X1 & X2 Visa GuideUnofficial
Menu

Study tour, exchange or course: when China issues an F visa and when an X2

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

If your programme in China is an exchange, a visit or a study tour, the category that fits in the Regulations is the F visa; if you are going to study for a short period, it is the X2 visa. The two are separated by purpose and by one document above all: an F applicant submits the invitation letter provided by the inviting party in China (Regulations, Article 7(3)), while an X2 applicant submits certification documents such as the admission notice issued by the admitting institution (Regulations, Article 7(11)). None of the official texts used here draws the line between a "study tour" and "short-term study" any further, and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom states plainly that the visa officer decides which type is issued.

The two definitions, side by side

The Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Decree No. 637), in the English text published by the National Immigration Administration, give the purpose of each type:

  • Article 6(3): "The F visa is issued to persons who come to China for exchanges, visits, study tours or other relevant activities."
  • Article 6(11): "The X1 visa is issued to persons who apply for long-term study in China; the X2 visa is for persons who apply for short-term study in China."

So the wording that separates them is the activity: exchanges, visits and study tours on one side, study on the other. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeats the same wording for F in its own general instruction, the Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China on the China Consular Services website: "Issued to those who intend to go to China for exchanges, visits, study tours and other activities."

The Regulations text supplied here does not say how many days make study "long-term" or "short-term". The day count appears in the Ministry's instruction and in the embassy tables: X1 is for study of more than 180 days, X2 for study of no more than 180 days. The Embassy in the United Kingdom's own visa page gives the same split as "exceeding 180 days" for X1 and "no more than 180 days" for X2. Treat the 180-day figure as the threshold for choosing between X1 and X2; it does not, on the wording of any of these texts, decide whether an activity is a study tour or short-term study. Our page on X1 or X2 follows the same distinction.

Type Purpose (Regulations, Article 6) Main document (Regulations, Article 7) Duration
F Exchanges, visits, study tours or other relevant activities Invitation letter provided by the inviting party in China Not stated in the Regulations text supplied
X2 Short-term study Certification documents such as the admission notice issued by the admitting institution No more than 180 days (Ministry instruction; UK embassy table)

The document rule is the practical difference

Article 7 of the Regulations ties each type to a document:

  • Article 7(3): to apply for the F visa, the applicant submits the invitation letter provided by the inviting party in China.
  • Article 7(11): to apply for the X1 visa, the applicant submits the admission notice issued by the admission institution and the certification documents provided by the competent authority, in accordance with relevant provisions; to apply for the X2 visa, the applicant submits such certification documents as the admission notice issued by the admission institution, in accordance with relevant provisions.

"In accordance with relevant provisions" is the Regulations pointing elsewhere for the detail, and the Ministry's general instruction supplies part of it. For the X2 visa it lists one document: "The Admission Letter issued by a school or other admitting entity in China."

For the F visa the Ministry's instruction sets out what the invitation letter has to carry. It must be issued by a relevant entity or individual in China and contain:

  • personal information of the invited person: name, gender, date of birth and similar;
  • information about the visit: reason for coming to China, dates of arrival and departure, place of visit, relationship with the inviting entity or person, and who will pay for the travel;
  • information about the inviting entity or person: the entity's or person's name, phone number, address, the entity's official seal, and the signature of the legal representative or of the inviting person.

Two embassies publish their own versions of the same rule. The Embassy in the United States, in its notice "Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025)", requires for an F visa "an invitation letter issued by a relevant entity or individual in China", with the contents set out in its Annex 2, and for an X2 visa an "Admission Notice issued by a school or other entities in China" plus the "Information Form for Foreign Students' Short-term Visit (Form DQ, if have)". The Embassy in the United Kingdom's visa page describes F as "exchanges, visits, study tours and other activities" and X2 as study for no more than 180 days. Each of these is that mission's own statement, not a rule for every Chinese mission. The Ministry's instruction says the same thing in the other direction: documents are required "as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality".

Where the texts stop

The official texts used here go no further than the two definitions and the two document rules. They do not define a study tour by subject, credit, contact hours or assessment, and they do not say what turns a study tour into short-term study. The Regulations do not set a minimum or maximum length for an F-visa activity, and the Ministry's instruction does not either.

That gap is closed by the decision-maker, not by a further rule. In Part Seven of its visa guide, the Embassy in the United Kingdom answers "What type of visa should I apply for?" by pointing applicants to the visa-type explanations and adding: "The Chinese visa officer will decide what type of visa will be issued." Its answer is written for applicants in the United Kingdom; the Ministry's instruction is the general one for all missions and still defers to the embassy or consulate-general in your locality.

None of the pages used here states a fee or a processing time, and this page therefore gives none.

Questions people ask

Is a two-week study tour an F visa or an X2 visa?

The texts do not say. A study tour falls under the F wording in Article 6(3) of the Regulations and short-term study falls under X2 in Article 6(11), but no supplied text sets a length or content test that separates the two, so the classification is made on the purpose of the trip and decided by the visa officer.

Does the length of my course decide it?

Only partly. The 180-day figure in the Ministry's instruction and in the embassy tables separates X1 from X2, not F from X2; the Regulations text supplied here states no day count at all. A stay of no more than 180 days still leaves open whether the activity is a study tour or short-term study.

Do I need both an invitation letter and an admission notice?

Under the Regulations, the F document is the invitation letter from the inviting party and the X2 document is the certification documents such as the admission notice, and no supplied text asks for both for a single type. The Ministry's instruction lists only the Admission Letter for X2, and the Embassy in the United States adds Form DQ for X2 "if have".

Which page governs my application?

The Ministry's Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China is the general instruction for all missions and says requirements are as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality. The Embassy in the United Kingdom's pages are written for applicants in the United Kingdom, and the Embassy in the United States' notice applies to applications made to the Chinese Embassy in Washington; consulates-general and other missions may differ.

Can I choose the visa type when I apply?

The Embassy in the United Kingdom's FAQ answers this directly: it depends on the purpose of your visit, and "The Chinese visa officer will decide what type of visa will be issued."

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary of the official texts named above, is not legal or immigration advice, and is not published by the National Immigration Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any embassy; if 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.

Visa Desk