days for international ones, after which the badge goes into production (6). For 2026 we have two individual-visitor reports from Xiaohongshu, both dated 8 October, and two from earlier years.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): 2026 badges arrived by courier on 8 October. Two individual visitors posted on 8 October 2026 that the courier parcel had arrived. One had registered on 19 September, expected to wait until late October, and got the badge plus a printed visitor guide; the other had chosen 8 November.

Xiaohongshu, 2026-10-08. Keep in mind: Two reports from China-based applicants, not a guarantee for anyone who registers later or from abroad.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Earlier years: about a week to ten days. A 2024 poster tracked the badge from application, to review, to production, to courier and had it in about a week. A 2025 poster counted ten days from application to delivery.

Xiaohongshu, 2024-10-25. Keep in mind: Two single reports from earlier expos; not all dates are comparable with 2026.

These are single reports, not guarantees. If you register on the last day, 20 October, and then wait for review and courier, the badge may reach you only in November. That is a second reason the delivery address matters.

Which day should I pick?

You get one choice (1). Information cannot be changed after you submit it (a 2025 rule that the 2026 page does not repeat) (5). 8 November is a Sunday, and one Xiaohongshu author expected it to be the busiest of the three public days — a prediction, not something they saw. The last day has its own character: a 2025 visitor said some stands were already empty and unattended on the final day, and that some people were selling unbranded goods from them, so be careful what you buy.

Photo: The curved facade of Hall 5 at NECC with a large 5H sign, CIIE banners and rows of shuttle buses parked in front. Hall 5 during the first CIIE, with shuttle buses outside (November 2018). Credit: Andrey Filippov from Moscow, Russia (Flickr) · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): On the last day some stands were already empty. A 2025 visitor said some stands had been cleared by the last day and left unattended, and that unbranded goods such as scarves were being sold at 100 yuan each from some of them. They advised telling real exhibitors from unofficial sellers before paying.

Xiaohongshu, 2025-11-11. Keep in mind: One visitor's report from the 8th CIIE; the 2026 last day may differ.

After that, the choice depends on what you want to see, and the 2026 floor plan is the organiser's to publish; we have not seen it. Plan on covering only part of the site in a day.

One trade visitor's warning is worth reading before you go.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): One trade visitor: do not turn up without a plan. A LinkedIn post from November 2025 by a visitor who walked the 2024 expo without pre-booked meetings argues that there is little structure for foreigners who simply turn up, and that without a plan, WeChat or local contacts the trip is wasted.

linkedin, 2025-11-05. Keep in mind: One opinion from a trade visitor, with an approximate post date. Public-day visitors have a shorter, different experience, so read it as a reason to pick a few halls beforehand, not as a rule.

How do I get to NECC?

Short version, repeated from our NECC venue page: two metro stations are both called National Exhibition and Convention Center — one on Line 2 (formerly East Xujing), one on Line 17 (formerly Zhuguang Road). They were renamed in September 2024 and are separate stations; to change between them you leave one and enter the other (25 · 26). Older guides still say "Xujingdong" for the Line 2 station (26).

Photo: Stairs and an escalator leading down to Exit 5 of NECC metro station, with a CIIE panda mascot poster on the wall. Exit 5 of NECC station on Line 2 (August 2026). Credit: Kmchang28 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

From the city, Line 2 runs straight through with no change: People's Square is 11 stops from NECC, East Nanjing Road 12 and Lujiazui 13 (18). From Hongqiao Railway Station it is one stop on either Line 2 or Line 17, and from Hongqiao T2 two stops on Line 2 (26). The organiser's own advice for 2025 was to take Line 10 to Hongqiao Railway Station and change to Line 17, to avoid the crowded Line 2 station and the West Entrance (9).

Three traps are worth knowing:

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Two stations with one name: change at Hongqiao Railway Station. Three authors writing between April 2025 and September 2026 warn that Lines 2 and 17 each have a station called National Exhibition and Convention Center, and that they are not the same station. Changing between them means leaving one and walking a long way to the other, which one author put at close to half an hour. They suggest changing at Hongqiao Railway Station instead, and one says a navigation app sent her by Line 10 to Hongqiao Railway Station and then Line 2, where she nearly boarded the wrong train.

Xiaohongshu, 2025-04-15. Keep in mind: Walking times are from the authors; we have not timed the walk. The warning applies to every show at NECC.

Which exit? Shanghai Metro lists Line 2 exits 4, 5, 6 and 8 for the West Entrance, and the 2025 CIIE guidance told badge holders to use 4 or 5; on Line 17, exit 15 leads through an underground passage to the North Square and North Entrance (9 · 18 · 19).

What changes for CIIE?

The city and CIIE bureau publish transport pages shortly before the expo: in 2025 they appeared between 27 October and 6 November, and in 2024 the organiser's transport Q&A came out on 15 October (12 · 13 · 28). As of 18 October 2026 we found no 2026 transport notice on the CIIE site or on the Shanghai government's English pages (7). What follows is the 2025 arrangement. Treat it as a hint of what may return, not a plan:

Photo: Rows of buses parked at the NECC bus terminal beside a covered walkway. The NECC bus terminal during CIIE 2018. Credit: Andrey Filippov from Moscow, Russia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

After a big show day, the city's 2025 advice was to walk to the north-west corner of the North Square and take Line 17 one stop to Hongqiao Railway Station, which is less crowded than Line 2 (9). A local news report said NECC station on Line 2 handled 31,000 passengers in two hours on the first peak day of CIIE 2025 (29). We could not find a published queue time for leaving.

What can't I bring in?

The only prohibited-items list we found is the one the organiser published for the 2018 expo, and we found no newer version (20). It says:

Security was reported to take time on big show days. At a different NECC show, Auto Shanghai 2025, a car journalist described a solid hour of QR codes, passport checks and facial recognition to get in (27). A quiet trade show would be faster. Power banks and selfie sticks are not mentioned on the list, but check your badge email for any 2026 notice. Bring the passport you registered with.

What is it like inside?

NECC is shaped like a four-leaf clover. In 2025 a Xinhua reporter who covers the expo every year said they walk 20,000 to 30,000 steps a day (23). One 2025 visitor explained the hall numbers: x.1 halls are on the ground floor and x.2 halls on the third.

Photo: The four-leaf-clover National Exhibition and Convention Center seen from the air, with ring roads and apartment blocks around it. NECC from the air: four halls around a central plaza (August 2026). Credit: SSYoung · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.

Food. The Commercial Plaza in the middle of the clover has restaurants and shops (26). For prices, we have only reports from visitors to other shows at the same venue, not a CIIE price list.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Meals inside cost about 50 yuan at other shows; cheaper snacks lie north. Visitors to other shows at the same venue in 2026 reported what they paid. One said a meal inside came to around 50 yuan a head, another a 68-yuan bowl of noodles that did not fill them. Two authors (April and September 2026) said you can find cheaper food by going out through the north side, crossing the car park and finding small shops below the apartment blocks, where a bowl of noodles was about 20 yuan.

Xiaohongshu, 2026-04-11. Keep in mind: Prices come from other shows (a medical-device show, a furniture fair), not from CIIE, and will change.

Payment. In 2025 the organiser said shops at NECC accepted Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club and JCB, and Alipay and foreign e-wallets such as Touch 'n Go and KakaoPay. It also said machines on the Commercial Plaza change foreign cash into yuan (21). For overseas visitors, there were instant tax-refund counters at the NECC store and next to Hall 5.2 (22). Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you come; see paying in China, or How to pay in China without WeChat if WeChat will not work for you.

Lockers and signal. One 2025 visitor reported that yellow lockers charge a fee and lockers with a leaf logo are free during the expo, and that phone signal inside was poor. That is one report, and we found no official statement on lockers.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Hall numbering, free lockers and weak phone signal at the 8th CIIE. A 2025 visitor wrote that halls numbered x.1 are on the ground floor and x.2 on the third floor, with regional pavilions on the second. They also said yellow lockers charge a fee while lockers with a small leaf logo, provided by the expo, are free, and that phone signal inside was poor, so any digital badge should be set up before going in. Giveaways, they added, are handed out at fixed times, mostly on the hour, and people queue early.

Xiaohongshu, 2025-11-08. Keep in mind: One visitor at the 2025 expo. We found no official statement on lockers, and the 2026 arrangements may differ.

Seats. The only report we found comes from a different kind of event.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): At a large fan convention at NECC, seats were scarce. A July 2026 review of a large fan convention at NECC says seating was scarce and many people sat on the floor; the author suggested using tote bags from the booths as mats. Drinks at the stall inside the venue were not marked up.

a blog, 2026-07-27. Keep in mind: A consumer event, far more crowded than a typical trade show. The review is in Chinese.

Freebies. Free samples and gifts are handed out at set times and people queue early, according to the 2025 visitor above. Many Chinese-language posts are about these. We have not tried to cover them, because they are mostly promotional and little use to someone who just wants to see the expo.

Where should I stay?

We would book early, but we found no 2026 price data from a source we trust, so we give none. What we can say is where each area leaves you.

Replies to a Reddit question about a different show at NECC (February 2026) are short but point the same way.

From a traveller (a personal report, not an official rule): Short replies: far from downtown, so look near Hongqiao. In a Reddit thread from February 2026 about a different show at NECC, one reply said a hotel about a kilometre from the venue was good for lunch, and another said the venue is far from downtown and suggested the Hongqiao airport area.

Reddit, 2026-02-24. Keep in mind: Two short replies about a different show, not a survey.

Our NECC page has the same three options in a short form.

What to do after the halls close

Do not waste the Shanghai evening. From NECC, Line 2 runs straight to People's Square (11 stops), the Bund (12) and Lujiazui (13), and Line 17 runs west to Zhujiajiao in 10 stops (26). We have written a separate page for this: Zhujiajiao from Hongqiao or NECC: a half day, an evening, and what else is close. It covers:

Keep the clock in mind. The last Line 2 train from NECC towards the city leaves at 22:45 (15). If you go into town and stay at a hotel near the expo, the last trains back towards NECC leave East Nanjing Road at 23:27 and People's Square at 23:30 (17 · 30); we would aim to be on a train well before then.

What if I miss the deadline?

If you are reading this after 20 October, then for an individual visitor the answer is straightforward: registration is closed, and regular on-site registration is not available (2). If you have registered but not paid, payment closes at the end of 23 October (2). If you are in the trade, check your organisation's channel, not the individual one (2 · 4).

The practical alternative is to see Shanghai without the expo. Hotels near the venue are likely to be in demand around 5 to 10 November (our expectation, not a measured price), so book early. For how long Shanghai deserves on a first trip, see How many days. Our Shanghai city page lists the places and the Zhujiajiao and evening page explains how to use a free half day.

Before you fly

Check these in order; each has its own page.

*Everything about 2026 on this page was checked on 18 October 2026. Transport, security and the floor plan can change before the expo; the 2025 arrangements above are examples, not promises. Visitor reports are marked as such and are not official rules.*

Sources

Numbers in brackets point to these sources; place names point to our place pages, which carry their own sources and check dates. Published 2026-10-18. Checked 2026-10-18.

Cover picture: An architectural illustration of Shanghai's four-leaf-clover NECC, with a metro train, laptop and blank visitor badge suggesting preparation before the expo.

Other traveller experiences

Personal reports, not official rules.