Exactly 180 days of study: X2 or X1? How each official text draws the line

Sources checked 11 October 2026 · Student visas

Exactly 180 days counts as short-term. The Regulations, Order No. 42 and the consular instructions each place 180 days on the short-term side, and the X2 row is the consular row that covers study of "no more than 180 days." The X1 row covers study of "more than 180 days," so a programme of exactly 180 days does not fall under it.

Where each text draws the line

Regulations, Article 36

Article 36 of the Regulations defines the two terms in items (4) and (5). The English text reads:

(4) Short-term means staying in China for a period not exceeding 180 days (including 180 days); and

(5) Long-term or resident means residing in China for a period exceeding 180 days.

Item (4) puts 180 days inside the short-term category, because the words "including 180 days" make 180 days part of the "not exceeding" range.

Order No. 42, Article 45

Article 45 of Administrative Measures for the Enrolment and Education of International Students by Schools (Order No. 42) is written in Chinese. The Chinese text reads:

第四十五条本办法中的短期学习是指在中国学校学习时间不超过180日（含），长期学习是指在中国学校学习时间超过180日。

The English rendering below is this site's translation of that Chinese text:

Article 45. In these Measures, short-term study means study time at a school in China not exceeding 180 days (inclusive). Long-term study means study time at a school in China exceeding 180 days.

The phrase "（含）" means "inclusive," so 180 days belongs to the short-term side.

Consular instructions, X1 and X2 rows

The Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China print a category row for each visa. The English rows read:

X1: Issued to those who intend to study in China for a period of more than 180 days

X2: Issued to those who intend to study in China for a period of no more than 180 days

The X2 row includes 180 days, because "no more than 180 days" covers 180. The X1 row starts above 180 days.

Article 6, item (11) of the Regulations

The Regulations also describe the two visas in Article 6, item (11). The English text reads:

(11) The X1 visa is issued to persons who apply for long-term study in China; the X2 visa is for persons who apply for short-term study in China; and

This item uses the words "long-term" and "short-term" without restating the day count. The day count comes from Article 36, items (4) and (5).

Which steps follow from the visa class

Article 35 of Order No. 42 is written in Chinese. This site's English translation of its text is:

Article 35. A foreigner who applies to study at a school referred to in these Measures shall, before entry, apply for an X1 or X2 visa according to the study period, at a Chinese embassy or consulate in the country of nationality or country of residence, or at another overseas institution entrusted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The applicant shall submit, in accordance with the regulations, the certificate filed with the education authority for the record and the admission letter issued by the school, together with other relevant materials.

Article 35 lists the steps in this order:

Apply before entry for an X1 or X2 visa, according to the study period.
Apply at a Chinese embassy or consulate in your country of nationality or country of residence, or at another overseas institution the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has entrusted.
Submit the certificate filed with the education authority for the record.
Submit the admission letter issued by the school.
Submit other relevant materials.

Article 35 gives no processing time. Article 35 uses "shall" for the application duty, so the duty is mandatory under that article.

Questions people ask

Does a programme of exactly 180 days count as short-term?

Yes. Article 36, item (4) of the Regulations includes 180 days in the short-term definition. Article 45 of Order No. 42 uses the same inclusive wording. The X2 row of the consular instructions covers "no more than 180 days."

Who decides which visa class is issued?

Neither Article 36 of the Regulations nor Article 35 of Order No. 42 says how a visa office reaches its decision on a particular application. The texts above only describe the categories of each visa.

Suggestions (not rules)

Count your study period against the wording of each text. Article 36, item (4) speaks of "staying in China." Article 45 of Order No. 42 speaks of "study time at a school in China." The X2 row speaks of intending "to study in China for a period."
Check the current requirements of the Chinese embassy or consulate that will receive your application before you apply.

Sources

Checked 10 and 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 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.