What do you actually need to bring to register?
The passport, photo, and business card details that trip up first-time applicants, plus what changes if you're registering on-site.
The document list itself is short, but each item has a specific requirement that’s easy to get wrong if you’re assembling everything the night before you travel. Getting it right the first time matters more if you’re registering in person, where a missing item means a second visit to the same counter.
What’s on the list
- Your passport — the original if registering in person; a clear copy or scan for the online application.
- A passport-style photo, 5 by 4 centimetres. This is a specific size, not a generic “passport photo” — check it against this measurement rather than assuming a photo taken for another country’s requirements will match.
- A business card. Bring a small stack rather than a single card; you’ll likely hand others out at exhibitor booths during the fair itself, separate from the one used at registration.
- A printed copy of your pre-registration confirmation, if you registered online before travelling and are collecting your badge in person.
Online versus in-person: what actually differs
Registering online means uploading the same information as digital files and waiting for the organiser’s review; registering in person means bringing the physical originals to one of the designated registration points and, in most cases, walking away with your badge the same visit rather than waiting on a review queue. The document requirements themselves don’t change between the two routes — only whether you’re uploading a file or handing over the physical item.
A practical note on timing
Sort your photo and business cards out before you fly, not after you land. A 5×4cm photo print and a small business-card order are trivial to arrange at home with time to plan, and considerably more friction to sort out in an unfamiliar city on a tight schedule once you’re already juggling jet lag and a fair that’s already open.
What’s next
Go back to the full registration process if you haven’t started your application, or read the first-time visitor guide for what else to prepare before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Canton Fair badge photo need to be a specific size?
Do I need a business card to register for a Canton Fair badge?
Can I register with a digital copy of my documents instead of originals?
Keep planning
- How to Register for the Canton FairWhich physical registration points skip the online review queue entirely, and what changes about the document requirements at each.
- Canton Fair Buyer Badge ExplainedWhy it's the only pass that matters, what it costs to get and replace, and the one on-site fee official sources still disagree about.
- Canton Fair First-Time GuideThe scale, the walking, the language reality at different types of booths, and the small habits that make the first day easier than the second.