Document timing for a China scholarship application: passport, medical form and police clearance

Three documents in the Chinese Government Scholarship application carry expiry clocks you must time against your submission and study start: the passport needs at least 12 months of validity from the expected start date, the medical examination result is valid for six months, and the police clearance certificate is usually issued within six months before you submit. The clocks below come from section VI of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship. (The English in this article is this site's translation of the Chinese text.)

The three clocks

Document	Clock	Counted from
Ordinary passport (information page copy)	Valid at least 12 months; renew first if shorter	Expected start date of study (section VI, item 2)
Foreigner Physical Examination Form result	Valid for only six months	Not stated in section VI, item 12
Certificate of Non-Criminal Record / Police Clearance Certificate	Usually issued within six months prior to submission	Submission date of the application (section VI, item 13)

Passport validity

Section VI, item 2 of the scholarship guide requires a clear scanned copy of the information page of your ordinary passport. If the passport you hold is valid for less than 12 months counted from the expected start date of study, you must renew the passport and use it for the application. An applicant who cannot apply for a passport for objective reasons may submit valid documentation or documentary evidence showing the full English name, gender, nationality and date of birth, with the approval of the application receiving agency.

Medical examination result

Section VI, item 12 of the scholarship guide states that an applicant studying in China for more than six months must submit a photocopy of the Foreigner Physical Examination Form, and that medical examination results are valid for only six months. The form is the original document printed by Chinese quarantine authorities, filled in in English and kept by the applicant; incomplete records or those missing the attending physician's signature, the hospital's official stamp, or a sealed photograph of the applicant are invalid.

Police clearance certificate

This is the document readers most often ask about. Section VI, item 13 of the scholarship guide requires a valid Certificate of Non-Criminal Record (or Police Clearance Certificate) issued by the local public security authority, such as the police station. The guide uses the word "usually": the certificate is usually issued within six months prior to the submission date of the application.

Section VI, item 13 of the scholarship guide states no requirement for translating or legalising the certificate.

Suggested order (suggestion)

This is a planning suggestion, not a rule from the guide. The medical result and the police clearance both run on roughly six-month clocks, while the passport clock is tied to your study start. A common way to order them:

• Renew your passport first if it has less than 12 months left from the expected start date, since the copy goes into the application.
• Obtain the police clearance certificate close to your submission, because it is usually valid within six months before you submit.
• Complete the medical examination last among the three, because its result is valid for only six months and must still be valid when you submit.

Questions people ask

How long before I submit should the police clearance certificate be issued?

Section VI, item 13 of the scholarship guide says it is usually issued within six months prior to the submission date of the application.

Does the medical examination result expire?

Yes. Section VI, item 12 of the scholarship guide states that medical examination results are valid for only six months.

What if my passport is valid for less than 12 months?

Section VI, item 2 of the scholarship guide requires you to renew the passport and use it for the application, counting the 12 months from the expected start date of study.

Sources

• Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship — China Scholarship Council (Campus China)

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, CHSI or any university, is not legal advice, and the official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail if they differ.