Insurance for international students in China: Article 40 of Order No. 42

Insurance is compulsory for international students in China. Under Article 40 of the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security Order No. 42), schools operate an insurance system covering all international students, and international students must take out insurance in accordance with relevant national regulations and the requirements of the school. A student who does not insure within the deadline set under that rule will not be admitted; a student already studying will be required to withdraw or will not be registered. (Order No. 42, Article 40)

The English wording of Article 40 below is this site's translation of the Chinese text; the Chinese original published by the Ministry of Education is the operative text.

What Article 40 says

"Schools implement an insurance system covering all international students. International students must purchase insurance in accordance with relevant national regulations and the requirements of the school. Those who fail to purchase insurance as required shall be given a time limit to insure; those who remain uninsured after the deadline shall not be admitted by the school. For students already studying at the school, the school shall require them to withdraw or shall not register them." (Order No. 42, Article 40)

Order No. 42 does not state how many days that time limit is. It names no consequence other than non-admission, or withdrawal or non-registration for a student already studying.

What the provision does not specify

• It names no insurer, no policy, no coverage, no minimum insured amount and no premium or price.
• It does not say whether insurance bought outside China, or a policy from your home country, satisfies the requirement.
• It refers to "relevant national regulations" but does not list them in this article; Order No. 42 itself does not tell you the applicable cover or cost.

Because the Measures are silent on these points, the exact policy, cover and price come from your school's requirements and the national regulations it applies, not from Order No. 42. Ask your school for the policy you must buy and the deadline for buying it.

Scope of the document

Article 2 of Order No. 42 defines "schools" as institutions in China providing preschool, primary, secondary and higher education, and "international students" as foreign students who do not hold Chinese nationality under the Nationality Law and are receiving education at such schools. Chapters 2 to 5 of the Measures apply to higher education institutions; for schools providing lower-level education, recruitment, teaching and on-campus management follow provincial-level rules. Order No. 42 was issued on 20 March 2017 and, under Article 48, took effect on 1 July 2017, repealing the 2000 higher-education rules and the 1999 primary and secondary school rules named there. (Order No. 42, Articles 2 and 48)

Questions people ask

Does Article 40 list approved insurers or set a price?

No. The provision names no insurer, policy, coverage level, minimum sum insured or premium. Those figures are not stated in Order No. 42. (Order No. 42, Article 40)

Is a policy bought in my home country enough?

The Measures do not say. Article 40 requires insurance under relevant national regulations and the school's requirements; whether a foreign policy counts is not addressed by Order No. 42, so confirm with your school. (Order No. 42, Article 40)

Sources

• Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), Ministry of Education Checked 11 October 2026 This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named, and the official text and the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry office handling your case prevail if they differ.