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China student visa rules: the dates on the official pages this site reads

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

The rules themselves are old. The Exit and Entry Administration Law was adopted on 30 June 2012 and has been in force since 1 July 2013 (Law, Article 93); the Regulations made under it took effect on 1 September 2013 (Regulations, Article 39). The two most recent dated items on the pages read for this article are the Chinese Embassy in the United States' new online visa application system, launched at the embassy on 30 September 2025, and the National Immigration Administration's policy interpretation of 21 September 2026 on nationwide online accommodation registration.

Below is the dated list first, then what those two items actually say. This page records what the official pages said when they were checked, on the date given at the end; embassies, consulates-general and exit-entry offices publish their own notices and update them, and the office handling your case governs your case.

Where a document is published in Chinese, the English wording on this page is this site's translation of that Chinese text.

The dates on the documents

Document Issuing body Date adopted or page date In force from
Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (adopted at its 27th meeting, Eleventh NPC) Adopted 30 June 2012; English page on the National Immigration Administration website dated 10 March 2021 1 July 2013 (Law, Article 93)
Regulations on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners State Council, Decree No. 637 Adopted at the 15th Executive Meeting of the State Council on 3 July 2013, promulgated 12 July 2013; English page dated 10 March 2021 1 September 2013 (Regulations, Article 39)
Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students, Order No. 42 Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security Dated 20 March 2017 1 July 2017 (Article 48)
Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States Notice dated 22 September 2025, marked "Updated September, 2025" New COVA system launched at the embassy on 30 September 2025
Policy Interpretation of the Nationwide Implementation of the Online Accommodation Registration Service National Immigration Administration Page dated 21 September 2026 Not stated on the page
Service guide for issuing, extending, replacing and reissuing foreigners' residence permits National Immigration Administration The page prints no date of its own; the folder in its address is 201903 Not stated on the page

Two of these documents have an Article 39, and they are not the same provision. Law, Article 39 is the accommodation registration rule. Regulations, Article 39 is the commencement clause that brought the Regulations into force on 1 September 2013 and repealed the earlier implementation rules.

The two most recent dated items

The US embassy's new online application system (30 September 2025)

The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States states that the new China Online Visa Application System (the new COVA system) officially launched at the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. on 30 September 2025, and that the application requirements set out in its notice apply to applications made through that system. The notice itself is dated 22 September 2025.

This is one mission's notice, for applications made to the embassy in Washington; other missions publish their own pages and their requirements may differ. The notice gives no fee figure and refers readers to a separate fees page.

Nationwide online accommodation registration (interpretation dated 21 September 2026)

In its interpretation of 21 September 2026, the National Immigration Administration describes an online accommodation registration service rolled out nationwide for foreigners who reside or stay in domiciles other than hotels. The duty itself is older. Under Law, Article 39, a foreigner staying in a hotel is registered by the hotel, which submits the accommodation registration information to the public security organ where the hotel is located; a foreigner who resides or stays in a domicile other than a hotel, or the person who accommodates them, must register with the public security organ in the place of residence within 24 hours of arrival.

The interpretation says those formalities can now be completed online, without visiting the public security organ in person, and that online registration has the same legal effect as on-site registration. It does not state the amount of any fine, and it does not mention students or dormitories.

What the older texts still say

The Law is written about foreigners, not about students. Only Articles 42, 43 and 45 name foreign students; the rest of the Law speaks of foreigners generally.

The Regulations are State Council Decree No. 637. The promulgation text and Article 39 both give 1 September 2013 as the date they take effect. In Article 18, the sentence on residence permit applications refers to the decision whether to issue the visa; that is the wording used in the English text.

Order No. 42, the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students, is dated 20 March 2017 and came into force on 1 July 2017 (Article 48), on which date it repealed the 2000 provisions on higher education institutions accepting foreign students and the 1999 interim measures on primary and secondary schools accepting foreign students (Article 48). Article 47 requires the education, foreign affairs and public security departments of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government to draw up their own local rules on the basis of these Measures. Under Article 2, Chapters 2 to 5 (Articles 7 to 34) apply to higher education institutions. Article 30 leaves the detailed work-study rules to a separate regulation that is not part of this text, so Order No. 42 itself sets no hour limits and no list of jobs.

If you are still deciding which visa to apply for, the comparison of the two types is on /x1-or-x2/.

Time limits stated on these pages

  • 24 hours from arrival: accommodation registration for a foreigner residing or staying somewhere other than a hotel (Law, Article 39, as restated in the National Immigration Administration interpretation of 21 September 2026).
  • No more than 15 working days from the day of acceptance: the validity of the acceptance receipt for a residence permit application, within which the decision whether to issue is to be made (National Immigration Administration service guide for residence permits, section 8 on completion time limits).

The second figure comes from a page that prints no date of its own. The steps around it are set out on /guides/residence-permit-for-study-after-arrival/.

What these pages do not cover

  • The accommodation registration interpretation gives no fine amount and says nothing about students or dormitories.
  • The US embassy's notice gives no fee figure, and it covers applications made to that embassy through the new system.
  • Order No. 42 does not contain the detailed work-study rules; Article 30 sends them to a separate regulation.
  • The Law speaks of foreigners generally; only Articles 42, 43 and 45 name foreign students.

Questions people ask

How current are the rules on this page?

The Law has been in force since 1 July 2013, the Regulations since 1 September 2013, and Order No. 42 since 1 July 2017. The most recent dated items are the US embassy's COVA launch on 30 September 2025 and the National Immigration Administration's interpretation of 21 September 2026. This page lists what was read on the checked date shown below, and missions and exit-entry offices update their own notices.

Do I have to register my address in person after I arrive?

Not if you use the online service. The National Immigration Administration's interpretation of 21 September 2026 says the online accommodation registration service is available nationwide to foreigners residing or staying in domiciles other than hotels, and that online registration has the same legal effect as registering in person. The 24-hour deadline in Law, Article 39 is unchanged by it.

How long does a residence permit application take?

The National Immigration Administration's service guide says that where an application meets the conditions for acceptance, it is accepted and a receipt is issued, the decision whether to issue is made within the receipt's validity, and that validity runs no more than 15 working days from the day of acceptance.

Does the Law say anything specific about students?

Only in three places: Articles 42, 43 and 45 name foreign students. The remainder of the Law is written about foreigners generally.

Does Order No. 42 limit how many hours a student may work?

Not in this text. Article 30 leaves the detailed work-study rules to a separate regulation that is not part of Order No. 42.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

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

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