Internship paperwork for a student in China: the endorsement on the residence permit

An off-campus internship must be specified in your residence permit. Article 22 of the Regulations says a foreigner holding a residence permit for study may not take part in an off-campus internship unless the location and duration of the placement are specified in that permit. The residence permit service guide lists the letters from your school and from the internship unit, and the application for the endorsement.

What Article 22 of the Regulations says

Article 22 has two paragraphs. The English text reads:

Article 22 Where a foreigner holding a residence permit for study intends to engage in off-campus work-study or internship, he or she shall, upon the approval of the school, apply to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ to have such information as the location and duration of the work-study program or internship placement specified in his or her residence permit.

A foreigner holding a residence permit for study shall not engage in any off-campus work-study or internship unless the information prescribed in the preceding paragraph is specified in his or her residence permit.

The first paragraph describes the application. It says the student applies with the school's approval, and applies to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ, to have the location and duration of the internship placement specified in the residence permit.

The second paragraph states the prohibition. It says the student may not engage in an off-campus internship unless the information in the first paragraph is specified in the residence permit.

What the residence permit service guide asks for

The Chinese-language service guide of the National Immigration Administration and Order No. 42 are quoted below in this site's own English translation. The guide is an official text in Chinese, and the English is this site's translation.

Item 2 of the guide, under the study category (学习类), says the following in translation:

A foreigner holding a study-category residence permit who needs part-time work-study or off-campus internship shall submit letters from the school where he or she studies and from the internship unit agreeing to the part-time work-study or off-campus internship, and apply to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ for the endorsement on the residence permit.

Item 2 gives the following steps in the order the text sets out:

1. Get a letter from the school where you study, agreeing to the internship.
2. Get a letter from the internship unit, agreeing to the internship.
3. Apply to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ for the endorsement on your residence permit.

The guide's sentence does not give the content of each letter in detail. Item 2 also sets out the documents for the study-category residence permit itself, and those are separate from the internship letters.

Internships the university organises under its teaching plan

Article 20 of Order No. 42 is quoted below in this site's translation:

Article 20: Higher education institutions organise international students to take part in teaching internships and social practice in accordance with their teaching plans. The choice of internship and practice locations shall comply with relevant national rules.

Article 20 covers internships that the university organises as part of its teaching plan. It mentions no residence permit and no endorsement. If your internship is one the university organises under its teaching plan, Article 20 is the provision about the university's role, and Article 22 of the Regulations is the provision about the residence permit.

The facilitation paragraph in the English service guide

The English service guide of the National Immigration Administration, dated 1 April 2021, has a paragraph lettered g. It is quoted here exactly as printed:

g. For foreign students studying in overseas colleges and universities who are invited by well-known Chinese enterprises and public institutions for internships in China, the applicant may apply for visas valid for 1 year at the exit and entry administration authorities of relevant public security organs by providing invitation letters of the entities providing the internship and proof on their study in the relevant universities. Foreign students entering China for internship in accordance with inter-governmental agreements may apply for residence permits at the exit and entry departments of relevant public security organs according to relevant provisions.

Item g is a facilitation measure for the people it names: foreign students studying in overseas colleges and universities who are invited by well-known Chinese enterprises and public institutions. Its first sentence concerns a visa valid for 1 year, not an endorsement on a residence permit. Its second sentence names foreign students entering China for internship under inter-governmental agreements, and says they may apply for residence permits according to relevant provisions. Item g does not define "well-known Chinese enterprises" or "public institutions". The English page is dated 1 April 2021, so check the current notice of the office handling your case before you rely on it.

Questions people ask

Which office receives the application for the endorsement?

Item 2 of the Chinese service guide says the application goes to the exit and entry administration authority of the public security organ. Article 22 of the Regulations uses the same wording.

Does the school's approval come before the application?

Article 22 of the Regulations says the student applies "upon the approval of the school". The first paragraph of Article 22 is the provision that states this.

Can the internship start before the endorsement is made?

The second paragraph of Article 22 says a foreigner holding a residence permit for study shall not engage in any off-campus work-study or internship unless the location and duration are specified in the residence permit.

Suggestion, not a rule

Before you apply, it may help to check that both letters state the internship location and duration, because Article 22 refers to those two items.

Sources

• Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (English text), National Immigration Administration
• Service guide for issuing, extending, replacing and reissuing foreigners' residence permits (Chinese), National Immigration Administration
• Service Guide on residence permits for foreigners (English), National Immigration Administration
• Administrative Measures for the Enrolment and Education of International Students by Schools (Order No. 42), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China

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 China Scholarship Council, the National Immigration Administration, any embassy or any university, and it is not legal advice. The official text and the current notice of the office handling your case prevail if they differ.