Skip to content
About

China student visa for Nigerian citizens: the embassy's guidelines

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Nigeria publishes one visa guidelines page for Nigerian citizens: X1 is for study in China of more than 180 days, X2 is for study of no more than 180 days, and each category has its own document list. The same page gives the basic documents everyone submits, the application route through the China Visa Application Centre (CVAC), the processing time, and the fees in naira. A separate December 2025 notice on the embassy site covers fingerprints.

For the X1/X2 line only, the X1 or X2 visa check asks for the length of study in days, or a start and end date, where you will live, and whether you plan off-campus work-study, then prints the steps that follow. It counts whole days with both the first and last day included, and that counting is for the length of study only: it does not count the 30-day residence permit period. The check prints the document list as published by the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom, not the Nigerian list below, and it does not decide a visa; embassies and consulates decide visa applications. The document checklist at /tools/document-checklist/ is a separate tool for assembling files.

What X1 and X2 mean on this page

The embassy's category table gives two lines and nothing else:

Category The embassy's wording
X1 Issued to those who intend to study in China for a long-term period of more than 180 days
X2 Issued to those who intend to study in China for a short-term period of no more than 180 days

The guidelines do not say how the 180 days are counted.

Basic documents for every applicant

From section I, Basic Documents, of the guidelines:

  1. Passport. Original passport with at least six months of remaining validity and blank visa pages, plus a photocopy of the passport data page.
  2. Visa application form and photo. One visa application form filled in online at the China Online Visa Application site (cova.cs.mfa.gov.cn) and printed, one copy of the Confirmation of Online Visa Application, and one recently taken colour passport photo with a white background, front view, bare-headed.

The X1 list

The guidelines split X1 applicants into four groups.

Elementary, junior and senior high school students

  1. Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China.
  2. Proof of funds: 2,500 dollars per year, or a scholarship certificate.
  3. Physical Examination Form.
  4. Other materials considered necessary by the embassy or consulate general.

University students

  1. Photocopy of the Admission Notice issued by the host institute in China.
  2. Photocopy of the Confirmation Form for Study in China, Form JW201 or Form JW202.
  3. Proof of final academic qualification, authenticated by the Ministry of Education of Nigeria.
  4. Proof of funds: 2,500 dollars per year, or a scholarship certificate.
  5. Physical Examination Form.
  6. Other materials considered necessary by the embassy or consulate general.

Chinese government aided students on academic degree education projects

  1. Original Admission Notice issued by the host institute in China.
  2. Original Confirmation Form for Study in China, Form JW201 or Form JW202.
  3. Original Invitation Letter for the academic degree education project, in the unified format issued by the Training Center of the Ministry of Commerce of P.R. China.
  4. Physical Examination Form.
  5. Other materials considered necessary by the embassy or consulate general.

Applicants sitting the examination for medical internship

  1. Application Form for Medical Internship.
  2. Original Medical Internship Notification Letter issued by the host institute in China.

The X2 list

The guidelines give six items, with no sub-groups:

  1. Admission Notice issued by the host institute in China.
  2. Information Form for Foreign Students' Short-term Visit, Form DQ.
  3. Proof of final academic qualification, authenticated by the Ministry of Education of Nigeria.
  4. Proof of funds: 2,500 dollars per year, or a scholarship certificate.
  5. Physical Examination Form.
  6. Other materials considered necessary by the embassy or consulate general.

The X1 and X2 lists are not identical: the X2 list asks for Form DQ and does not ask for JW201 or JW202, while the university-student X1 list asks for JW201 or JW202 and does not ask for Form DQ.

What X1 holders must do after entering China

The reminder printed at the end of the X1 section states that holders of an X1 visa must apply, within 30 days from the date of their entry, to the exit and entry administrations of public security organs under local governments at or above the county level in the proposed place of residence, for a foreigner's residence permit. It adds that a consular-authenticated police character certificate in Nigeria is required.

How the embassy says to apply

Under regular visa application, the guidelines give one route: applicants go directly to CVAC during working hours to submit materials, pay fees and reserve fingerprints. Regular applicants must also complete the China Online Visa Application form at cova.cs.mfa.gov.cn and print it.

Item VI.2 of the guidelines gives a separate route for diplomatic and official visa applications by ordinary passport holders: arrange the processing time with the Embassy or Consulate General in advance, submit the materials at that time, and complete and print the China Online Visa Application form. Item VI.1, the regular application, describes direct submission at CVAC and does not mention a mailing route.

Processing time and fees

Processing time: normally 4 working days, subject to the visa officer's decision.

Fees, as printed on the September 2024 guidelines page, in naira and per person, excluding the service fees charged by the China Visa Application Centre:

Number of entries Fee
Single entry 10,500 Naira
Double entry 15,750 Naira
Multiple entries, 6 months 21,000 Naira
Multiple entries, 12 months 31,500 Naira

Nigerian regular passport holders issued diplomatic and official visas are exempted from visa fees. The fee table is arranged by number of entries, not by visa category, so the table does not name a fee for X1 or X2 as such. The December 2025 notice described below does not state fee amounts; for the fee charged on the day you apply, use the embassy page current at that time.

Fingerprints: the December 2025 notice

The embassy's separate notice, dated 19 December 2025, states that from the date of that notice until 31 December 2026, Chinese visa-issuing authorities will exempt fingerprint collection for all short-term visa applicants whose intended duration of stay in China is no more than 180 days. It states that fingerprint collection is still required for applicants who need to obtain residence permits after entering China, and names the following categories: D, J, Q1, S1, X1 and Z.

X1 appears in that list, so the notice treats X1 applicants as giving fingerprints. The September 2024 guidelines describe reserving fingerprints at CVAC for regular applicants. These are two separate statements on two pages; neither the guidelines nor the notice says how they interact. Ask the office handling your application what to do at the counter.

What the consular officer can still require

Section V, Special Reminder, gives two points:

  1. If necessary, the consular officer may require the applicant to provide other supporting documents or supplementary materials.
  2. The consular officer has the final decision on visa issuance, validity, duration of stay and number of entries, according to the specific condition of the applicant.

So the lists above are the embassy's published starting points, not a guarantee that the file is complete or that a visa is issued.

Questions people ask

Is my course X1 or X2?

The embassy's category line is duration only: more than 180 days for X1, no more than 180 days for X2. The guidelines do not say how the days are counted.

How much money do I have to show?

The X1 school, university and X2 lists each state proof of funds of 2,500 dollars per year, or a scholarship certificate. The government-aided and medical internship lists do not include a proof of funds item.

Does my certificate need authentication?

Yes for two lists. The university-student X1 list and the X2 list both require proof of final academic qualification authenticated by the Ministry of Education of Nigeria.

Do X1 applicants give fingerprints?

The December 2025 notice names X1 among the categories that still require fingerprint collection, because X1 holders need a residence permit after entering China.

How long will the visa take?

The guidelines state normally 4 working days, subject to the visa officer's decision.

Sources

Checked 10 October 2026. This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, and is not published by the bodies named; the official text and the instructions of the body handling your application prevail if they differ.

Toolkit Assistant