Papers for the residence permit for study: the school letter, admission proof and the form

A residence permit for study rests on four groups of papers: a valid passport; the completed visa and permit application form with one photo; material proving why you are applying, which for a student means the school's letter and your admission proof; and anything else the office accepting the file asks for. The school letter is not optional paperwork around the edges — Regulations, Article 16(2) names it directly as the certification document required for this permit type.

Names of items from Chinese-language documents below are this site's translation of the Chinese text.

The checklist

Paper	What it must show	Where the rule is
Valid passport or other international travel document	A current travel document	Regulations, Article 16 opening paragraph; Chinese service guide, general materials item 1
Completed application form, one photo	One photo meeting the standard in the Photo Guidelines for Entry and Exit Certificates (《出入境证件相片照相指引》)	Chinese service guide, general materials item 2
School letter stating the study period	Issued by the admitting school, duration included	Regulations, Article 16(2); Chinese service guide, study item; English guide, Student-type Residence Permit
Admission or enrolment proof	Unless the paper copy is waived under the study-in-China system	Chinese service guide, study item; English guide, Student-type Residence Permit
Material from the competent authority	Only for applicants who did not enter on an X1 visa	Chinese service guide, study item; English guide, Student-type Residence Permit
Health certificate	Required for a permit valid for more than one year; valid six months from the date of issue	Regulations, Article 16, closing paragraph

What each document has to show

The general materials list for residence permit applications opens with a valid passport or other international travel document, then the application form with its photo (Chinese service guide, general materials, items 1 and 2). Regulations, Article 16 repeats the passport requirement in its opening paragraph, listing the passport, qualified photos and material relating to the purpose of the application together.

Item 3 of that general list covers material related to the purpose of the application, and the study-specific entry fills it in. The Chinese service guide requires a person entering on an X1 visa to submit a letter from the school they attend noting the period of study, plus proof of admission or enrolment. The Administration's own English guide says the same: "A foreigner entering China with an X1 visa shall submit a letter from the school/university indicating the term of study, and a letter of admission or enrollment."

Both documents tie the permit's validity to the school's stated period. The Chinese guide says the residence permit may be issued in keeping with the study duration the school notes; the English guide says it may be issued "with a residence period in consistent with the indicated term of study of the school/university."

Neither guide gives a template, a required wording, or a named signatory for the school letter. Ask your school's international student office to issue it with the study period stated, since that period is what the validity follows.

When the paper admission proof may be dropped

The Chinese service guide adds that where the relevant information has already been registered through the National Study-in-China Management Information System (全国来华留学管理信息系统), submission of the paper materials may be waived. The sentence sits directly after the requirement for the school letter and the admission or enrolment proof. The guide does not spell out which of the two papers the waiver covers, nor how the exit and entry office confirms that a registration exists, so the practical step is to ask your school whether it files through that system before you assemble the folder.

If your visa is not an X1, the picture changes. Both the Chinese and English guides require applicants entering on other categories of visa to submit supporting material issued by the competent authority. Which authority, and what form that material takes, is not stated in either text.

Work-study and off-campus internships belong to a later step, not to this application: the Chinese guide requires letters from the school and from the internship unit and an annotation on the residence permit, and the English guide adds that the annotation records the location and duration of the job or internship and that the work is not permitted without it.

Filing in person, and where

Regulations, Article 16 sets out that the applicant goes through the formalities in person before the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ of the local people's government at or above the county level in the proposed place of residence, and provides biometric identification information such as fingerprints. The same article's closing paragraph adds the health certificate rule: applying for a residence permit valid for more than one year requires a health certificate submitted "in accordance with relevant provisions", and that certificate is valid for six months beginning from the date of issue.

Originals, copies and language

Item 4 of the general materials list allows the relevant certificates to be presented as originals for inspection with copies retained. The Chinese guide's general notes then state the translation rule in one line: supporting documents in foreign languages shall be translated into Chinese. Nothing in these three texts describes who must produce the translation or how it is certified.

Questions people ask

Do I still hand in paper proof of admission if the school registered me in the national system?

The Chinese service guide says the paper materials may be waived where the relevant information has already been registered through the National Study-in-China Management Information System. It does not say which papers fall inside that waiver or who verifies the registration.

Does the school letter have to state the study period?

Yes. Regulations, Article 16(2) calls for a letter indicating the duration of study provided by the admission institution, and the Chinese service guide describes the letter as noting the study period. Both guides also link the permit's validity period to that stated term.

Must documents that are not in Chinese be translated?

The Chinese service guide's general notes require supporting documents in foreign languages to be translated into Chinese. No further requirement on translation is given in the three texts used here.

Can the application be filed for me by someone else?

Regulations, Article 16 states that the applicant goes through the relevant formalities in person and provides biometric identification information such as fingerprints. None of these texts sets out filing by another person on your behalf.

How long can the residence permit be?

Both service guides say it may be issued with a residence period consistent with the term of study indicated by the school. A permit valid for more than one year additionally requires a health certificate valid for six months from its date of issue, under Regulations, Article 16.

I entered on a visa other than X1 — what applies to me?

Both the Chinese and English guides require supporting material issued by the competent authority for entrants on other visa categories. Neither text names that authority or describes the material.

Sources

• Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Decree No. 637) — National Immigration Administration
• Service guide for issuing, extending, replacing and reissuing foreigners' residence permits (Chinese) — National Immigration Administration
• Service Guide on residence permits for foreigners (English page dated 1 April 2021) — National Immigration Administration (en.nia.gov.cn)

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary of the official documents named above, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the National Immigration Administration or any other body named here, and if the official text or the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry administration office handling your case differ from what appears here, theirs prevails.