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X1 visa for China: the documents and the 30-day rule after entry

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

The X1 visa is issued to people who apply for long-term study in China, and the X2 visa to people who apply for short-term study (Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners, State Council Decree No. 637, Article 6(11)). An X1 application rests on two papers — the admission letter and Form JW201 or JW202 — and after entry the holder must apply for a foreigner's residence permit within 30 days of the date of entry (Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China, Article 30).

The X1 or X2 visa check takes the length of your study, where you will live and whether you plan off-campus work-study, and prints the documents and post-entry steps for the visa it returns. It applies one line — more than 180 days gives X1, 180 days or fewer gives X2 (see the 180-day rule) — counts whole days for the length of study only, and does not count the 30-day period. It does not decide a visa: embassies and consulates decide visa applications, and exit/entry administrations decide residence permits.

What X1 covers, in the Regulations

Article 6(11) of the Regulations gives the purpose, not the length: X1 for long-term study, X2 for short-term study. The length is defined elsewhere. Article 36 of the Regulations says short-term means staying in China for a period not exceeding 180 days (including 180 days) and long-term or resident means residing in China for a period exceeding 180 days. Article 45 of Order No. 42 (Chinese text; the English here is this site's translation) says short-term study is study at a school in China of no more than 180 days (inclusive) and long-term study is study of more than 180 days. The 180-day line above is the line this site's tool applies.

The documents, as each text lists them

Listed by What it lists for X1
Regulations, Article 7(11) The admission notice issued by the admission institution and the certification documents provided by the competent authority, submitted in accordance with relevant provisions
Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China, China Consular Services (cs.mfa.gov.cn) The Admission Letter issued by a school or other admitting entity in China; the Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202)
Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom, Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (1) The Admission Letter issued by a college, university or other educational institutions in China; (2) original or photocopy of "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202); (3) original or photocopy of "Confirmation Form for Elementary Stages Students Study in China issued by Chinese relevant authorities" (for the elementary stage)

The two wordings for the form differ: the consular instructions page calls it the Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202), while the UK embassy page calls it "Visa Application for Study in China" and states "original or photocopy". Both are given here; the office handling your application decides which form it wants and whether a photocopy is accepted. The consular instructions page is the Ministry's general instruction and states that requirements are as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality, so the page of the mission where you apply governs your file. The UK embassy page is that mission's own list and carries a 2020 time stamp; other missions publish their own pages.

The one duty after entry: 30 days

Four texts state the same duty in their own words:

  • Exit and Entry Administration Law, Article 30: where the visa specifies that a residence permit is needed after entry, the holder shall, within 30 days from the date of entry, apply to the exit/entry administrations of public security organs under local people's governments at or above the county level in the proposed place of residence. The same article says applicants submit their passport or other international travel document, the relevant information of the specific application matters, and biometric identification information such as fingerprints, and that the administration examines and decides within 15 days of the date of receipt.
  • Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security), Article 36: international students whose study visa states that a residence permit is required after entry shall, within 30 days from the date of entry, apply to the exit-entry administration of the public security organ at the intended place of residence for a study-type foreigner's residence permit. The English here is this site's translation of the Chinese text.
  • Visa Application Instructions, China Consular Services: the holder must, within 30 days of entering China, apply for a residence permit at the exit-entry administration of the public security bureau of the people's government at or above the county level of the intended place of residence.
  • Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom, Part Two: 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 places of residence for foreigners' residence permits.

The office is named at different levels of detail in these texts — "local public security bureau" on the embassy page, "public security organs under local people's governments at or above the county level" in Article 30 of the Law. Article 30 of the Law and the UK embassy page do not say how the two names relate; ask the office that will handle your case which of its offices takes the application.

What the "000" duration of stay is

The UK embassy's Part One guide states that holders of D, J1, Q1, S1, X1 and Z visas with the "000" duration of stay shall, within 30 days from the date of entry, apply to the exit/entry administrations of public security organs of local people's governments at or above the county level in the proposed places of residence for foreigners' residence permits. On that page, "000" is the duration-of-stay entry that carries the duty: the note pairs the marking with the 30-day application rather than with a number of days.

Item 4 (Residence Permits) of Section II of that guide does not state how many days an X1 holder may remain before the residence permit is issued, and it names only the "000" duration of stay. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructions, the note under the Z Visa heading excepts holders whose visas are marked "permitted stay of 30 days after entry" from the 30-day residence-permit duty. This is that mission's own guide, with a 2020 time stamp.

What is and is not stated

  • Article 45 of Order No. 42 defines long-term study as study of more than 180 days. None of the three X1 document lists above names a minimum or maximum length for an X1 programme.
  • Article 30 of the Law names the passport or other international travel document, information on the specific application matters, and biometric identification information such as fingerprints. Article 16 of the Regulations adds qualified photos and material relating to the purpose of application, to be submitted in person; for a residence permit for study it names such certification documents as a letter indicating the duration of study provided by the admission institution, and it asks for a health certificate when the permit is valid for more than 1 year.
  • Article 7(11) of the Regulations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructions state no fee and no processing time for the visa application. The UK embassy's Part Two page gives a processing time (regular service: ready for collection on the fourth working day; express service: the third working day) and refers to the latest notice on visa fees on the embassy website.
  • Article 30 of the Law, Article 36 of Order No. 42, the consular instructions and the UK embassy pages say the 30 days run "from the date of entry" or "of entering China", and say nothing further about how they are counted.

Questions people ask

Does the JW201 or JW202 form have to be an original?

The UK embassy page says "original or photocopy" for "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202). The consular instructions page lists the Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202) without saying original or copy. Check with the mission where you apply.

Where do I apply after entering China?

Article 30 of the Law names the exit/entry administrations of public security organs under local people's governments at or above the county level in the proposed place of residence; the consular instructions name the exit-entry administration of the public security bureau of the people's government at or above the county level of the intended place of residence; the UK embassy page names the exit/entry administrations of the local public security bureau in the proposed place of residence.

Do the 30 days start from the day I enter?

Each of the four texts above measures the period from entry: "within 30 days from the date of their entry" in the Law and on the embassy pages, "from the date of entry" (自入境之日起) in Article 36 of Order No. 42, and "within 30 days of entering China" on the consular instructions page.

Does an X1 visa let me stay for the length of my programme?

Neither Article 30 of the Law nor paragraph II.4 of the UK embassy's Part One guide says that. Article 30 of the Law ties the stay to the residence permit for visas that specify one is needed after entry, and the UK embassy page makes that link for X1 visas carrying the "000" duration of stay.

Sources

Checked 10 October 2026 and 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary of the official documents listed under Sources, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named above, and where the official text or the instructions of the body handling your application differ from this page, those prevail.

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