X1 & X2 Visa GuideUnofficial Applying for a China student visa outside your home country: nationality, residence and proof of legal stay
Unofficial summary · Sources checked
You do not have to apply in the country that issued your passport. Article 35 of the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Ministry of Education Order No. 42) says that a person admitted to one of the schools referred to in Article 2 must apply, before entering China, to the Chinese embassy or consulate in the country of his or her nationality or the country of his or her residence, or to another overseas body entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for an X1 or X2 visa according to the length of the study period. The English wording here is this site's translation of the Chinese text of Order No. 42, which is dated 20 March 2017 and took effect on 1 July 2017.
What Article 35 requires you to submit
The same article requires the applicant to submit, as prescribed, the certificate filed with the education administrative department, the admission letter issued by the school, and other relevant materials (Order No. 42, Article 35). Article 35 does not name the certificate beyond describing it that way, and it does not list anything else.
Where the article stops
Article 35 does not define "country of residence", does not list any document that proves it, and does not say that a mission must accept an application from a person living in its area. Those details are published mission by mission, and two missions publish them in English.
What two missions ask residents to prove
| Embassy in the United Kingdom | Embassy in Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Who must prove it | Non-British applicants | An applicant who is a foreigner in the US |
| What is asked for | A valid British visa, or other proof of legal stay, residence, employment or study in the U.K. | A photocopy of green card, visa, I20 or I94 (plus proof of residence such as a driver's licence, utility bill or bank bill) |
| Passport condition | At least six months of remaining validity and blank visa pages | More than 6 months of remaining validity and at least 2 blank visa pages |
| Source | "Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (Mainland only)", section I, items 1 and 3 | "Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025)", documents to be uploaded online, items 1, 3 and 4 |
The UK page carries a time stamp of 2020-07-01, and it lists what the UK missions ask for; requirements at other missions may differ. The US notice is dated 2025/09/22 on the embassy website and is headed "Updated September, 2025"; it applies to applications made to the Chinese Embassy in Washington through the new COVA system, which launched there on 30 September 2025, and it states that consulates-general and other missions may differ.
The US notice adds a district rule
The consular jurisdiction of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China covers Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Delaware, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and Puerto Rico, and the notice asks applicants to confirm that they live in one of those states before submitting. The stated process is to complete the form and upload documents in the New COVA System for preliminary review, then, once the form shows "Passport to be submitted", to hand in the passport, the application info-page with its barcode and any other required originals at the Visa Office during office hours; the notice points to the "Guidance on Visa Application" at consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/.
Neither embassy page states a fee figure. The UK page directs readers to the latest notice on visa fees on the embassy website; the US notice links to a separate fees page.
Questions people ask
Can I apply in a country where I am not a citizen?
Yes, if it is your country of residence: Article 35 names "the country of nationality or the country of residence" (Order No. 42, Article 35). The Measures do not define residence or say how long you must have lived there.
Do I need to prove that I live there?
Both published lists require it. The UK page asks non-British applicants for proof of legal stay or residence status; the US notice asks a foreigner in the US to upload a green card, visa, I20 or I94. Neither text says which of those documents is preferred over the others.
Does one embassy's list apply to every Chinese mission?
No. Each list is that mission's own published statement. The UK page covers the UK missions as published; the US notice covers applications to the Embassy in Washington through COVA and says other missions may differ. Order No. 42 does not set a single document list.
Does either page tell me the fee?
No. Neither page gives a fee figure; both point to a separate fees notice or fees page on their own website.
Sources
- Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42) — Ministry of Education
- Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (Mainland only) — Ministry of Foreign Affairs mission (Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom)
- Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025) — Ministry of Foreign Affairs mission (Embassy of the PRC in the United States)
Checked 11 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary of the official documents named above, is not legal or immigration advice, and is not published by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any embassy; where the official text or the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry office handling your case differ from this page, theirs prevail.