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Entries, 'enter before' and duration of stay: the three fields on a China student visa

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

On a Chinese student visa, "Entries" is the number of times you may enter China during the visa's entry validity; "enter before" is the deadline for arriving, which runs to 24:00 Beijing time on the date shown unless the issuing authority states otherwise; and "duration of stay" is how long you may remain in China after each entry, counted from the day after you arrive. These are the definitions given in Regulations Article 36(1)-(3), and all three are items the Law requires to be registered on a visa (Law, Article 17).

Entries

Regulations, Article 36(1): the number of entries specified in the visa means the number of times the visa holder may enter China within the validity period of entry specified in the visa. The UK embassy's FAQ Q7 states that a visa is normally issued with single entry, double entries or multiple entries, and that if the entries have been used up you need a new visa to travel to China again.

The two fields interact: the UK embassy's visa guide states that a visa stays valid "so long as the entries granted on the visa have not been used up", and that when the entries are all used up the visa is no longer valid; it adds that holders of an invalid visa will be refused entry to China.

"Enter before" (the validity period of entry)

Regulations, Article 36(2): the validity period of entry specified in the visa means the valid period of time during which the visa holder may enter China, and unless otherwise specified by the issuing authority a visa is valid from the date of issuance until Beijing time 24:00 on the expiring day. The UK embassy's visa guide labels this field "enter before" and notes that on a biometric visa it is printed as "expiry date".

This field governs arrival, not the length of the trip. UK FAQ Q10 states that unless otherwise specified on the visa, you may change your itinerary but must make your entry into China before the visa expires.

Duration of stay

Regulations, Article 36(3): the duration of stay specified in the visa means the period of time during which the holder is allowed to stay in China after each entry, and it begins from the next day of entry. The period is counted per entry: each time you enter, a new period starts from the day after arrival. The UK embassy's visa guide states that overstay in China violates the Exit and Entry Administration Law, the Regulations and other relevant laws and regulations, and could result in a fine or other penalty.

The official texts used here give no figure for this field; the number of days is whatever is printed on the visa. The same Regulations define "short-term" as staying in China for a period not exceeding 180 days, including 180 days, and "long-term or resident" as residing in China for a period exceeding 180 days (Regulations, Article 36(4)-(5)); the texts used here do not attach those labels to any particular visa type.

What the Law lists as the registered items of a visa

Law, Article 17 lists the registered items of a visa:

Registered item (Law, Article 17)
Visa type
Name
Sex
Date of birth
Number of allowed entries
Validity period of entry
Duration of stay of the holder
Date and place of issuance
Passport number or other international travel document number

Three of the nine are the fields discussed above. The Law also provides that ordinary visas are issued to foreigners entering China for non-diplomatic or official reasons including study, with the types of ordinary visa and the issuance measures to be stipulated by the State Council (Law, Article 16), and that a foreigner entering China applies to the visa-issuing authorities stationed abroad (Law, Article 15).

When a visa stops being valid

UK FAQ Q9 states that unless otherwise specified a visa is valid from the date of issue, and that visas expire if one of the following occurs:

  1. The time of arrival in China is later than 24:00 Beijing time of the expiry date given on the visa page.
  2. The number of entries has been used up.
  3. The visa has been cancelled or declared invalid by the authorities of the Chinese government.
  4. Other circumstances in compliance with Chinese laws and regulations.

The first two match the entry-validity and entries rules in Regulations Article 36; the third and fourth are stated by that embassy's FAQ and are not set out in the articles of the Law or the Regulations used here. UK FAQ Q7 repeats the consequence for the first two cases: the visa becomes invalid, and a new visa is needed for another trip.

Questions people ask

What happens if I still have entries left but the visa has expired?

The visa is invalid. Regulations, Article 36(2) sets the end of the entry validity at 24:00 Beijing time on the expiring day unless the issuing authority states otherwise, and UK FAQ Q9 lists arrival after that time as a case of expiry. The UK embassy's visa guide states that even with unused entries the visa is not valid if its validity has already expired, and that holders of an invalid visa will be refused entry.

What happens if my visa has not expired but I have used up all the entries?

The visa is invalid too. UK FAQ Q7 states that if the number of entries has been used up, or if the entries have not been used up but the visa has expired, the visa becomes invalid and a new visa is needed to travel to China again.

Can I change my itinerary after I collect my visa?

UK FAQ Q10 states that unless otherwise specified on the visa, you may change your itinerary, but you must enter China before the visa expires.

What if I stay longer than the duration of stay?

The UK embassy's visa guide states that overstay violates the Exit and Entry Administration Law, the Regulations on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners and other relevant laws and regulations, and could result in a fine or other penalty.

For what happens after arrival, see the site's page on the residence permit for study after arrival.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary of the official texts named above; it is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by those bodies, and if the official text or the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry office handling your case differ from anything written here, theirs prevails.

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