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Residence permit within 30 days: the rule for scholarship students who enter China on an X1 visa

Sources checked · Unofficial summary

You have 30 days from the date you entered China. That period appears in the visa pages of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom and in Article 36 of Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security. The office is the exit/entry administration of the public security organ in the place where you intend to live, and the documents you carry are listed in the scholarship notices published by the China Scholarship Council on Campus China.

What the 30-day rule says

The embassy's page on visa categories 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 their 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. The embassy's page on how to apply repeats the rule for X1 holders specifically: holders of an X1 visa shall, within 30 days from the date of their entry, apply to the exit/entry administrations of the local public security bureau in the proposed place of residence.

The same period appears in the regulation. Article 36 of Order No. 42, quoted on the Ministry of Education page in Chinese, reads that international students holding a study visa marked as requiring a residence document after entry shall, within 30 days of entry, apply to the exit/entry administration department of the public security organ at the intended place of residence for a study-category foreigner's residence document. The English wording here is a translation of the Chinese original, not an official English version. The measures have been in force since 1 July 2017.

Two qualifications matter. The embassy pages are those of the Embassy in the United Kingdom; if your visa is handled by another embassy or consulate, check the pages of that office as well. The embassy's wording attaches the 30-day rule to visas with the "000" duration of stay; Article 36 attaches it to study visas marked as needing a residence document after entry.

Where the application goes

The four documents describe the same office in slightly different words:

Document Wording used
Part One: Visa for China (Mainland only), Embassy in the UK exit/entry administrations of public security organs of local people's governments at or above the county level in the proposed places of residence
Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (Mainland only), Embassy in the UK exit/entry administrations of local public security bureau in the proposed places of residence
Order No. 42, Article 36 (Chinese original) 拟居留地公安机关出入境管理部门 — exit/entry administration department of the public security organ at the intended place of residence
ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship guidebook and the Chinese Trade Unions Silk Road Scholarship page local police authority

What you take with you

The Campus China notices give the list. The ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship guidebook says scholarship students must apply for the residence permit with their passport, Admission Letter, Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201), verified health report, and a photograph that meets the image requirements of the authority. The Chinese Trade Unions Silk Road Scholarship page gives the same five items, naming the form "Visa Application Form for Study in China (JW201)".

Item ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship Chinese Trade Unions Silk Road Scholarship
Passport passport passport
Admission letter Admission Letter Admission Letter
Study-in-China form Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201) Visa Application Form for Study in China (JW201)
Health document verified health report verified health report
Photograph photograph that meets the image requirements of the authority photograph that meets the image requirements of the authority

One wording quirk is worth knowing about: the Silk Road page opens its "Tips for Coming to China" section with the words "ACYLS winners" even though the page describes the Silk Road scholarship. The wording is as it appears on the page.

The visa-application stage, which happens before you travel, lists a partly different set of items. The ASEAN-China guidebook names a valid ordinary passport, photocopies of the Admission Letter, Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201) and the original Foreigner Physical Examination Form as among the required documents. The Silk Road page asks for original documents and photocopies of the Admission Letter, Visa Application for Study in China (JW201), Foreigner Physical Examination Form and a valid ordinary passport. Article 35 of Order No. 42 covers the same step in general terms: before entry, apply to the Chinese embassy or consulate for an X1 or X2 visa according to the length of study, submitting proof filed with the education authority and the admission letter issued by the school.

The health verification comes first for longer stays

Both Campus China notices tie the verified health report to a separate step. Scholarship students who will stay in China for more than 6 months are asked to submit their passport, Admission Letter, Foreigner Physical Examination Form and Blood Test Report to the local health quarantine office so that the physical examination report can be verified. Students who do not meet the requirements of that authority will be required to re-take the physical examination. Those who refuse to re-take it, or who are diagnosed with diseases that are not permitted to stay in China under Chinese laws and regulations, will be required to leave China.

Registration at the university is a separate deadline

Registration runs alongside this and has its own date. The ASEAN-China guidebook says scholarship students must register with the host university before the registration deadline specified in the Admission Letter, using the Admission Letter, Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201) and Foreigner Physical Examination Form. The Silk Road page requires the original Admission Letter, Visa Application for Study in China (JW201) and Foreigner Physical Examination Form. Students who cannot register on time must obtain permission from the host institution directly; those who fail to register without the institution's prior consent are treated as having voluntarily given up the scholarship, and the scholarship is automatically terminated.

Arriving with the wrong documents closes both doors at once. The ASEAN-China guidebook states that students who come to China with other types of passports or visas, or without the requested documents, will not be able to register with the universities, nor will they be able to apply for the residence permit in China. The Silk Road page says the same about other passports or visas, or missing original documents.

What the notices do not say

The two Campus China notices give no number of days. They require the application "before the deadline regulated by the visa-issuing authority" without stating what that deadline is. Neither page gives a processing time for the residence permit, and neither states a fee for it.

Questions people ask

How soon after landing do I have to apply?

Thirty days from the date of entry, according to the embassy's visa pages and Article 36 of Order No. 42. The two Campus China notices state the requirement without a number of days, referring instead to the deadline set by the visa-issuing authority.

Where exactly do I file the application?

At the exit/entry administration of the public security organ for the place you intend to live, or in the Campus China wording, the local police authority. The embassy's Part One page adds that the office belongs to a people's government at or above county level.

Which documents does the scholarship notice list?

Your passport, Admission Letter, the JW201 form, the verified health report and a photograph meeting the authority's image requirements. This is the list in both the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship guidebook and the Chinese Trade Unions Silk Road Scholarship page.

Does the 30-day rule cover an X2 visa?

The embassy's list of 30-day visa categories names D, J1, Q1, S1, X1 and Z visas; X2 is not on it. The two Campus China notices say students studying in China for less than 6 months, including 6 months, can apply for an X2 visa, and the Silk Road page adds that those staying more than 6 months must apply for an X1 visa. None of the embassy's two visa pages, the two Campus China notices or Article 36 of Order No. 42 states in terms whether an X2 visa requires a residence permit; Part Two lists only an admission notice under X2 and carries no 30-day sentence for it, and Article 36 applies to study visas marked as needing a residence document after entry.

Do I need the health verification before the residence permit?

For stays of more than 6 months, yes in the sense that both notices list a verified health report among the residence permit documents, and describe a health verification step at the local health quarantine office using the passport, Admission Letter, Foreigner Physical Examination Form and Blood Test Report. The notices do not say how long that step takes.

What happens if I arrive with the wrong visa or without the documents?

The ASEAN-China guidebook says you will not be able to register with the university or apply for the residence permit in China. The Silk Road page says the same for other passport or visa types, or missing original documents.

Sources

Checked 10 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by the bodies named above, and if it differs from the official notice, the official notice prevails.

Scholarship Desk