There are two types of student visa, one is X1 visa, which is issued to international students whose expected study period is over 180 days (including 180 days); one is X2 visa, which is issued to international students with an expected study period less than 180 days.

Students can refer to the website of Chinese Foreign Ministry for contact information about Chinese embassies and consulates.

Visa samples as below:

Please pay attention to CATEGORY, ENTER BEFORE and DURATION OF EACH STAY. International students are required to enter China before “ENTER BEFORE”. 

Warm Tips

Students holding X1 visa should apply for residence permit at the public security authority. The residence permit is required to be issued within 30 days after entering China. According to Chinese laws, the stay after the valid visa period without a residence permit or without an extended visa period constitutes illegal stay, which will be punished by the security authority or be repatriated. The economic punishment of illegal stay is RMB500 per day (subject to an upper limit of RMB10000).