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JW202 and JW201 forms explained: what the Ministry of Education says

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

JW201 and JW202 are the two versions of the "Visa Application Form for Foreign Students Coming to China", and the Ministry of Education reply of 15 February 2008 says who uses which: form JW201 is used for Chinese Government Scholarship international students or for those coming to study through inter-governmental exchange channels, and form JW202 is used for self-funded international students. The reply calls both forms important documents for the study-in-China visa, for entry, for registration at the school and for residence procedures. It also says any institution that recruits foreign students can provide form JW202, and that a private university can obtain form JW202 after applying to the provincial education administrative department of its locality and being approved to recruit foreign students.

The English rendering of the Chinese passages on this page is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

The X1 or X2 visa check asks for the length of study, where you will live and whether you plan off-campus work-study, then prints the documents for that visa with the source named for each line; it does not decide a visa.

What the Ministry of Education reply says

The reply was given on 15 February 2008 in answer to a question dated 13 December 2007. It says the secretariat of the China National Scholarship Fund Management Committee, in consultation with the relevant higher education institutions, handles the formalities for form JW201, while each higher education institution handles form JW202 for the international students it has admitted. It states that any institution recruiting foreign students can provide form JW202, and that a private university may apply to the local provincial education administrative department, recruit foreign students after approval, and obtain form JW202 as needed.

Where the form appears in X1 visa document lists

The Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Decree No. 637, promulgated 12 July 2013, in force from 1 September 2013), Article 7(11), in the English text published by the National Immigration Administration, state that an X1 applicant submits the admission notice issued by the admission institution and the certification documents provided by the competent authority, and an X2 applicant submits certification documents such as the admission notice. Article 7(11) does not name form JW201 or form JW202.

The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom page time-stamped 1 July 2020 20:30 lists the X1-Visa documents as: (1) the Admission Letter issued by a college, university or other educational institution in China; (2) original or photocopy of "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202); and (3) original or photocopy of "Confirmation Form for Elementary Stages Students Study in China" issued by Chinese relevant authorities for the elementary stage. The same page states that X1 holders shall, within 30 days from the date of entry, apply to the exit/entry administrations of the local public security bureau in the proposed place of residence for a foreigner's residence permit. This is the statement of that mission for applications to it, not a rule for all missions.

The notice of the Chinese Embassy in the United States dated 22 September 2025 and marked "Updated September, 2025" states that X1 is issued to those who intend to study in China for a period of more than 180 days. For foreign higher education institution students it lists: A. Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202); B. photocopy of the Admission Letter issued by a school or other entities in China. For foreign elementary, junior and senior high school students it lists the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China, and notes that for those residing in China for family reunion purposes an X1 application is not compulsory. The notice applies to applications made to the Chinese Embassy in Washington through the new COVA system launched there on 30 September 2025; other missions publish their own pages.

The two missions use different English names for the form: "Visa Application for Study in China" on the UK page and "Confirmation Form for Study in China" in the US notice. This page does not tell you which wording to use; ask the mission or office handling your application which form and which name it expects.

What Order No. 42 Article 35 says

Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security (dated 20 March 2017, in force from 1 July 2017), Article 35, provides that a foreigner applying to study at a school referred to in Article 2 of the Measures shall, before entering China and according to the length of study, apply to the Chinese embassy or consulate in the country of nationality or country of residence, or to another overseas institution entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for an X1 or X2 visa, and shall submit, as prescribed, the certificate filed with the education administrative department and the admission notice issued by the school, among other materials. Article 35 does not name form JW201 or form JW202.

What the Ministry of Education reply does not say

The Ministry of Education reply does not say what fields form JW201 or form JW202 contains, do not describe the layout of either form, do not say who prints the forms, do not state how long it takes to obtain them, and do not describe how they are downloaded. Nothing on this page fills those gaps from practice, from another programme's notice or from another country's mission.

Questions people ask

Is form JW201 only for Chinese Government Scholarship students?

The Ministry of Education reply of 15 February 2008 states that form JW201 is used for Chinese Government Scholarship international students or for those coming to study through inter-governmental exchange channels, and that form JW202 is used for self-funded international students. The reply adds that the secretariat of the China National Scholarship Fund Management Committee, in consultation with the relevant higher education institutions, handles the JW201 formalities, and that any institution recruiting foreign students can provide form JW202.

Which English name for the form do the embassy pages use?

The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom page time-stamped 1 July 2020 lists the item as "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202), while the Chinese Embassy in the United States notice dated 22 September 2025 lists it as "Confirmation Form for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202). These are statements of those two missions for applications made to them. This page does not say which wording to prefer; ask the office handling your application.

Is the form the same for school students as for university students?

The Chinese Embassy in the United States notice dated 22 September 2025 lists, for foreign higher education institution students under X1, the Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202), and for foreign elementary, junior and senior high school students, the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China. The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom page time-stamped 1 July 2020 lists, under X1, the Visa Application for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202) and, for the elementary stage, the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stages Students Study in China issued by Chinese relevant authorities. These are statements of those two missions.

Sources

Checked 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 this page, the official text and those instructions prevail.

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