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China student visa from Kenya: X1 and X2 documents at the Nairobi visa centre

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Kenya lists the X1 visa for study in China of more than 180 days and the X2 visa for study of no more than 180 days. The documents for each are not on the embassy page itself: its table links to two pages of the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Nairobi. The X1 page lists the original and a photocopy of the Admission Notice and of the "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202); the X2 page lists a round trip plane booking and a photocopy of the Admission Notice.

If you want to check which of the two your own dates fall under before reading further, the X1 or X2 visa check asks for your length of study in days and prints the document list for that visa, with the source named on each line.

What the embassy's visa table says

The embassy's "Chinese visa types and materials" page gives one line per visa type and a link to the Nairobi centre page for the documents:

Visa Description on the embassy page
X1 Issued to those who intend to study in China for a period of more than 180 days.
X2 Issued to those who intend to study in China for a period of no more than 180 days.

That page shows a date line of 9 July 2026. It also gives the processing time lines quoted further down.

X1: documents listed on the Nairobi centre page

The Chinese Visa Application Service Center (Nairobi) page for X1 long-term study lists two items:

  1. Original and photocopy of Admission Notice issued by a school or other organizations in China.
  2. Original and photocopy of "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202) issued by Chinese relevant authorities.

The same page carries this reminder: holders of an X1 visa must apply for a residence permit from the immigration department of the local public security authority in the place intended to stay within 30 days of entry to China. This is the centre's page, not the embassy's own text; the embassy's table links to it.

X2: documents listed on the Nairobi centre page

The centre's X2 short-term study page prints two items:

  1. Round trip plane booking.
  2. Photocopy of Admission Notice issued by a school or other organizations in China.

The X2 page does not list Form JW201 or Form JW202. Note the difference in wording with the X1 page: the X1 line asks for the original and a photocopy of the Admission Notice, while the X2 line asks for a photocopy. Neither centre page explains that difference, and this site does not tell you which wording to apply — read both pages and ask the office handling your application.

Reminders printed on both pages

Both centre pages close with the same two notes:

  • If necessary, the consular officer may require the applicant to provide other supplementary materials, or require an interview.
  • The consular officer will decide whether or not to issue a visa and decide on the visa validity, duration of stay in China and number of entries based on the specific assessment of each application.

Processing time

The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Kenya's visa types page gives two lines:

  • Regular service: 4 business days.
  • Express service: 3 business days (urgent situation).

The page says this processing time is an average, is for reference only and is calculated from the date of passport submission, and that some applications may take longer, with a pick-up date confirmed only when the Embassy notifies the applicant. It does not say whether the day of submission itself is included.

Fees

The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Kenya's visa fee page prints a table headed "Visa fee (KSH)（2023.12.11-）"; the page shows a date line of 9 July 2026. The table is arranged by number of entries and by nationality, not by visa category, so it does not carry an X1 or X2 price.

(A) Kenya Nationals:

Item Entry and validity Fee (KSH)
1 Single Entry valid for 3 months 3000
2 Double Entry valid for 6 months 4500
3 Multi-Entry valid for 6 months 6000
4 Multi-Entry valid for 12 months 9000
5 Group L visa 2400

(B) Any Other Third Countries:

Item Entry and validity Fee (KSH)
6 Single Entry valid for 3 months 2300
7 Double Entry valid for 6 months 3400
8 Multi-Entry valid for 6 months 4500
9 Multi-Entry valid for 12 months 6800
10 Group L visa 1800

The page also prints two attention lines: "If not listed separately, the Express 1/2 fee is 3700/2500", and "Visa applications must be forwarded to the Visa Application Service Center and pay for fees in the Visa Center."

The fee page does not say which of these lines applies to a student visa. Section (C) Specific Countries on the same page lists further nationality-based lines (items 11 to 41), which this page does not reproduce. For service fees the page's notice points to a Visa Application Service Center page (https://bio.visaforchina.cn/NBO3_EN/qianzhengyewu/jichuzhishi/feiyongbiaozhunjishixian) and states no service charge itself.

Questions people ask

Does the fee table give a price for X1 or X2?

No. The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Kenya's fee table is arranged by number of entries and nationality, so its rows are single, double, multi-entry and group L visa lines in Kenyan shillings. The fee page does not name X1 or X2.

Does the X2 page ask for Form JW201 or JW202?

The centre's X2 page does not list it. Its two items are the round trip plane booking and the photocopy of the Admission Notice. The X1 page lists the original and photocopy of "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202).

What happens after entering China on an X1 visa?

The centre's X1 page reminds holders to apply for a residence permit from the immigration department of the local public security authority in the place intended to stay within 30 days of entry. The 180-day line itself is explained in X1 or X2: the 180-day rule.

Is this list from the embassy or from the visa centre?

The embassy and the visa centre are different bodies. The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Kenya's table gives the X1 and X2 descriptions and the processing time; the document lists and reminders come from the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (Nairobi) pages the embassy links to.

Sources

Checked 10 October 2026. This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named above, and if the official text or the instructions of the office handling your application differ from what is written here, the official text and those instructions prevail.

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