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X2 visa documents: the admission notice, form DQ 'if have', and what a mission may add

Unofficial summary · Sources checked

For an X2 visa, the document the rule names is the admission notice — the admission letter — issued by the school or other admitting entity in China. That is what the Regulations on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners require (Article 7(11)), and it is the only document the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' general instruction lists under "X2 Visa". One embassy list adds a second item, Form DQ, with the words "if have" attached, and none of the official pages explains it any further.

What the Regulations require

State Council Decree No. 637, in force since 1 September 2013, sets the X2 document rule in Article 7(11): for an X2 visa the applicant shall, "in accordance with relevant provisions, submit such certification documents as the admission notice issued by the admission institution". Two things in that wording matter. The admission notice is given as the example of the documents, not as a numbered checklist, and the article routes the details to "relevant provisions" without naming any further X2 document.

The same item treats X1 differently: an X1 applicant submits the admission notice and certification documents provided by the competent authority. If you are unsure which of the two your course calls for, see the comparison at /x1-or-x2/.

What the Ministry's general instruction says

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China", published on the China Consular Services website, is the Ministry's general instruction for all missions, not one embassy's list. Under "X2 Visa" it asks for one item: "The Admission Letter issued by a school or other admitting entity in China."

The same instruction says requirements apply "as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality", so the mission that handles your application still governs the file. The page gives no fees and no processing times.

What two missions list

Page What it lists for X2
Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom, Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (mainland only) — X2-Visa entry "Original or photocopy of Admission Notice issued by a college, university or other educational institution in China."
Embassy of the PRC in the United States, Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025) — X2 row "1. Admission Notice issued by a school or other entities in China. 2. Information Form for Foreign Students' Short-term Visit (Form DQ, if have)"

Both are statements by a single mission, not rules for every mission. The UK page carries a 2020 time stamp and covers the UK missions. The US notice describes X2 as issued to those who intend to study in China for no more than 180 days, and it applies to applications made to the Embassy in Washington through COVA; consulates-general and other missions may differ.

Form DQ: what the pages say, and what they do not

Only the US notice names the Information Form for Foreign Students' Short-term Visit, and only with the qualifier "if have". The Regulations do not mention it. The Ministry's general instruction does not mention it. The UK page does not mention it. None of these pages says who issues the form, in what circumstances one exists, or what an applicant should do when they have none.

That gap is real, so treat it as one: the answer has to come from the visa office or the admitting school, not from a guess. This page does not fill it.

What else a visa office may ask for

The Regulations close Article 7 with a sentence that applies to every category: "The visa authority may, in light of specific cases, require a foreigner to submit additional application material." Read with the Ministry's instruction that requirements follow your local embassy or consulate-general, the practical position is this — the admission notice is the base document, and the office taking your application can add to it.

Questions people ask

Is a photocopy of the admission notice enough?

The UK page accepts an original or a photocopy, for applications to the UK missions. The Regulations do not distinguish between an original and a copy, and neither does the Ministry's general instruction. Under the texts themselves, the answer depends on the mission handling the file.

Do I need Form DQ?

It appears only on the US notice, as item 2 with "if have" after it. No official page used here says who issues the form or when one exists. If the mission you apply to lists it, ask that mission.

Can the visa office ask for documents that are not on its published list?

Yes. The final paragraph of Article 7 of the Regulations allows the visa authority to require additional application material based on the specific case, and the Ministry's instruction ties requirements to the embassy or consulate-general in your locality.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary of the documents named above; it is not legal or immigration advice, it is not published by the National Immigration Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any embassy, and where the official text or the instructions of the visa office or exit-entry office handling your case differ from what is written here, theirs prevails.

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