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Arriving on an ACYLS scholarship: visa papers, registration, health verification and airfare claims

Sources checked · Chinese Government Scholarship

The Tips for Coming to China in the ACYLS guidebook set out the arrival paperwork in three items. Item 1 covers the visa, item 2 covers registration, health verification and the residence permit, and item 3 covers reimbursement of international air fare. The sections below follow that order.

Visa application (item 1)

Item 1 says ACYLS winners "should apply for an 'X1' visa to study in China" at the Chinese embassy and consulate-general. It says students who will study in China for "less than 6 months (including 6 months)" can apply for an X2 visa.

Item 1 names these as among the required documents:

  • a valid ordinary passport
  • photocopies of the Admission Letter
  • the Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201)
  • the original document of the Foreigner Physical Examination Form

Item 1 also says: "Students who come to China with other types of passports, visas or without the requested documents will not be able to register with the universities, nor will they be able to apply for the residence permit in China." It states that the visa application cost "is at student's own expense."

Item 1 gives no date for the visa application.

Registration (item 2)

Item 2 says scholarship students "must register with the host universities before the deadline of the registration as specified in Admission Letter." It names three papers for registration: the Admission Letter, the Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201) and the Foreigner Physical Examination Form.

Two conditions follow in item 2:

  • If a student cannot register on time, the student "must get permission from the host institution directly."
  • "Those who fail to register without the prior consent of the institution will be considered as voluntarily giving up the scholarship and the scholarship will be automatically terminated."

Item 2 does not set the registration date itself. It refers to the deadline in the Admission Letter.

Health verification (item 2)

The health verification paragraph in item 2 applies to "Scholarship students who are to stay in China for more than 6 months." These students are "requested to submit" four papers to the local health quarantine office: their passport, Admission Letter, Foreigner Physical Examination Form and Blood Test Report.

Item 2 then says:

  • "Scholarship students who do not meet the requirements of the above authority will be required to re-take the physical examination."
  • "Those who refuse to re-take the physical examination or are diagnosed with diseases that are not permitted to stay in China according to Chinese laws and regulations will be required to leave China."

Residence permit (item 2)

Item 2 says that on arrival in China, scholarship students "must apply for residence permit to the local police authority before the deadline regulated by the visa-issuing authority." The papers named are:

  • passport
  • Admission Letter
  • Confirmation Form for Study in China (JW201)
  • verified health report
  • a photograph "that meets the image requirements of the authority"

Item 2 gives no size or format for the photograph and no deadline date. It refers the reader to the deadline set by the visa-issuing authority.

The three parts of item 2 appear in this order: registration, health verification, then residence permit.

Airfare reimbursement (item 3)

Item 3 has two separate paragraphs, one for master's and doctoral degree students and one for Research Scholars.

For master's and doctoral degree students, ACYLS "will provide" one-time round-trip international air fare for the first visit to China and the return home after graduation. It also covers one round-trip air fare for a home visit at the end of each academic year, "yet excluding the graduation year."

The ceilings are printed as follows:

Ticket (as printed in item 3) Ceiling as printed
First visit to China and return home upon graduation (master's and doctoral students) 3000 RMB each
Round-trip ticket for home visit (master's and doctoral students) 6000 RMB
One-time round-trip ticket (Research Scholars) "shall not exceed 6000 RMB"

Item 3 says "The excess fee shall be borne by the students."

For master's and doctoral students, item 3 gives these timing rules:

  • The first visit ticket: students "can apply for reimbursement after their registration with the university."
  • The return ticket on graduation: students "can apply for reimbursement when they are qualified for graduation."
  • The home visit ticket: students "can apply for reimbursement after their return to school from home visit."

For all students in the programme, item 3 says they "need to purchase the air tickets (economy class only) by themselves according to relevant regulations, and apply for reimbursement of the expenses from the host university with the original purchase receipt."

For Research Scholars, item 3 says "The students can apply for reimbursement prior to their completion of study."

Suggestion, not a rule in item 3: keep the original purchase receipt for each ticket, since item 3 requires it for every reimbursement claim.

Sources

Checked 10 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, the National Immigration Administration, any embassy or any university, and it is not legal advice. If the official text and the current notice of the office handling your case differ, the official text and that notice prevail.