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Primary and secondary school pupils: the confirmation form and when an X1 is not compulsory

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

A child admitted to a primary or secondary school in mainland China is asked for one document that higher-education applicants are not asked for: the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China. That form appears by name in the X1 list of the Chinese Embassy in the United States and in the X1 list of the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom. The US list adds an exception for pupils at elementary, junior high and senior high level who reside in China for family reunion: for them, an X1 application is not compulsory.

What each embassy list asks for

The two lists are not identical, and each is the statement of the mission that published it.

Embassy in the United States (X1) Embassy in the United Kingdom (X1)
Who X1 is for "those who intend to study in China for a period of more than 180 days" the page does not restate a duration; it lists documents
Higher-education applicants Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or JW202); photocopy of the Admission Letter issued by a school or other entity in China Admission Letter issued by a college, university or other educational institution in China; original or photocopy of "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or JW202)
Elementary, junior and senior high school students "Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China" original or photocopy of the "Confirmation Form for Elementary Stages Students Study in China issued by Chinese relevant authorities (for Elementary Stage)"

The spelling differs slightly between the two pages — "Elementary Stage" in the US list, "Elementary Stages" in the UK list — and each is quoted as its own page writes it.

Neither page states a fee in these lists. The US notice links to a separate fees page; the UK page refers to the latest notice on visa fees on the embassy website.

How far each page reaches

The US notice is dated 22 September 2025 on the embassy website and is marked "Updated September, 2025". It applies to applications made to the Chinese Embassy in Washington through the new COVA system, which launched there on 30 September 2025; consulates-general and other missions may differ.

The UK page carries a 1 July 2020 time stamp. It lists what the UK missions ask for, and the requirements of other missions may differ.

So neither page sets the document list for every Chinese mission. Confirm the list with the embassy or visa office that will handle the application.

The family reunion case

The US list states, in full, this exception: "For foreign elementary, junior/senior high school students who reside in China for family reunion purpose, application for X1 visa is not compulsory."

That is the only statement of its kind among the documents used here. The UK list does not contain it, and Order No. 42 does not deal with visa categories at all. The US text also does not say what the pupil applies for instead, or what document replaces the confirmation form in that case; it says only that the X1 application is not compulsory.

After entry: the residence permit

The UK list adds a step that follows arrival: "Holders of X1 Visa shall, within 30 days from the date of their entry, apply to the exit/entry administrations of local public security bureau in the proposed places of residence for foreigners' residence permits."

That 30-day statement is the UK page's wording. The US notice used here does not state it, and Order No. 42 does not set residence permit deadlines.

What Order No. 42 covers at school level

Order No. 42 — the Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students, issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, dated 20 March 2017 and in force from 1 July 2017 — defines its scope in Article 2. "Schools" covers institutions in China providing preschool, primary, secondary and higher education. An "international student" is a foreign student who does not have Chinese nationality under the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China and receives education at a school.

The same article then limits its own detail: Chapters 2 to 5 apply to higher education institutions. For schools providing preschool, primary and secondary education, the recruitment, teaching and on-campus management of international students follow the provisions of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government. In other words, the national text sets the frame for school-age students and leaves the school-level rules to provincial authorities.

Article 3 states the general obligations: schools recruiting and educating international students shall comply with Chinese laws, regulations and national policy, safeguard national sovereignty, security and public interests, and manage in a standardised way with quality assured. International students shall comply with Chinese laws and regulations, respect Chinese customs and habits, observe school rules, and complete their study tasks.

The guardian rule for under-18s

Article 38 is the part of Order No. 42 that bears directly on a child. Where a school recruits an international student who is under 18 and whose parents do not ordinarily reside in China, the school must require the parents to formally entrust a foreign national or a Chinese national who resides in China as the student's guardian, and to provide the relevant supporting documents.

The provision places the duty on the school: it is the school that must require the entrustment and the proof. The article does not name a document, a form number or an office that receives the proof, and it does not set an age threshold below 18 or a deadline.

Short-term group study

The second paragraph of Article 38 covers groups. A school may accept international students coming for short-term study as a group, but it must sign an agreement with the foreign dispatching unit in advance. Where a primary or secondary school accepts a group for short-term study, the foreign dispatching unit must complete, under the law of its own country, the legal formalities required for organising the exit and entry of minors, and must send a person to accompany the group and act as the students' guardian while they study at the school.

Who issues the confirmation form

None of the documents used here says which office issues the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China. The US list names the form and nothing else. The UK list adds only that it is "issued by Chinese relevant authorities", without naming an authority. Order No. 42 does not mention the form at all. Ask the admitting school and the embassy or visa office handling the application; this site cannot supply the issuing office, because the official texts do not.

The Chinese texts quoted above — Order No. 42 — are quoted here in this site's own English translation of the published Chinese text.

Questions people ask

Does a primary school pupil need an X1 visa?

The US list issues X1 to those who intend to study in China for more than 180 days, and it lists the confirmation form for elementary, junior and senior high school students as the document for that category. The same list then says that an X1 application is not compulsory for pupils at those levels who reside in China for family reunion. The texts used here do not state which visa a pupil in that situation uses instead.

Does an under-18 pupil need a guardian in China?

Under Article 38, yes, in the case the article describes: a school recruiting an international student under 18 whose parents do not reside in China must require the parents to formally entrust a foreign or Chinese national residing in China as guardian and to provide supporting documents. The article says nothing about pupils whose parents do reside in China.

Who decides the school's admission and management rules for a child?

Order No. 42, Article 2, leaves the recruitment, teaching and on-campus management of international students at preschool, primary and secondary schools to the provisions of the province, autonomous region or municipality. The national text does not set those rules itself.

Is a fee stated on these pages?

No. Neither embassy list used here gives a fee figure; the US notice links to a separate fees page and the UK page refers to the latest notice on visa fees on the embassy website.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary of the official texts named above and is not legal or immigration advice; it is not published by those bodies, and where 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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