China visa process for Pakistani students: X1, X2, time and fees
Unofficial summary · Sources checked
The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan splits study visas by length: the X1 row covers study in China for more than 180 days, the X2 row covers study for 180 days or fewer, and the embassy's instruction lists visa-specific documents only for X1; its common documents apply to all types of visa. Processing generally takes 4 working days after the embassy receives the passport, and ordinary Pakistani passports are exempt from paying all types of visa fees.
To check which row your length of study falls into, use this site's X1 or X2 visa check; it asks how long you will study and prints the matching row together with the steps that follow entry into China. It does not decide anything: the embassy decides the visa.
The X1 row: more than 180 days
The Instruction of Chinese Visa Application (Embassy of the PRC in Pakistan, page dated 2025-04-28) describes X1 as issued to individuals intending to study in China for more than 180 days, and lists these documents:
- Printout of Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202), submitted online.
- Photocopy of the admission letter from a university or school in China.
- Evidence of scholarship issuance, or proof of financial resources amounting to US$2,500 per academic year or equivalent Pakistan Rupees. The closing balance of the financial supporter's bank statement should be enough to cover the student's whole study years in China.
The US$2,500-per-academic-year figure and the closing-balance condition are this embassy's requirement, stated in that instruction.
The two notes attached to the X1 row
The same instruction adds two notes.
- A student holding a valid study residence permit who leaves China and fails to return before that permit expires must provide both the original and a photocopy of a formal letter from the university or school proving that the student is continuing to study in China.
- Individuals planning a one-year medical internship and participation in the Examination for the Qualifications for Doctors in China, or intending to attend primary or secondary school in China, are required to present relevant supporting documents. The instruction does not say which documents those are.
The X2 row: 180 days or fewer
The instruction describes X2 as issued to individuals intending to study in China for a short time period of less than or equal to 180 days. In the instruction's table the X2 row has that description but its characterized-documents cell is empty: the instruction lists no visa-specific documents for X2. Its seven common documents, which it describes as generally required for all types of visa, apply as well. For anything further for that row, ask the embassy or the visa application service centre it has entrusted.
The embassy page does not say anything about how the 180 days are counted for these two rows. Counting a study period is what the visa-type tool above does on this site; it counts the length of study only and does not count any deadline.
Processing time
From the Visa Processing Time and Fee page (Embassy of the PRC in Pakistan, dated 2025-04-28):
| Item | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Standard processing | The embassy generally needs 4 working days to process an application after receiving the passport |
| Urgent service | The embassy does not provide urgent or extra urgent service |
| Collection | The applicant collects the visa at the visa application service centre entrusted by the embassy, at the pickup time on the pick-up form issued by that centre |
| Variation | Processing time may vary by case for reasons such as document supplementation or an embassy interview; the embassy makes the final decision based on the application itself |
| Reapplying | A returned application that is resubmitted counts as a new application, and processing time is recalculated from the date the new application is forwarded to the embassy |
Fees
From the same Visa Processing Time and Fee page, which sets fees by passport and number of entries, not by visa category:
| Passport | Fee |
|---|---|
| Ordinary passport from Pakistan | Exempt from all types of visa fees |
| Diplomatic or official passport from every country except the United States | Exempt from all types of visa fees |
| United States passport | PKR 39,400 |
| United States journalist visa | PKR 46,700 |
| Canadian passport | PKR 15,200 |
| Third-country passport, single entry | PKR 7,200 |
| Third-country passport, double entry | PKR 10,800 |
| Third-country passport, six months multiple entry | PKR 14,400 |
| Third-country passport, one year and more multiple entry | PKR 21,600 |
| Passport holders of other special countries | Subject to actual practice |
A Pakistani passport holder studying in China therefore falls on the exempt line of this table. The amounts above are what this embassy prints; nothing here is a fee charged for application help, and this page quotes no other mission's fee schedule.
Fingerprints
The embassy's notice on further expansion of the exemption from fingerprint collection (Embassy of the PRC in Pakistan, notice dated 2025-12-24) states:
- Starting 17 December 2025 until 31 December 2026, fingerprint collection is exempted for eligible applicants applying for short-term visas with a stay period of 180 days or less.
- For applicants of D, J1, Q1, S1, X1 and Z visas, which require a residence permit after entering China, fingerprint collection is still required.
Put together with the two visa rows: X1 appears on the list of types that still require fingerprint collection, and X2 is not on that list. The notice does not define "eligible applicants" further, and it does not say what happens after 31 December 2026.
Questions people ask
Do Pakistani students pay a Chinese visa fee?
The embassy's fee page exempts holders of ordinary passports from Pakistan from all types of visa fees. The amounts it prints apply to United States, Canadian and third-country passports.
Can the embassy process my application faster?
The processing page states plainly that the embassy does not provide urgent or extra urgent service, and gives 4 working days after receipt of the passport as the general time, with variation possible for document supplementation or an interview.
What documents does the embassy ask for on a short study visa?
The instruction's X2 row carries the description but no visa-specific document list. The X2 row names no visa-specific documents, so contact the embassy or its visa application service centre for that row.
Is a US$2,500 bank balance enough for X1?
The instruction's figure is US$2,500 per academic year or equivalent Pakistani Rupees, not a single fixed balance: the closing balance on the supporter's statement should cover the student's whole study years in China.
Sources
- Instruction of Chinese Visa Application — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- Visa Processing Time and Fee — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
- Notice on the Further Expansion of the Period and Scope of Exemption from Fingerprint Collection for Chinese Visa Application — Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Checked 10 October 2026. This page is an unofficial summary of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan pages and notice listed under Sources, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named, and if it differs from the official text or from the instructions of the body handling your application, that official text and those instructions prevail.