A fapiao (发票, fāpiào) is China's official tax invoice, and merchants in mainland China issue it on request for a genuine purchase. To ask for a fapiao or receipt in China, first decide what proof you actually need, tell the seller before the invoice is issued, give the exact personal or organization header, and confirm how the electronic copy will reach you. A payment-app record or shop receipt (收据, shōujù) proves a payment, but it is not the same document as a tax invoice.

Key Takeaways:

Say whether you need an ordinary receipt, a payment record, or a fapiao.

Give the invoice header before the seller submits the invoice.

Never ask a seller to change the real goods, service, seller, or amount.

Check the title, amount, date, seller, and delivery address as soon as the invoice arrives.

Keep the original electronic file and the payment or order record together.

What is the difference between a receipt and a fapiao?

A shop receipt, order page, card slip, or mobile-payment record documents a transaction. A fapiao is an invoice issued under China's invoice rules and carries prescribed invoice information. The invoice rules require invoices to be issued truthfully and prohibit documents that do not match the actual business transaction.［1］

Use the document required by the person reimbursing you. A hotel, employer, insurer, or event organizer may ask for a fapiao with a particular header, while a personal expense log may only need a receipt and payment record. Confirm that requirement before checkout; the cashier cannot infer it from a foreign card or passport.

What you need	Ask for	Check before leaving
Proof that you paid	Receipt or payment record	Seller, time, amount, payment status
Personal tax invoice	Personal fapiao	Your exact requested name and transaction details
Organization reimbursement	Organization fapiao	Exact legal name and any fields your organization requires
Electronic copy	Electronic fapiao	Correct email, phone, download route, and file received

What information should you prepare?

For a personal invoice, prepare the name that the reimbursement recipient expects. For an organization invoice, copy the legal Chinese name and any required taxpayer information from an approved source supplied by that organization. Do not translate, shorten, or guess a company name.

Also keep the order number, merchant name, transaction time, amount, and payment record. Those details help the merchant find the transaction if the invoice does not arrive. The tax authority's invoicing guidance emphasizes that invoice content must reflect the real transaction, not a convenient substitute description.［2］

Make one small invoice note before the trip or business event. Put the requested purchaser title first, followed by any organization fields exactly as supplied, the email or phone that you are willing to use for delivery, and the name of the person who can confirm reimbursement requirements. Keep this note separate from a full passport scan or a general company document folder so that you can show only the fields the merchant needs.

If several travelers share an order, decide in advance whether the recipient wants one invoice for the whole genuine transaction or separate documents that the merchant can lawfully issue. Do not ask the cashier to split, combine, backdate, or rename a transaction merely to fit an expense claim. When the recipient's instructions are unclear, pause before issue and obtain clarification rather than guessing at the counter.

Keep the approved purchaser wording available offline. A weak connection at the counter should not force you to reconstruct legal names or tax fields from memory. For the wider arrival toolkit, including keeping maps and messaging usable, see the China visitor pillar.

How do you ask for a fapiao or receipt in China at the counter?

Use one short request and then show the exact header:

“请给我收据。” — Please give me a receipt.
“请给我开发票。” — Please issue a fapiao.
“开个人抬头，姓名是……” — Use a personal header; the name is …
“开单位抬头，信息在这里。” — Use an organization header; the details are here.
“请问电子发票发到哪里？” — Where will the electronic invoice be sent?

Then follow this sequence:

Confirm the document type with whoever needs the evidence.
Tell the merchant before invoice issuance.
Show the exact header without exposing unrelated passport or account data.
Confirm whether the invoice is electronic or paper.
Verify the email, phone, mini-program, or download route currently offered.
Wait for the invoice result and avoid submitting the same request repeatedly.
Open the delivered file and check its core fields.
Save it with the matching order and payment record.

Fully digital electronic invoices are part of China's current invoicing framework, so electronic delivery is normal rather than an inferior copy.［3］ The merchant's delivery method can still vary.

Treat issuance, delivery, and reimbursement acceptance as three separate checks. A merchant may have issued the invoice even when an email is delayed, and a file that opens correctly may still use a header that the reimbursement recipient will not accept. Confirm the merchant's issue status first, then retrieve the original file through the stated route, and finally compare it with the recipient's requirements.

Save the original attachment or download rather than forwarding it through multiple chat apps. Give the file a local name that ties it to the date, merchant, and order without exposing unnecessary identity data. If you must send it to an employer or insurer, use that recipient's verified submission channel and retain a copy of the submission confirmation.

What should you check after issue?

Check that the purchaser title is the one you supplied, the seller matches the merchant, and the amount and transaction description are truthful. Confirm the invoice date and number are present and that the file opens. If an organization supplied specific taxpayer fields, compare them character by character.

Do not publish the invoice online. It may contain purchaser and seller identifiers, transaction details, contact information, or retrieval data. Store the original file rather than relying only on a cropped screenshot.

What if the invoice is wrong or never arrives?

Return to the merchant with the same transaction evidence and describe one error at a time.

Problem	Evidence to gather	Safe next route
No electronic message	Order, payment time, delivery address	Ask the merchant to verify issue and delivery status
Wrong purchaser title	Original request and issued file	Ask the merchant about the official correction process
Wrong amount or item	Order and invoice	Request correction to the real transaction only
Duplicate request	Invoice number and order	Ask which invoice remains valid before doing anything else
Merchant refuses without explanation	Merchant identity and transaction record	Use the official tax-service or competent tax-authority route

Do not create a replacement yourself, edit the PDF, or ask for a different amount or item. If the merchant cannot resolve a genuine issuance problem, use the current official tax-service channel and provide only the evidence requested.

Build the escalation record in chronological order: the genuine order, proof of payment, the header you supplied, the invoice or delivery error, and the merchant's response. State the correction you need without sending unrelated account history. This makes it easier for the merchant or competent tax authority to distinguish a delivery problem, a data-entry error, and a dispute about whether an invoice was issued.

Keep the case reference and final corrected document together so the same issue is not reopened later.

Summary

Decide whether you need a receipt, payment record, or official fapiao.
Prepare an exact personal or organization header before issue.
Keep invoice content faithful to the actual transaction.
Check the delivered file immediately and retain it with the order and payment evidence.
Route missing or incorrect invoices through the merchant and, when necessary, the official tax channel.

FAQ

Is a mobile-payment record the same as a fapiao?

No. It proves a payment event, but an official invoice is a separate document issued under invoice rules.

Can a visitor ask for a personal fapiao?

Yes, when the merchant can issue an invoice for the genuine transaction. Ask what personal header the receiving organization requires.

Do I need a Chinese company name for personal expenses?

Not normally. Use a personal header if that is what the reimbursement recipient accepts; do not invent an organization.

Can I ask the seller to use a more convenient item description?

No. Invoice information must match the actual goods or service.［1］

Is an electronic fapiao valid?

Yes. The invoice measures give electronic invoices the same legal effect as paper ones.［1］ Fully digital e-invoices are also part of the current framework.［3］ Preserve the original file and verify its fields.

How do you say receipt in Chinese?

An ordinary receipt is 收据 (shōujù), a till slip is often called 小票 (xiǎopiào), and an official tax invoice is 发票 (fāpiào). Say 请给我收据 (qǐng gěi wǒ shōujù) for a receipt or 请给我开发票 (qǐng gěi wǒ kāi fāpiào) for a fapiao.

What if I typed the wrong email address?

Contact the merchant with the order and payment record and ask for its official redelivery or correction route.

Should I share my passport photo to get an invoice?

Do not send unrelated identity data by default. Ask which exact field is legally or operationally required and use the merchant's verified channel.

Does this guide cover departure tax refunds?

No. Departure tax-refund eligibility and procedures are a separate topic.

Disclaimer: This guide provides general visitor information and is not tax, legal, or accounting advice. Invoice requirements and correction routes depend on the real transaction, recipient, merchant, and current official rules.

Sources

State Taxation Administration, Measures for the Administration of Invoices — https://fgk.chinatax.gov.cn/zcfgk/c100010/c5195084/content.html
State Taxation Administration, compliant invoicing Q&A — https://www.chinatax.gov.cn/chinatax/c102414/c5249173/content.html
State Taxation Administration Shanghai, fully digital electronic invoice announcement — https://shanghai.chinatax.gov.cn/xwdt/ztzl/zhl/yhysgj/gzbs/zgjc/202608/t481264.html

Sources checked 4 October 2026.

How to Ask for a Fapiao or Receipt in China as a Visitor