studyinchina.helpSection
After arrival
What has to be done once you land: accommodation registration within 24 hours and, for X1 holders, the residence permit within 30 days.
Guides in this section
- Accommodation Registration in China: The 24-Hour Rule, and How to Register OnlineIf you stay anywhere other than a hotel in China, you or your host must register with the local police within 24 hours of arrival. The National Immigration Administration has now rolled out online registration nationwide. Here is who registers, through which channels, and when you do not need to register again.
- The first weeks after landing: four filings in the order the rules give themFour filings may fall due after arrival in mainland China, each with its own provision and time limit; this page takes them in the order the official texts give them.
- Foreign certificates for a residence permit application: translation and legalisation notesSection 12 of the National Immigration Administration's residence permit service guide says that marriage, birth and kinship certificates issued by a foreign authority or notary shall be legalised by the Chinese embassy or consulate in that country, and that foreign-language materials shall be translated into Chinese.
- When you graduate, withdraw or leave early: what the school reports and what you should checkThis page explains which official provisions require the school to report the end of a foreign student's studies to the exit and entry authority, and which filings and permit rules can follow. The school's reporting duty under Article 26 of the Regulations is the central rule.
- Health verification after arrival: the papers a scholarship notice and Order No. 42 nameFour official texts ask for health papers at different moments, from the scholarship application to the residence permit. This article sets out which paper each text names and when it applies.
- Internship paperwork for a student in China: the endorsement on the residence permitArticle 22 of the Regulations says a residence permit for study must specify the location and duration of an off-campus internship before the student takes part, and the Chinese service guide lists the school and internship unit letters and the endorsement application.
- Lost or damaged residence permit: the reissue papersIf a residence permit is lost, damaged or stolen, the reissue needs a passport loss report or an embassy or consulate note, or the damaged document, plus a new passport or other international travel document.
- New passport or changed details: the 10-day filing for residence permit holdersArticle 33 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law sets a 10-day deadline to apply for alteration when a registered item on a residence permit changes. This page sets out that provision, the penalty wording in Article 76 and a separate visa rule for new passports.
- Off-campus work-study paperwork: the agreement, the school's letter and the permit endorsementOff-campus work-study needs a signed agreement with the employer, a copy filed with the school, and a residence permit endorsed within ten days of applying; Article 11 of the Measures says a permit without that endorsement may not be used for such work.
- Registering your address online: the channels and who may fileThe National Immigration Administration's policy interpretation explains who may file accommodation registration online through the NIA Government Service Platform, and when a foreigner may complete the formalities without the host.
- Renewing a residence permit for study: the papers and the 30-day windowIf your study runs past the expiry date on your residence permit, Article 32 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law requires you to apply within 30 days before that date, at the exit/entry administration in your place of residence.
- China Residence Permit for Students: What to File in Your First 30 Days and How to Get the CardAfter entering China on an X1 visa you have 30 days to apply for a study residence permit. Here is the deadline, where to file, the documents, the 15-working-day acceptance receipt, validity and fees, and what to do afterwards, checked against the NIA law, regulation and service guide.
- Staying in China after graduation: the two residence permit measures the immigration guides printTwo National Immigration Administration English service guides each print graduate paragraphs in which the applicant may apply or can apply for a residence permit valid for two to five years or for no more than two years, and this article sets out their wording, papers and conditions.
- Back from a trip or moved rooms: when accommodation registration is not needed againQuestion IV of the National Immigration Administration's 2026 policy interpretation lists two circumstances in which a foreigner who has already registered does not need to register again, and a change of address is not one of them.
- Who may file for you at the exit-entry office: the cases the rules listArticle 19 of the Regulations on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners and the service guide's conditions section list the cases in which someone other than the applicant may file a residence permit application, and the guide says the applicant shall apply in person as the rule.