Canton Fair 2027: Dates, Phases & Indian Buyer’s Guide

Canton Fair 2027 will be held as two sessions at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Pazhou, Guangzhou: the 141st session in spring (expected mid-April to early May 2027) and the 142nd session in autumn (expected mid-October to early November 2027). Each session runs in three phases of about five days. As of 28 October 2026, the organiser has not officially announced the 2027 dates, so treat every 2027 date below as expected, not confirmed.

This guide for Indian MSME owners covers dates, phases, venue, buyer badge, the new visa process, and what most guides skip: shipping your orders to India, with a landed-cost example in ₹.

What are the Canton Fair 2027 dates?

The China Import and Export Fair (the Canton Fair’s official name) is held twice a year in Guangzhou. Until the 2027 calendar is published, the best guide is the 2026 schedule.

Canton Fair 2026: the pattern 2027 is expected to follow

The 139th session (spring 2026) ran Phase 1 on 15-19 April, Phase 2 on 23-27 April and Phase 3 on 1-5 May 2026. The 140th session (autumn 2026) runs Phase 1 on 15-19 October, Phase 2 on 23-27 October and Phase 3 on 31 October to 4 November 2026, with three-day gaps between phases for changing the halls. Halls are open roughly 9:30 am to 6:00 pm.

Session	Phase 1	Phase 2	Phase 3	Status
139th (Spring 2026)	15-19 Apr 2026	23-27 Apr 2026	1-5 May 2026	Held
140th (Autumn 2026)	15-19 Oct 2026	23-27 Oct 2026	31 Oct-4 Nov 2026	Official
141st (Spring 2027)	~15-19 Apr 2027	~23-27 Apr 2027	~1-5 May 2027	Expected, not announced
142nd (Autumn 2027)	~15-19 Oct 2027	~23-27 Oct 2027	~31 Oct-4 Nov 2027	Expected, not announced

Canton Fair 2027 autumn: why it matters for Indian traders

Spring orders (April-May) suit Diwali, wedding season and year-end stock, with time for production, inspection and sea transit. Autumn orders (October) suit India’s spring and summer selling season.

Before booking, check dates on the official Canton Fair website; some listing sites show 2027 dates as if confirmed.

Which products are in Canton Fair 2027 Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3?

Each phase fills the complex with different industries, so going in the wrong phase is a costly mistake. The lists below follow the official 140th session categories; 2027 is expected to be similar.

Canton Fair 2027 Phase 1: electronics, machinery and hardware

Home appliances, consumer electronics, industrial automation, machinery of all kinds, new materials and chemicals, new energy vehicles, vehicle spare parts, motorcycles, bicycles, lighting, electrical products, new energy, hardware, tools and service robots.

Canton Fair 2027 Phase 2: home, kitchen, gifts and building materials

Ceramics, kitchenware and tableware, household items, glassware, gardening, home decor, festival products, gifts and premiums, clocks and watches, building materials, sanitary and bathroom fittings, furniture, fashion jewellery and prefabricated houses.

Canton Fair 2027 Phase 3: garments, toys, bags, food and health

Toys, baby and maternity products, kids’ wear, men’s and women’s clothing, sportswear, leather and down, fashion accessories, shoes, fabrics, bags, home textiles, carpets, office supplies, food, health products and medical devices, personal care, sports and travel goods, and pet products.

India compliance check by phase

Many products you will see at the fair cannot be cleared in India without extra approvals. Ask the supplier about these before you sign anything:

• Phase 1: BIS registration for many electronics, chargers, LED lights and adaptors; WPC approval for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi products; EPR for e-waste.
• Phase 2: BIS Quality Control Orders on items like stainless steel utensils, pressure cookers and some glass and kitchen products; SIMS registration for steel goods.
• Phase 3: BIS for toys (IS 9873 and IS 15644), FSSAI for food, CDSCO for medical devices and some cosmetics, and quality rules for footwear.

Check current rules on the Bureau of Indian Standards website and find the right tariff line with our HS code guide for China imports. A product that needs BIS but has no licence can be held at the port, so this check matters more than price.

Where is the Canton Fair 2027 venue?

The fair is held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex on Yuejiang Zhong Road, Pazhou, Haizhu District, Guangzhou. The complex has four areas: A, B, C and D. Area D is the newest and is linked to Areas A and B by covered walkways and shuttles.

Take Metro Line 8: Xingang East (Xingang Dong) station for Area A, Pazhou station for Areas B and C. Keep extra time for security on day one, and plan halls by product.

What is the Canton Fair 2027 tickets price?

There is no ticket to buy. Overseas buyers enter with a buyer badge (an IC card with your photo). Online pre-registration on the official site is free, and badges are issued free to registered new overseas buyers at buyer registration points. Once issued, the badge is normally reused for future sessions, so keep it safe.

How to get your buyer badge

1. Pre-register online on cantonfair.org.cn with your name exactly as in your passport, a recent photo on a light background and your business card. Use your company email.
2. Download the e-invitation letter from your buyer account after approval. You need it for your visa.
3. Collect the badge with your original passport, the pre-registration receipt or QR code and a business card. The official notice for the 140th session listed collection points at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou South Railway Station, Pazhou Ferry Terminal, designated hotels and the Hong Kong representative office.

Walk-in buyers without pre-registration reportedly pay a processing fee (around RMB 100), and replacing a lost badge about RMB 200. These amounts are not confirmed for 2027. Pre-register early and it costs nothing.

How do Indians get a China business visa for the Canton Fair?

Indians need an M (business) visa, applied for with the Canton Fair e-invitation letter. The process changed in late October 2026, so older blogs are out of date.

The new process (from 26 October 2026)

• No visa centre: the Chinese Visa Application Centre in New Delhi stopped taking applications. You now fill the form online on the Chinese foreign ministry’s visa portal, upload documents and wait for online review.
• Submit directly to the mission: residents of Maharashtra and Karnataka go to the Chinese Consulate General in Mumbai; all other states, including (for now) West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, go to the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi.
• Passport only after approval: send your passport only when the portal status asks for it.
• Photo size: 33 mm x 48 mm on a white background. Normal 35 x 45 mm photos are reported to be rejected.
• Time: about four working days after submission, plus the online review. Start 4 to 6 weeks before the fair.

Keep ready: e-invitation letter, flight and hotel bookings, company covering letter, IEC and GST certificate, and bank statements. 2026 news reports mention business visa refusals, so apply early.

Flights and hotels

IndiGo now flies direct to Guangzhou from Kolkata and Delhi. Hotel prices rise sharply in fair weeks, so book 2 to 3 months early, ideally near Metro Line 8. Set up a mobile payment app linked to an international card, as most payments in China are by phone.

How do you find the Canton Fair 2027 exhibitor list?

The official exhibitor list is on the Canton Fair website and app before each phase, searchable by product, phase, hall and booth. Paid third-party “exhibitor lists” are often old copies.

A 5-day plan for one phase

Shortlist 30 to 50 booths before you fly. Spend days 1-2 walking your halls and photographing booth numbers, day 3 getting FOB price, MOQ and lead time from your best 10, and days 4-5 on samples and a factory visit. Many booths are run by trading companies, not factories, so know who you are paying. Read our guide on avoiding China supplier scams and paying safely before you send any deposit.

How do you place orders and ship to India after the Canton Fair?

Most deals are closed in the weeks after the fair, by email and WeChat. This is where margin is made or lost.

Step 1: Confirm the deal in a proforma invoice

Get a proforma invoice with specs, price, Incoterm (FOB or EXW), packing, lead time and payment terms. Pay only to a company account in the supplier’s name.

Step 2: Inspect before the balance payment

Book a pre-shipment inspection when production is complete and before you pay the balance. Compare goods with the approved sample.

Step 3: Consolidate suppliers into one shipment

Small orders from 4 or 5 suppliers should be collected at one Guangzhou warehouse and shipped together as LCL, or as a full container if volume allows. Our LCL vs FCL guide explains when each one makes sense, and the weight-to-CBM calculator helps you estimate volume.

Step 4: Choose DDP or self-clearance

With DDP, one company handles freight, customs and door delivery. With self-clearance, your CHA files the Bill of Entry on ICEGATE and you pay duty. See how DDP shipping from China to India works and our customs clearance guide for the full process.

Option after the fair	Best for	What you handle	Main risk
Supplier ships CIF to Indian port	Experienced importers with own CHA	Customs, duty, port charges, local transport	High destination charges, little control
FOB + your own forwarder	Single large supplier, FCL	Freight booking, customs, delivery	Coordination with many parties
Consolidation + LCL/FCL + DDP	Many small suppliers from one fair	Supplier payments and product approval	Choosing a reliable consolidator
Air cargo (samples, urgent stock)	Samples and high-value small lots	Higher freight cost per kg	Cost if used for bulky goods

For reference, indicative FCL ocean freight from South China to Nhava Sheva or Chennai was reported at roughly USD 2,650-3,250 for a 20-foot and USD 3,350-4,100 for a 40-foot container (indicative, Oct 2026; changes weekly). These are market ranges from public freight guides, not IFC prices, and they do not include Indian port, customs or delivery charges. See sea shipping transit times by port for timelines.

What will your Canton Fair order really cost in India? A worked example

Say you buy stainless steel kitchenware in Phase 2 (HS 7323 9390). BCD is 20%, SWS is 10% of BCD and IGST is 5% as per the IFC duty database (verified October 2026). Assume the CIF value (goods + freight + insurance up to the Indian port) comes to ₹4,30,000.

Item	Calculation	Amount (₹)
CIF value	Goods + freight + insurance	4,30,000
Assessable value (AV)	CIF + 1% landing charge	4,34,300
Basic Customs Duty (BCD)	20% of AV	86,860
Social Welfare Surcharge (SWS)	10% of BCD	8,686
IGST	5% of (AV + BCD + SWS = 5,29,846)	26,492
Total duty + IGST	BCD + SWS + IGST	1,22,038

The IGST of ₹26,492 can usually be claimed as input tax credit if you are GST-registered, so your real duty cost is closer to ₹95,546. On top of this come CHA, port and CFS charges and local delivery. Steel goods also need SIMS registration (a small fee of Re 1 per ₹1,000 of CIF value, minimum ₹500), and stainless steel utensils are reported to fall under a BIS Quality Control Order, so confirm that before ordering. More on rates in our import duty from China to India guide.

How IFC helps after the Canton Fair

IFC does not sell fair tickets, arrange visas or run fair tours. Where IFC helps is after you have met suppliers, when the real import work starts:

• Own office in Guangzhou: IFC has its own offices in Guangzhou and Yiwu, with English-speaking staff and translators who can follow up with the suppliers you met.
• Supplier verification and inspection: checks on the supplier company and factory or quality inspection before you pay the balance.
• Payment support: help with paying Chinese suppliers.
• Pickup and consolidation: cartons from several Canton Fair suppliers collected in Guangzhou and loaded together. IFC loads mixed containers (LCL) and air cargo daily.
• Customs clearance and DDP delivery: duty-paid clearance in India and door-to-door delivery to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune and more, from IFC’s head office and warehouse in Kirti Nagar, New Delhi.

IFC has 20+ years of China-India import experience, since 2004, and works with business importers. See our door-to-door shipping service or read IFC reviews from importers.

Conclusion: plan Canton Fair 2027 around profit, not just the trip

Canton Fair 2027 is expected in mid-April to early May and mid-October to early November, but wait for the official announcement before booking. Pick the right phase, pre-register free, apply early for your visa and check India compliance. Above all, work out the landed cost in ₹ before you pay any deposit.

Get your real landed cost: enter your product, weight and CBM in the IFC shipment calculator, or call IFC on +91 98116 91631 for a door-to-door DDP quote from China to your city.

Frequently asked questions

Have the Canton Fair 2027 dates been announced?

Not yet, as of 28 October 2026. Based on the 2026 pattern, the 141st session is expected around 15 April to 5 May 2027 and the 142nd session around 15 October to 4 November 2027, each in three phases of five days. Confirm the official dates on cantonfair.org.cn before booking flights or hotels.

Is there an entry fee for Canton Fair 2027?

There is no ticket. Overseas buyers enter with a buyer badge, and online pre-registration on the official website is free. Buyers who register on the spot without pre-registering may pay a processing fee, reported at around RMB 100, and a lost badge costs extra to replace. Check the official buyer guide for current fees.

Which Canton Fair phase should an Indian buyer attend?

Choose by product. Phase 1 covers electronics, appliances, machinery, vehicles, lighting and hardware. Phase 2 covers kitchenware, home decor, gifts, furniture, ceramics and building materials. Phase 3 covers garments, shoes, bags, toys, baby products, textiles, food, personal care and medical products. Going in the wrong phase means your suppliers will not be there.

How do Indians apply for a China visa for the Canton Fair?

Apply for an M (business) visa with the Canton Fair e-invitation letter. Since late October 2026, Indians fill the form online, upload documents for review, then submit the passport directly at the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi or, for Maharashtra and Karnataka residents, the Consulate in Mumbai. Start four to six weeks before travel.

Where is the Canton Fair venue?

The fair is held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex on Yuejiang Zhong Road in Pazhou, Haizhu District, Guangzhou. It has Areas A, B, C and D. Take Metro Line 8 to Xingang East station for Area A or Pazhou station for Areas B and C.

How do I ship Canton Fair orders to India?

Confirm each order on a proforma invoice, inspect goods before paying the balance, then consolidate cartons from all suppliers at one Guangzhou warehouse. Ship by LCL, FCL or air, and choose DDP if you want one company to handle freight, Indian customs and door delivery. Check BIS or other approvals before shipping.

Does IFC help with Canton Fair tickets or visas?

No. IFC does not arrange tickets, visas or fair tours. IFC helps after the fair through its own office in Guangzhou: supplier verification, quality inspection, payment support, pickup and consolidation, sea or air freight, customs clearance and door-to-door DDP delivery across India. Call +91 98116 91631 for a quote.