Skip to content

Health check at enrolment: the physical examination record and what Article 39 says

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

Under Article 39 of Order No. 42, international students shall, at enrolment, either handle confirmation of the Foreigner Physical Examination Record at China's health quarantine authority or undergo a physical examination. If the examination confirms one of three named conditions, the public security authorities handle the case according to law. These are Chinese rules. They are not the conditions of any home-country regulator. This register's section page covers admission, fees and study. This article covers only the health provisions.

Order No. 42 and the other two documents cited here are in Chinese. The English below is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

What Article 39 says

Article 39 is part of the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), issued jointly by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security. The promulgation text states that it takes effect on 1 July 2017.

Article 39 (this site's translation): International students shall, on enrolment, handle confirmation of the Foreigner Physical Examination Record at China's health quarantine authority, in accordance with the rules of the Chinese health administration authority, or undergo a physical examination. If the examination confirms a serious mental disorder as defined in the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China, infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, or another infectious disease that may cause major harm to public health, the public security authorities handle the case according to law.

Article 39 has four parts:

  • Who: international students.
  • When: on enrolment.
  • What: confirmation of the record, or a physical examination.
  • What follows: if the examination confirms one of the named conditions, the public security authorities handle the case according to law.

Article 39 names no examination items. It sets no time limit for the examination. It says the public security authorities handle the case "according to law" and does not describe that procedure.

Good health in the 2007 standard

The Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students were issued by the Ministry of Education in 2007 as annex 1 to 教外来〔2007〕39号. Article 20 covers applicants to English-taught undergraduate medical education. In this site's translation, Article 20 says that applicants should have a high-school education or above, good academic results, good health and a strong English language ability.

Article 20 names good health as one of the applicant conditions. Article 20 names no method for checking good health.

The health certificate in the residence-permit guide

The National Immigration Administration's service guide on residence permits covers the documents needed to apply for a residence permit. Item (2) of that guide says that a foreigner who applies for a residence permit valid for one year or more shall submit a physical health certificate. The certificate is issued by the local health quarantine authority or by a health medical department at county level or above. It proves that the applicant does not have a serious mental disorder, infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, or another infectious disease that may cause major harm to public health.

This is a separate provision from Article 39. Item (2) applies to residence permits valid for one year or more. Article 39 applies to enrolment.

Provision Stage Health point
Order No. 42, Article 39 Enrolment Confirmation of the Foreigner Physical Examination Record, or a physical examination; named conditions handled by the public security authorities according to law
2007 standard, Article 20 Applicant conditions Good health listed as one applicant condition
Residence-permit guide, item (2) Residence permit valid for one year or more Physical health certificate from a local health quarantine authority or a health medical department at county level or above

What this page does not cover

This page gives no medical advice and says nothing about any person's health. It does not cover the visa application. For home-country rules, see the register's guide for Indian students.

Questions people ask

When does Article 39 apply?

Article 39 applies to international students on enrolment. At that point, they shall handle confirmation of the Foreigner Physical Examination Record or undergo a physical examination.

Which conditions does Article 39 name?

Article 39 names a serious mental disorder as defined in the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China, infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases that may cause major harm to public health. If an examination confirms one of them, the public security authorities handle the case according to law.

Does item (2) of the residence-permit guide cover every residence permit?

Item (2) covers applications for residence permits valid for one year or more. For those applications, it requires a physical health certificate.

Does Article 20 say how good health is checked?

Article 20 names good health as an applicant condition. It names no method of checking good health.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not legal, medical or professional-licensing advice. It is not published by the bodies named, and it promises no admission, examination or registration outcome. If the official text and the regulator's own instructions differ, the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail.

MBBS Register Desk