There is no single "best hospital in Beijing for foreigners" — the right one depends on what you need treated. Beijing's city government publishes an English Medical Guide for Foreigners that names 17 major institutions with full-process foreign-language services and a directory of 125 more hospitals with the languages each offers[4]. Most visitors use either the international or VIP department of a large public hospital, or a private international hospital. Many can be booked in English through the "International Service Beijing" (京通) mini program in WeChat or Alipay, and the city states that international patients are charged the same standards as Chinese residents[1].
This guide matches Beijing hospitals to common needs, explains how booking works, and gives Peking University Third Hospital — one of the most searched names — its own section. For airports, visa-free transit, where to stay and the best season, see our Beijing city guide; this page is only about choosing and booking a hospital.
First: "Beijing Hospital" is also the name of one hospital
If you searched for "Beijing Hospital", note that 北京医院 (Beijing Hospital) is a specific public hospital in Dongcheng District, not a generic term. It is directly under China's National Health Commission and carries the title National Center of Gerontology (国家老年医学中心)[16]. Its official site lists a VIP medical department (特需医疗部) among its clinical departments and gives its address as No. 1 Dahua Road, Dongdan, Dongcheng District, with switchboard +86 10 8513 2266[15]. The city's foreigner guide lists Beijing Hospital with service in English, Japanese and Korean[3].
Beijing Hospital is not yet in our directory, so we have no verified international-desk contact for it — use the hospital's own website. Everywhere else on this page, "Beijing hospitals" simply means hospitals in Beijing.
How booking works for foreigners in Beijing
- Pick the hospital by need (table below), then check whether it appears in the city's foreigner guide. The main list covers the international services of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), China-Japan Friendship, Beijing Friendship, Tiantan, Guang'anmen, Fuwai, Peking University People's, Peking University Third, Xuanwu, Chao-yang, Jishuitan, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung and Peking University International hospitals, plus Beijing United Family, Sanfine International, Beijing DCN Orthopedic Hospital and the customs travel health care center[2].
- Book in English where you can. Open the "International Service Beijing" mini program in WeChat or Alipay and tap "En"[1]. In October 2025 the city said 15 hospitals or campuses offered full English online booking on the 114 platform, including PUMCH, Peking University Third, Xuanwu, Fuwai, Tiantan and three Jishuitan campuses[5]. By November 2025, 28 institutions offered full-process English booking in the Jingtong mini program, after log-in and identity verification[4].
- Or use the hospital's own channel — an international-department phone line, the hospital app or its WeChat account (contacts in the table).
- Bring your original passport. PUMCH and Peking University Third Hospital both state that a passport can be used to register as a patient[17][7]. The step-by-step version is in your first hospital visit without a Chinese ID.
- Pay. The city guide lists RMB cash, international credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover Global Network, Diners Club, JCB), UnionPay debit cards and WeChat Pay/Alipay as payment options for international patients[1]. Confirm that the desk you use accepts your card; see payments with Alipay and WeChat.
- Insurance. If your insurer has a direct-billing agreement with the hospital, you show your insurance card and passport and the hospital settles with the insurer. The guide names MSH China, Ping An, AIA, Cigna & CMB and Allianz Partners among insurers that commonly direct-bill, and tells patients to check each hospital's own list[1].
Beijing hospitals by need
The table shows what each hospital publishes about international service — it is not a ranking. "No international department found" means we did not find one on the hospital's pages, not that foreigners are turned away. Entries marked draft are in our directory but their pages are still being completed.
| If you need… |
Where to look |
International channel (as published) |
Source |
| A complex or unclear diagnosis, a second opinion |
PUMCH; Peking University People's Hospital (draft) |
PUMCH International Medical Services: foreign-patient line +86 10 6915 6699 ext. 2, embassy line +86 10 6915 4588, direct billing with nearly 30 insurers. People's Hospital international department: +86 10 8832 4190, pkuphiao@163.com; English, Russian, Japanese, Korean; no emergency service |
[17][18][9] |
| Heart and blood vessels |
Fuwai Hospital; Beijing Anzhen Hospital |
Fuwai International Medical Department: +86 156 9987 0970, or the hospital app/WeChat mini program; English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish; emergency available. Anzhen (heart, lung and vascular focus): no international department found |
[10][28] |
| Brain, nerves, stroke |
Beijing Tiantan Hospital; Xuanwu Hospital |
Tiantan International Department (opened 2018): +86 10 5997 8585. Xuanwu International Medical Department: +86 10 8392 2100; English, French; neurology, neurosurgery, neuro-intervention, geriatrics |
[19][11] |
| Bones, joints, sports injuries |
Beijing Jishuitan Hospital; Peking University Third Hospital |
Jishuitan VIP & International department on the Xinjiekou, Huilongguan and Xinlongze campuses: +86 10 5851 6829 / 5780 1600 / 5096 3438; English, Korean, Japanese. Peking University Third: see the section below |
[12] |
| Eyes, ear-nose-throat |
Beijing Tongren Hospital |
Ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology are its Ministry of Education national key disciplines; a VIP ophthalmology centre opened in 2026 with clinics at the Chongwenmen and Yizhuang campuses. The city lists English service. No international-desk contact published; hotline +86 10 5826 6699 |
[13][14][3] |
| Teeth |
Peking University Hospital of Stomatology (draft); PUMCH |
Stomatology's International Clinical Division (国合门诊部) is listed with English, Japanese, Korean. PUMCH IMS Painless Dental Treatment Center: +86 10 6915 4583 |
[3][17] |
| Fertility, pregnancy, birth |
Peking University Third Hospital |
International section of the Reproductive Medicine Centre; international obstetrics ward; obstetrics bookings +86 156 1190 8453 |
[7] |
| Liver disease, hepatitis |
Beijing Ditan Hospital (draft) |
International Medical Department with 26 beds, mainly treating hepatitis, cirrhosis and related liver disease; no direct phone in our records |
[23] |
| Lungs and breathing |
Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital; China-Japan Friendship Hospital |
Chao-Yang International Medical Department (Beijing pilot since 2023): +86 10 8523 1481 / 8523 1653, self-pay and commercial direct billing. China-Japan Friendship International Department: English, Japanese; bookings +86 10 8420 5071; respiratory medicine is among its listed focus areas |
[24][20] |
| Chinese medicine (TCM) |
Guang'anmen Hospital |
International Medical Department (since 2009): +86 10 8800 1248, gam_international@126.com; Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean |
[22] |
| Health check-ups |
PUMCH; Beijing Friendship Hospital |
PUMCH IMS Health Management Center: +86 10 6915 6799. Friendship International Medical Center (Xicheng and Tongzhou campuses) includes a check-up centre; 24-hour English line +86 186 1822 6271 |
[17][21] |
| Cancer |
Peking University Cancer Hospital |
A VIP clinic section on its site; no international department or foreign-language service found. Consider coordinating through a general hospital's international department; see cancer second opinion |
[29] |
| Family medicine, children, English end to end |
Beijing United Family; Raffles Hospital Beijing; Beijing Mingde; Peking University International Hospital |
24-hour emergency lines: United Family +86 10 5927 7120, Raffles +86 10 8793 7999, Mingde +86 10 5985 0333 (free 24-hour Chinese–English service). PU International foreign-language line: +86 10 6900 6999 |
[1][26][27][25] |
| A military general hospital |
PLA General Hospital ("301") (draft) |
Not on the city's lists of hospitals with full-process foreign-language service; see our 301 Hospital guide |
[2][3] |
For a life-threatening emergency, dial 120. Among international units, PUMCH IMS lists a 24-hour emergency line, +86 10 6915 5288[1]; see also emergencies in China.
Peking University Third Hospital (北医三院): the international department
Peking University Third Hospital (PUTH, 北医三院), at 49 Huayuan North Road in Haidian District, set up an International Medical Department in 2023 for Chinese and foreign patients who want a premium, one-stop outpatient and inpatient service[7]. The city guide lists its International Medical Service with English, Korean and Japanese, and notes it has no emergency service of its own[6].
What the international department offers
- Its own outpatient area, VIP (特需) clinics and endoscopy centre; registration and payment windows are on the 3rd floor of the Health Medicine Center building (健康医学中心楼)[7].
- Outpatient doctors at associate-chief level or above, drawn from the hospital's main departments; independent CT, MRI, ultrasound and ECG, with most tests possible the same day unless fasting or bowel preparation is required[7].
- An international endoscopy centre (painless and standard gastroscopy and colonoscopy, polyp removal) and an international section of the Reproductive Medicine Centre for domestic and foreign patients[7].
- Evening VIP clinics, Monday–Friday 17:30–20:00[7].
- Single rooms and suites in international general-surgery, obstetrics and ophthalmology wards at the main campus, plus international wards at the North and Airport campuses[7].
Sports medicine and orthopaedics
Many international readers look up PUTH for sports medicine. Its Department of Sports Medicine doubles as the Peking University Institute of Sports Medicine, founded in January 1959, with clinical sub-specialties for the knee, hip, shoulder and elbow, and foot and ankle[8]. Sports medicine, orthopaedics and rehabilitation medicine are among the 27 national key clinical specialties the hospital lists on its international-department page[7][6].
The international department says its doctors cover the hospital's leading departments[7]. Still, if you want a particular sports-medicine surgeon, ask whether he or she holds international or VIP sessions, or whether you will be booked into the regular specialist clinic. Arthroscopy planning is covered in sports medicine and arthroscopy.
How to book
- Foreign patients: call +86 156 1190 8308 on working days, 8:00–17:00[7]; the city lists this number for English[6].
- Special appointment lines — for when the doctor you want is not on the international roster or no slot is free: +86 10 8226 5553 and +86 10 8226 6723, working days 8:00–17:00. Have ready a short case summary, the department, the doctor's name, your preferred time, the patient's name, ID or passport number and phone[7].
- Obstetrics: +86 156 1190 8453[7].
- Online: register with a passport in the PUTH app or the WeChat service account "北医三院服务号", then choose the clinic marked 国疗 (international), 特需 (VIP) or evening 特需[7]. PUTH is also on the city's English booking list[5].
- Direct billing: the department works with several commercial insurers; insured patients can book through their insurer's service line or the app and confirm their identity at the international desk[7].
- Hospital switchboard: +86 10 8226 6699[7].
Details are on the PUTH directory page.
Public international department or private hospital?
Large public hospitals concentrate senior specialists, and their international departments add English coordination, scheduled appointments and calmer clinics on top of the same medical teams. Private international hospitals such as Beijing United Family build the whole experience around foreign patients — a multilingual team and direct billing with most major insurers[26] — which suits family medicine, children and routine care. For a complex diagnosis or major surgery, many people start with a public flagship; for everyday care in English, a private hospital is usually smoother. We compare the two in public vs private hospitals for foreigners and explain the premium tier in international departments explained.
Costs: what is and isn't published
- Base rule: the city guide says international patients are charged the same standard as Chinese residents, paying themselves or through commercial insurance[1]. There is no foreigner surcharge — but international departments and VIP clinics are a higher-priced tier for everyone who uses them.
- Price lists: our directory records for the PUMCH, China-Japan Friendship, Beijing Friendship and Tiantan international departments all note that no public price list was found. Ask for a written estimate before you travel.
- Mainland insurance: visitors cannot claim mainland public medical insurance; budget for self-pay or your own insurer. See costs and price comparison and insurance for treatment abroad.
Before you book: questions to ask
- Is the doctor I need available in the international or VIP clinic — and on which campus?
- Will the doctor speak English, or will a coordinator interpret? Is interpretation charged?
- Which records should I send first, and how long will a reply take?
- Does my insurer have direct billing here, and for which services?
- How many visits will this take, and can reports be issued in English?
- Who handles follow-up after I fly home?
Write it once with our bilingual inquiry letter tool — hospitals answer faster when half the email is already in Chinese.
Honest limits
- The city's lists are a starting point, not a guarantee: being listed does not mean every department, doctor or campus works in English.
- Phone numbers and booking rules change; the detail pages we used were published in 2023–2025. Check the hospital's own channel before you fly.
- A famous department can be fully booked for weeks, even on the international side.
- If travel itself is risky for your condition, or your doctor at home advises against it, treating locally may be the better choice. Plan follow-up at home before you go — see medical records and follow-up.
Next steps
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