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Study visa and residence permit for a medical student in China: X1, the thirty-day rule and the permit

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

This page sets out the Chinese immigration steps for a foreign student who will study at a Chinese school for more than 180 days, document by document. These are Chinese government rules for foreign students in general, not rules of a home-country regulator, and nothing in them is specific to medicine. For the rest of this register, see this register's section page, which covers admission, fees and study.

Which visa: X1 or X2

Article 45 of the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, in force from 1 July 2017) says: "Short-term study refers to study at a Chinese school for no more than 180 days (inclusive). Long-term study refers to study at a Chinese school for more than 180 days." This site's translation from the Chinese text is used here; the Chinese text is the authority.

The Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China, published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on China Consular Services, describe the two study visas as follows.

Visa Intended study in China, as the instructions word it
X1 For a period of more than 180 days
X2 For a period of no more than 180 days

Before entry: the X1 visa and its documents

Article 35 of Order No. 42 says that a foreigner who will study at one of the schools it covers shall apply for an X1 or X2 visa before entry, according to the study period. The application goes to the Chinese embassy or consulate-general in the country of nationality or residence, or to another mission the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has entrusted. The applicant shall submit the materials required, including the certificate filed for the record with the education authority and the admission letter issued by the school.

The instructions' X1 section lists two documents:

  • the admission letter issued by a school or other admitting entity in China;
  • the Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202).

The instructions' basic documents section says the requirements are "as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality". It lists the visa application form, the applicant's passport and photo, proof of legal stay or residence, and the previous Chinese passport or previous Chinese visa, together with the X1 documents. The embassy or consulate in the applicant's locality sets the specific requirements for an individual application.

After entry: the residence permit within 30 days

The instructions' X1 section says that the holder must, within 30 days of entering China, apply for a residence permit at the exit-entry administration of the public security bureau of the people's government at or above the county level of the intended place of residence.

Article 36 of Order No. 42 gives the same period for a student whose study visa states that residence documents must be handled after entry. Such a student shall, within thirty days from the date of entry, apply to the exit-entry administration of the public security authority at the intended place of residence for a residence document for study. The Chinese text is again rendered here in this site's English translation.

The National Immigration Administration's service guide for residence permits has the same 30-day rule. Its section 6(2) says that a foreigner whose visa states that a residence document must be handled after entry shall apply within 30 days from the date of entry to the exit-entry administration of the public security organ at the intended place of residence.

The same guide, in section 1(3), says that the National Immigration Administration has entrusted residence permit applications to exit-entry offices at prefecture-city level or above, including districts and counties under municipalities directly administered. County-level offices may accept applications when the provincial office has asked the National Immigration Administration and received approval.

The permit: materials

Section 6(1) of the guide lists the general materials:

  1. a valid passport or other international travel document;
  2. the application form and one photo that meets the photo standard;
  3. materials related to the purpose of the application;
  4. any other procedures and materials that must be completed.

The guide says originals may be shown and copies kept.

For a study permit, section 6(2), item 2, says the following. A holder of an X1 visa submits a letter from the school stating the study period, and an admission or enrollment certificate. If the material is already registered in the national management information system for foreign students in China, paper materials may be exempted. A holder of another visa type must also submit a certificate from the competent authority. The public security office may issue a residence permit whose validity matches the study period the school states.

The same section says that a foreigner who applies for a residence permit valid for 1 year or more must submit a health certificate from the local health quarantine department or a county-level or higher medical institution. The certificate must show that the applicant does not have a serious mental disorder, infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, or another infectious disease that may seriously harm public health.

Steps, in order

  1. Apply for an X1 visa at the Chinese embassy or consulate-general, or at another entrusted mission.
  2. Submit the admission letter from the school.
  3. Submit the Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or JW202).
  4. Enter China.
  5. Within 30 days of entry, apply for the residence permit at the exit-entry office for the intended place of residence.
  6. Submit the school's letter stating the study period and the admission or enrollment certificate.

What this page does not cover

This page gives no fee or processing time. It sets out no rule of the National Medical Commission (India), the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, the BMDC under the Bangladesh BMDC Act, or the Nepal Medical Council. The X1 description in the instructions names no field of study.

Questions people ask

Is an X1 visa the visa for study longer than 180 days?

Yes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructions describe the X1 visa as issued to those who intend to study in China for a period of more than 180 days. Article 45 of Order No. 42 defines long-term study as study at a Chinese school for more than 180 days.

How soon after entry must the residence permit be applied for?

Within 30 days from the date of entry. Article 36 of Order No. 42 applies to a study visa that states residence documents must be handled after entry. The National Immigration Administration guide says the application goes to the exit-entry administration at the intended place of residence.

Does the X1 description name a field of study?

No. The X1 description in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructions says only that the visa is for study in China for more than 180 days, and it names no field of study.

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, visa or registration outcome. The official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

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