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Fingerprint exemptions at Chinese missions in 2026: short-term applicants are exempt, X1 students are not

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

If you are admitted for a programme that leads to an X1 visa, you still have to give fingerprints when you apply: two Chinese embassy notices from December 2025 name X1 among the visas for which collection continues. The same two notices exempt short-term applicants for stays of 180 days or less, and that exemption runs to 31 December 2026. X2 is named in neither notice.

What the two December 2025 notices say

The Embassy of the PRC in Pakistan published the "Notice on the Further Expansion of the Period and Scope of Exemption from Fingerprint Collection for Chinese Visa Application" on 24 December 2025. It states that "starting from December 17, 2025 until December 31, 2026, fingerprints collection will be exempted for eligible applicants who apply for short-term visas with a stay period of 180 days or less", and that "for applicants of D, J1, Q1, S1, X1 and Z visas, which require the application of a residence permit after entering into China, fingerprint collection is still required."

The Embassy of the PRC in Nigeria published the "Notice on Exemption of Fingerprints Collection for Applicants for Certain Types of Chinese Visas" on 19 December 2025. It states that "from today until December 31, 2026, Chinese visa-issuing authorities will exempt fingerprints collection for all short-term visa applicants whose intended duration of stay in China is no more than 180 days", and that collection "will still be required for the visa applicants who need to obtain residence permits after entering China, including the D, J, Q1, S1, X1, and Z visas."

Pakistan notice Nigeria notice
Exemption period 17 December 2025 to 31 December 2026 From the date of the notice to 31 December 2026
Who is exempt Eligible applicants for short-term visas with a stay period of 180 days or less All short-term visa applicants whose intended stay is no more than 180 days
Fingerprints still collected D, J1, Q1, S1, X1, Z D, J, Q1, S1, X1, Z

The two lists are quoted as each notice writes them. Pakistan lists J1 where Nigeria lists J.

Where X1 and X2 fall

X1 appears in both lists, so both notices say fingerprints are still collected from X1 applicants. X2 appears in neither. In these notices the continuing-collection group is drawn by visa type, and the exempt group is drawn by length of stay of 180 days or less. Neither notice says anything else about X2. If you are unsure which of the two visas your admission leads to, see X1 or X2.

Standing exemptions, as two other missions state them

The exemption above is temporary and ends on 31 December 2026. Separately, missions describe standing exemptions from fingerprint collection, and they do not describe them identically.

  • Embassy in India, Notice on Updating Requirements for Chinese Visa Application (Update August, 2024), section 1.3: applicants under 14 or over 70; applicants who already had fingerprints collected within the past five years at the Chinese Embassy in India or the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in New Delhi using the same passport; applicants with all fingers mutilated or uncollectible.
  • Embassy in the United Kingdom, Part Seven: FAQs and Answers, Q18: persons under 14 or over 70; persons with injuries on all ten fingers or other situations in which fingerprints cannot be collected; some diplomatic, service and courtesy visa applicants.

The UK page also states that consular officers may interview applicants if necessary, and that Chinese laws and regulations require the collection of ten fingerprints of each applicant at the Visa Center or Embassy/Consulates-General. The India notice adds its own temporary measure for eligible short-term single or double-entry applicants staying less than 180 days, and refers to a separate embassy notice for its expiry.

Each of these is that mission's own statement. The India notice describes itself as written to facilitate applicants in India.

After arrival, the residence permit asks again

X1 is one of the visas the notices describe as requiring a residence permit after entry. The Exit and Entry Administration Law, Article 30, requires a foreigner holding a visa that specifies a residence permit application after entry to apply, within 30 days from the date of entry, to the exit/entry administration of the public security organ under the local people's government at or above county level in the intended place of residence. The applicant submits the passport or other international travel document and the information for the specific application matter, and "provide[s] biometric identification information such as fingerprints". The administration examines and decides within 15 days of receipt.

Article 30 sets the validity of a work-type residence permit at a minimum of 90 days and a maximum of five years, and of a non-work-type residence permit at a minimum of 180 days and a maximum of five years; Article 30 does not say which of the two a study permit is.

Questions people ask

Does an X2 applicant have to give fingerprints at these two missions?

Neither notice names X2. Both describe the exempt group by a stay of 180 days or less (the Nigeria notice says intended duration of stay) and both end the measure on 31 December 2026. Beyond that, these notices say nothing about X2, so read the notice of the mission that handles your application.

Does an X1 applicant have to give fingerprints?

Yes, at both missions. Pakistan and Nigeria name X1 in the group for which fingerprint collection is still required, because it requires a residence permit after entry.

If I gave fingerprints for the visa, do I give them again in China?

Yes, if you apply for a residence permit. Law, Article 30 requires applicants for a foreigner's residence permit to provide biometric identification information such as fingerprints, within 30 days of entry.

Do all Chinese embassies follow these two notices?

The Pakistan notice is published on the Pakistan embassy's website and the Nigeria notice on the Nigeria embassy's website, and each is that embassy's statement; the India and UK pages likewise belong to their embassies. Check the notice of the mission that handles your application: other Chinese embassies and consulates publish their own notices, which may set different dates or a different scope.

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; if anything here 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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