China student visa from the United States: the embassy's X1 and X2 rows
Unofficial summary · Sources checked
The Chinese Embassy in Washington asks X1 applicants for a Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202) plus a photocopy of the admission letter, and X2 applicants for the admission notice issued by the school or other entity in China. The same notice sets the line between the two: X1 is for study of more than 180 days, X2 for study of no more than 180 days. Both rows come from the embassy's Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025), which applies to applications made to the Embassy in Washington through the new COVA system launched there on 30 September 2025; other missions publish their own pages.
The X1 or X2 visa check on this site asks for your length of study in days and prints the row that length falls into, together with the document list and the post-entry steps for that row; it prints the document list as published by the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom, so read it as a planning aid and use the page of the mission where you will apply for the actual list. The tool does not decide a visa: embassies and consulates decide visa applications.
Who the embassy in Washington covers, and the three steps
The notice lists the embassy's consular jurisdiction as Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Delaware, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and Puerto Rico, and asks applicants to confirm they live in one of those states before applying.
The process the notice sets out has three steps:
- Log on to the new COVA system to fill in the form and upload materials for preliminary review.
- Once the application shows the status "Passport to be submitted", the applicant or an agent submits the passport, the application info-page with the barcode, and other original documents as required, to the Visa Office within office hours.
- For guidance on filling in the online form, the notice directs applicants to the [Guidance on Visa Application] item at http://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/.
Beyond that pointer, the notice gives no further guidance on filling in the online form.
What every applicant uploads, and what is brought in person
The notice separates the basic documents into two lists. The first is uploaded online:
- Passport bio-page and a blank visa page — the passport must have more than six months of remaining validity and at least two blank visa pages.
- The latest Chinese visa or Chinese residence permit.
- Proof of residence, given as examples: driver's licence, utility bill, bank bill.
- If the applicant is a foreigner in the US, a photocopy of green card, visa, I-20 or I-94 proving legal residence in the US.
- If the applicant was of Chinese nationality and this is the first Chinese visa application after naturalisation abroad, the bio-page of the Chinese passport and the naturalisation certificate.
- If the applicant's name has changed and this is the first Chinese visa application since the change, the name-change document.
- For a minor of Chinese origin born in the US, the notice points to separate guidance.
The second list is submitted on site as originals:
- The passport original used for the application.
- The application info-page showing "Passport to be submitted" and the barcode of the application form.
- The old passport holding a previous Chinese visa or residence permit that is still valid.
- If the applicant was of Chinese nationality, the latest Chinese passport.
- For Q1 or S1 applications, the original certificate showing the immediate-family relationship between the applicant and the inviting individual.
- Any other original documents the consular officials ask to be submitted on site.
The X1 and X2 rows as the embassy prints them
| Visa | Length of study | Documents the embassy lists |
|---|---|---|
| X1 | More than 180 days | Foreign higher-education students: (A) Confirmation Form for Study in China, Form JW201 or Form JW202; (B) photocopy of the admission letter issued by a school or other entity in China. Elementary, junior-high or senior-high students: Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China. |
| X2 | No more than 180 days | Admission Notice issued by a school or other entity in China; Information Form for Foreign Students' Short-term Visit (Form DQ, if have). |
The X1 row carries one qualifier: for foreign elementary, junior-high or senior-high students who reside in China for family reunion purposes, an X1 visa application is not compulsory. The X2 row asks for Form DQ only "if have".
Processing time and payment at pick-up
The notice gives regular service as 4 business days and express service as 3 business days, described as for urgent situations. It states that this processing time is an average, is for reference only, and is calculated from the date of passport submission; some applications take longer and no pick-up date can be confirmed until the Visa Office notifies the applicant.
The pick-up form issued by embassy staff shows the earliest estimated pick-up date. Applicants check their online status on or after that date, and may collect the passport once the status reads "Passport to be collected". The notice asks applicants to check the visa details at collection and to tell staff immediately if anything is wrong. For on-site pick-up it accepts credit card (Master or Visa only), money order, or cashier's check.
Fees, and the notice that reduces them
The September 2025 procedures notice gives no fee figure; it links to a separate fees page. The separate page, the Notice on Extension of Visa-Fee Reduction (page dated 29 December 2025), states that the Chinese Embassy and Consulates-General in the US will continue to reduce visa fees until 31 December 2026.
The fee table on that page is built by number of entries and by citizenship, not by visa category: it has no separate X1 or X2 line. As printed, in US dollars:
| Number of entries | U.S. citizen | Non-U.S. citizen |
|---|---|---|
| Single entry | $140 | $23 |
| Double entries | not printed on its own row | $34 |
| Multiple entries for 6 months | not printed on its own row | $45 |
| Multiple entries for 12 months or more | not printed on its own row | $68 |
The same table prints a J1/J2 row at $171. Two notes come with it: visa fees for certain non-U.S. citizens vary from the list, and the Visa Office should be asked for details; and express service carries an additional $25 per visa.
Questions people ask
Does the embassy publish a separate X1 or X2 fee?
No. The fee-reduction notice builds its table by number of entries and by U.S. or non-U.S. citizenship, and it has no X1 or X2 row. The fee-reduction notice does not say which entry row a student visa falls into, so the Visa Office handling the application is the place to confirm the amount.
Is Form DQ required for an X2 application?
The X2 row lists the Information Form for Foreign Students' Short-term Visit with the qualifier "if have". The notice mentions Form DQ only in the X2 row and does not say what happens when an applicant has no Form DQ.
Is X1 compulsory for a high-school student living in China with family?
The X1 row states that for foreign elementary, junior-high or senior-high students who reside in China for family reunion purposes, an X1 visa application is not compulsory. The notice does not say what that student applies for instead.
Does the 4-business-day processing time start when the form is submitted online?
The notice states the processing time is calculated from the date of passport submission, and that it is an average given for reference only. In its process, online filing and uploading is the preliminary review step, and the passport is submitted once the application shows the status "Passport to be submitted".
Sources
- Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025) — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America
- Notice on Extension of Visa-Fee Reduction (page dated 29 December 2025) — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America
Checked 10 October 2026 and 11 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 body handling your application differ from anything written here, those prevail.