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X1 visa documents: admission notice, JW201 or JW202, and the pupils' confirmation form

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

An X1 application rests on two papers: the admission letter issued by the school in China that has admitted you, and the confirmation form for study in China — Form JW201 or Form JW202. That pair appears in the Regulations on the Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners at Article 7(11), again in Ministry of Education Order No. 42 at Article 35, and as two separate line items in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' general visa instructions and in the embassy lists. School pupils have their own form: the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China.

Every line below carries the text that states it. A line taken from one embassy's page is that mission's requirement, not a rule for all missions.

The two documents the Regulations require

Article 7(11) of the Regulations (State Council Decree No. 637, promulgated 12 July 2013, in force from 1 September 2013; English text published by the National Immigration Administration, page dated 10 March 2021) reads:

(11) To apply for the X1 visa, the applicant shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, submit the admission notice issued by the admission institution and the certification documents provided by the competent authority...

The same item covers the X2 visa, where it names only "such certification documents as the admission notice issued by the admission institution" — the admission notice, with no second certification document.

So the regulation states the requirement in general terms: an admission notice plus a certification document from a competent authority. It does not name a form number.

What Order No. 42 adds

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 — puts the same requirement in different words at Article 35: a foreigner applying to study at a school referred to in Article 2 of the Measures shall, before entering China, apply to the Chinese embassy or consulate in the country of nationality or country of residence, or to another overseas institution entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for an X1 or X2 visa according to the length of study, and shall submit as prescribed the proof filed with the education department and the admission notice issued by the school, together with other relevant materials.

Two things follow from that wording. The certification element is described as proof filed with the education authority. And the application is made before entry, at the mission for your country of nationality or residence.

The Chinese text as published is the official text. The English renderings here of Order No. 42 and of the Ministry of Education reply below are this site's own translation.

Which form: JW201 or JW202

The Ministry of Education's reply of 15 February 2008 (to a question dated 13 December 2007) sets out the difference:

  • JW201 is for Chinese Government Scholarship students and for students who come through inter-governmental exchange channels. It is handled by the Secretariat of the China Scholarship Council in consultation with the higher education institution concerned.
  • JW202 is for self-funded students. Each higher education institution handles it for the students it has admitted.
  • Both forms are described in the reply as important documents for the visa, for entry, for registering at the school, and for the residence procedures.
  • Any institution that recruits international students may provide the JW202 form. A private university may apply to the local provincial education administrative department; once approved, it may recruit international students and may obtain the JW202 form as needed.

The reply does not describe the layout or the fields of either form, and says nothing about obtaining a copy by download. See also JW201 vs JW202 form.

If you are a pupil

The Embassy in the United Kingdom's page lists, as item (3) of its X1-Visa requirements, the original or photocopy of the "Confirmation Form for Elementary Stages Students Study in China issued by Chinese relevant authorities (for Elementary Stage)". The Embassy in the United States' notice lists the "Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China" as the document for foreign elementary, junior and senior high school students, instead of the JW201/JW202 confirmation form which it lists for higher education students. The same notice adds that for school pupils residing in China for family reunion, an X1 visa is not compulsory.

The checklist

Document What the text says Source
Admission notice issued by the admission institution; certification documents provided by the competent authority The two-element legal requirement for X1 Regulations, Article 7(11)
Proof filed with the education department and the admission notice issued by the school Same requirement, worded through the education authority; application made before entry Order No. 42, Article 35
The Admission Letter issued by a school or other admitting entity in China Listed under "X1 Visa" MFA, Visa Application Instructions
The Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202) Listed under "X1 Visa", alongside the admission letter MFA, Visa Application Instructions
Admission Letter issued by a college, university or other educational institution in China Item (1) of the X1-Visa list Embassy in the UK, Part Two
Original or photocopy of the "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202) Item (2) of the same list Embassy in the UK, Part Two
Original or photocopy of the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stages Students Study in China issued by Chinese relevant authorities (for Elementary Stage) Item (3) of the same list Embassy in the UK, Part Two
Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201 or JW202), plus a photocopy of the Admission Letter Higher education institution students, X1 row Embassy in the US, Requirements and Procedures (Updated September, 2025)
Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China Elementary, junior and senior high school students, X1 row Embassy in the US, Requirements and Procedures

One embassy's page is not another's rule

The Ministry's Visa Application Instructions are the general instruction for all missions, and they say that documents are required "as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality". The mission handling your case therefore governs your individual application.

The UK page carries a time stamp of 1 July 2020 and lists what the UK missions ask for. The US notice is marked "Updated September, 2025" and applies to applications made to the Chinese Embassy in Washington through the new COVA system, launched there on 30 September 2025; consulates-general and other missions may differ. The US notice also describes X1 as issued to those who intend to study in China for more than 180 days — that is this notice's wording; Order No. 42 Article 35 ties the choice between X1 and X2 to the length of study without giving a day count, and the Regulations text above states no threshold.

What these texts do not say

  • Fees. The Ministry's instructions give none. The UK page gives no figure and points readers to the latest notice on visa fees on the embassy website. The US notice gives no figure and links to a separate fees page.
  • Processing times. None of these pages states one.
  • The forms themselves. The Ministry of Education reply does not describe the layout or fields of JW201 or JW202 and does not say how a copy is obtained.
  • After the visa. Both the Ministry's instructions and the UK page state that an X1 holder must apply for a residence permit within 30 days of entering China; the procedure itself is not covered on this page.

Questions people ask

Do I need both the admission letter and the JW201 or JW202 form?

Yes, on the texts above. The Regulations require an admission notice plus a certification document; the Ministry's instructions and both embassy lists print the admission letter and the confirmation form as separate items. The US notice asks for a photocopy of the admission letter alongside the confirmation form, while the UK page accepts an original or a photocopy of the confirmation form.

Which form should I be given, JW201 or JW202?

It depends on how your studies are funded: the Ministry of Education reply assigns JW201 to Chinese Government Scholarship students and to students coming through inter-governmental exchange channels, and JW202 to self-funded students, handled by the admitting institution. The reply gives no procedure for a student to choose between them; the school or the Scholarship Council secretariat is the body the reply names.

Can a private university issue the JW202 form?

The reply says that any institution recruiting international students may provide the JW202 form, and that a private university may apply to the local provincial education administrative department and, once approved, may recruit international students and may obtain the JW202 form as needed.

What does a school pupil submit instead of JW201 or JW202?

The Confirmation Form for Elementary Stage Students Study in China, which the US notice lists for foreign elementary, junior and senior high school students and the UK page lists for the elementary stage as issued by the relevant Chinese authorities.

Where do I apply, and when?

Order No. 42 Article 35 says the application is made before entering China, to the Chinese embassy or consulate in your country of nationality or country of residence, or to another overseas institution entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Which office accepts your application is decided by the mission's own instructions.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

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

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