X1 visa for master's and PhD students: admission notice plus JW form, before you travel

Sources checked 10 October 2026

If your degree study in mainland China will last more than 180 days, you need an X1 visa. You apply for it before you enter China, at a Chinese embassy or consulate in your country of nationality or residence, or at another mission entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The papers named in the official texts are the admission notice from your school and a certificate that is filed with the education authority, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instruction lists the admission letter and either Form JW201 or Form JW202.

This page is an unofficial summary. The English wording of the Chinese provisions below is this site's own translation of the Chinese text. The Regulations are cited from the English text published by the National Immigration Administration.

Which visa matches your study length

The length of study decides the visa category. Order No. 42, Article 45 defines short-term study as study of no more than 180 days, inclusive, and long-term study as study of more than 180 days. The Regulations, Article 6(11) say that the X1 visa is for persons who apply for long-term study in China, and the X2 visa is for short-term study.

Length of study in a Chinese school	Visa	Basis
180 days or less (short-term)	X2	Order No. 42, Article 45; Regulations, Article 6(11)
More than 180 days (long-term)	X1	Order No. 42, Article 45; Regulations, Article 6(11)

Article 45 does not say how study days are counted. Your university sets the length of your programme, and this page does not state the length of any university's programme.

Where and when to apply

Order No. 42, Article 35 says a foreign applicant must apply for the X1 or X2 visa before entering China. The application goes to the Chinese embassy or consulate in the country of nationality or residence, or to another mission entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Article 35 names no fee and no processing time.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs instruction, in its X1 Visa section, is a general instruction. A mission may set its own requirements. Suggestion, not a requirement: check the page of the Chinese mission for your location before you book travel.

Papers for the X1 application

Three items come from the texts cited on this page:

Admission notice. Order No. 42, Article 35 refers to the admission notice issued by the school. Regulations, Article 7(11) says the X1 applicant submits the admission notice issued by the admitting institution. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs instruction calls it the Admission Letter issued by a school or other admitting entity in China.
Certificate from the competent authority. Order No. 42, Article 35 says the certificate is filed for the record with the education authority (备案). Regulations, Article 7(11) describes it as a certification issued by the competent authority.
Confirmation Form for Study in China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs instruction lists Form JW201 or Form JW202.

Order No. 42, Article 35 and Regulations, Article 7(11) do not say whether the filed certificate and the JW form are the same item. The X1 Visa section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instruction does not say either.

Which JW form you receive

A Ministry of Education reply dated 15 February 2008 explains the difference between the two forms. The reply's English wording here is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

Form JW201 is for students on the Chinese Government Scholarship and for people who come to study through government-to-government exchange channels. The secretariat of the China Scholarship Council handles it with the relevant universities.
Form JW202 is for self-funded students. Each university that admitted the student issues it.
The reply states that every institution that recruits foreign students may provide Form JW202.
The reply states that both forms are used for entry, school registration and residence permit procedures.

The passages of the reply cited in this article say nothing about the layout, the fields or the download of either form. The reply is dated 2008. This page does not check whether the arrangements it describes still apply.

Order of steps

Suggested order. This is a planning suggestion, not a requirement:

Check whether your study will be more than 180 days.
Get the admission notice from your university.
Get the certificate that the competent authority issues.
Get Form JW201 or Form JW202 from the body the reply names for your case.
Check the page of the Chinese mission for your location.
Apply before you enter China.

Questions people ask

Do I need an X1 visa for a master's degree in China?

If your study will be more than 180 days, the X1 visa is the category for long-term study (Order No. 42, Article 45; Regulations, Article 6(11)). Your university sets the length of your programme, and this page gives no university's length.

Can I apply for the X1 visa after I arrive in China?

Order No. 42, Article 35 says the application is made before entry.

Does this page give the fee or the processing time?

No. The X1 Visa section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instruction gives no fee and no processing time, and this page adds none.

The residence permit is a separate step. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs instruction says the holder must apply for a residence permit within 30 days of entering China. See Visa and arrival for the residence permit process.

Sources

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, and is not legal advice; if the official text or the current notice of the university or authority handling your case differs from this page, the official text and that notice prevail.