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China student visa from Nigeria: the embassy's X1 and X2 lists, proof of funds and fees in naira

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

If you have been admitted to a school in China and you will apply in Nigeria, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria's guidelines for Nigerian citizens (page dated 6 September 2024) ask for two things at once: the basic documents every applicant submits, and a separate list that depends on which kind of student you are. Proof of funds of USD 2,500 a year, or a scholarship certificate, appears in the school-pupil list, the university-student list and the X2 list; the Physical Examination Form appears in every X1 list except the medical-internship list, and in the X2 list.

Everything below is what that one page, and the embassy's December 2025 fingerprint and fee-reduction notices, say. It is one mission's published requirements, not a rule for other Chinese embassies or consulates.

What the page covers

The guidelines are written for Nigerian citizens and are dated 6 September 2024. They open with a two-row summary: X1 is issued to those who intend to study in China for a long-term period of more than 180 days, and X2 to those who intend to study for a short-term period of no more than 180 days. In that table the X2 row ends with an empty cell — the page puts nothing in it.

Documents every applicant starts with

The page's "Basic Documents" section applies before any category list:

  1. Passport. The original passport with at least six months of remaining validity and blank visa pages, plus a photocopy of the passport data page.
  2. Visa application form and photo. One visa application form completed online at the China Online Visa Application site (cova.cs.mfa.gov.cn) and printed, one copy of the Confirmation of Online Visa Application, and one recently taken colour passport photo with a white background, front view, bare-headed.

The X1 lists, by type of student

The page splits X1 into four groups. Read the one that matches your situation; the page does not say that items from one group may be substituted into another.

Elementary, junior and senior high school students. Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China; proof of funds (USD 2,500 a year or a scholarship certificate); Physical Examination Form; other materials considered necessary by the embassy or consulate general.

University students. A photocopy of the admission notice issued by the host institution in China; a photocopy of the Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202); proof of final academic qualification, which the page says should be authenticated by the Ministry of Education of Nigeria; proof of funds (USD 2,500 a year or a scholarship certificate); Physical Examination Form; other materials considered necessary by the embassy or consulate general.

Note the wording: this list asks for photocopies of both the admission notice and the JW201/JW202 form, while the list below asks for originals. If you are deciding between the two categories, see /x1-or-x2/ and /guides/jw201-vs-jw202-form/.

Chinese-government-aided students in academic degree education projects. The original admission notice issued by the host institution in China; the original Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202); the original invitation letter in a unified format, for the academic degree education project, issued by the Training Center of Ministry of Commerce of the PRC; Physical Examination Form; other materials considered necessary by the embassy or consulate general. This list does not include proof of funds and does not include proof of final academic qualification.

Candidates for the medical internship examination. Applicants who intend to take the Chinese Medical Qualification Examination submit an Application Form for Medical Internship and the original Medical Internship Notification Letter issued by the host institution in China. The page adds nothing else to this list: no proof of funds, no Physical Examination Form, and no "other materials" item.

The X2 list

The X2 list on the page has six items:

  1. Admission notice issued by the host institution in China.
  2. Information Form for Foreign Students' Short-term Visit (Form DQ).
  3. Proof of final academic qualification, which the page says should be authenticated by the Ministry of Education of Nigeria.
  4. Proof of funds (USD 2,500 a year or a scholarship certificate).
  5. Physical Examination Form.
  6. Other materials considered necessary by the embassy or consulate general of the PRC.

The page does not mention Form JW201 or Form JW202 anywhere in the X2 list; the short-term form it names is Form DQ.

Two items that keep coming back

Proof of funds. The page writes the same figure in every list that asks for it: 2,500 dollars a year, or a scholarship certificate. It does not say how the funds should be documented, over what period they must be held, or whose name they must be in.

The Physical Examination Form. The page names the form without describing it, without saying who must complete it, and without saying how recent it must be.

After entry: the residence permit and the police character certificate

The page ends its X1 section with a reminder rather than a document requirement. Holders of an X1 visa shall, within 30 days from the date of entry, apply to the exit/entry administrations of public security organs under local governments at or above the county level in the proposed place of residence for a foreigner's residence permit, and a consular-authenticated police character certificate in Nigeria is required. The page does not place that certificate in any X1 document list; within the X1 section it appears only in this reminder. More on the post-arrival step: /guides/residence-permit-for-study-after-arrival/ and /after-arrival/.

How you submit, and how long it takes

Regular visa applicants go directly to the China Visa Application Centre during working hours to submit materials, pay fees and reserve fingerprints. The page requires applicants to complete the China Online Visa Application form and print it.

Processing time is stated as normally 4 working days, subject to the visa officer's decision. The page gives no advice on how early to apply before a course starts.

The page also carries two general statements: if necessary, the consular officer may require other supporting documents or supplementary materials; and the consular officer has the final decision on visa issuance, validity, duration of stay and number of entries according to the specific condition of the applicant.

Fees in naira

The fee table on the 6 September 2024 page is by number of entries, not by visa category, and excludes the service fees charged by the visa application centre.

Entries Fee per person
Single entry 10,500 Naira
Double entry 15,750 Naira
Multiple entries for 6 months 21,000 Naira
Multiple entries for 12 months 31,500 Naira

Nigerian regular passport holders who are issued diplomatic and official visas are exempted from visa fees under the same section.

A later notice on the embassy's site, Notice on Extension of Visa-Fee Reduction Policy (dated 26 December 2025), states that the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria and the Consulate-General in Lagos will extend the existing visa-fee reduction policy to 31 December 2026. Its price table prints the same four amounts for Nigerian citizens as the 2024 page: 10,500, 15,750, 21,000 and 31,500 Naira. As a reminder from this site, check the embassy's current notice before you pay. The 2024 page does not state the visa centre's service fee.

Fingerprints

The embassy's December 2025 notice exempts fingerprints collection for all short-term visa applicants whose intended duration of stay in China is no more than 180 days, from the date of that notice until 31 December 2026. The notice names the categories for which collection is still required — those who need to obtain residence permits after entering China, including D, J, Q1, S1, X1 and Z. X1 applicants therefore still give fingerprints. Because the exemption is written by intended duration of stay and X2 is defined on the same page as study of no more than 180 days, an X2 applicant falls on the exempted side of that notice; the notice does not name X2 separately.

How this compares with the national rule

The Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Decree No. 637), Article 7(11), set the national baseline: an X1 applicant submits the admission notice issued by the admission institution and the certification documents provided by the competent authority, and an X2 applicant submits certification documents such as the admission notice issued by the admission institution. Article 7(11) does not name Form JW201 or JW202, Form DQ, the Physical Examination Form, proof of funds, or authentication by the Ministry of Education of Nigeria; those are items this embassy's page adds on top of the national rule.

Questions people ask

Does the embassy charge a different fee for X1 and for X2?

No. The fee table on the page is organised by number of entries — single, double, six-month multiple and twelve-month multiple — and not by visa category. The number of entries is part of the consular officer's decision under the page's special reminder, and the visa centre's service fee is excluded from the amounts shown.

Do I still have to give fingerprints if I apply for an X1 visa?

Yes. The embassy's December 2025 notice lists X1 among the categories for which fingerprints collection is still required, because X1 holders need to obtain a residence permit after entering China.

Is the police character certificate part of the visa application?

The page does not list it as a visa document. It appears in a reminder addressed to X1 visa holders, saying that a consular-authenticated police character certificate in Nigeria is required for the residence permit applied for within 30 days of entry.

Does the page say when I should apply relative to my course start date?

It does not. The page states a processing time of normally 4 working days and gives no advice on timing an application around enrolment or travel.

Sources

Checked 10 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary of the official documents above, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named, and if it differs from the official text or from the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry administration handling your case, the official text and those instructions prevail.

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