studyinchina.help

Original or photocopy? How three official pages word the admission notice and JW form

Sources checked · Student visas

The three official X1 wordings do not match. For the admission letter, the US embassy row asks for a photocopy, and the consular X1 section and the UK embassy list name neither "original" nor "photocopy." For the JW201 or JW202 form, the UK embassy list accepts "Original or photocopy," while the consular X1 section and the US embassy row name neither word. This article does not turn these three wordings into one rule. Follow the page of the embassy or consulate that handles your application.

The consular Visa Application Instructions (X1 section)

The X1 section of the Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China, published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on China Consular Services, lists two documents:

  • "The Admission Letter issued by a school or other admitting entity in China;"
  • "The Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202)."

Neither item uses the word "original" or the word "photocopy."

The Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom (X1 documents)

The X1 documents list of the UK embassy's "How to Apply for a Visa for China" page is numbered. It reads:

  • "(1) The Admission Letter issued by a college, university or other educational institutions in China."
  • "(2) Original or photocopy of "Visa Application for Study in China" (Form JW201 or Form JW202)."

Item (1) names neither "original" nor "photocopy." Item (2) allows either an original or a photocopy of the JW form. Item (3) of the same list uses the same "Original or photocopy" wording for the Confirmation Form for Elementary Stages Students Study in China. That form is outside the JW201 and JW202 question here.

The Embassy of the PRC in the United States (X1 row)

The X1 row of the US embassy's "Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application" is numbered as follows:

  • "1. Foreign higher education institution students:"
  • "A. Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202)"
  • "B. Photocopy of the Admission Letter issued by a school or other entities in China"

Item A names neither "original" nor "photocopy" for the JW form. Item B asks for a photocopy of the admission letter. The row does not use the word "original" in items A or B.

What the Ministry of Education reply says about the forms

The Ministry of Education published a reply dated 15 February 2008 on the difference between forms JW201 and JW202. The reply is in Chinese. The English below is this site's translation.

  • JW201 "is used for students on Chinese Government scholarships or students coming through intergovernmental exchange channels." The Secretariat of the China Scholarship Council handles it, consulting with the relevant higher education institutions.
  • JW202 "is used for self-funded students." Each university handles it for the students it has admitted.
  • The reply states that "the JW201 and JW202 forms are important documents" for students coming to China to apply for a study visa, for entry, for enrolment reporting and for residence permit procedures.

The reply names no requirement for originals or photocopies.

What to do

  1. Find the page of the embassy or consulate that handles your application.
  2. Read the X1 document list on that page.
  3. Follow what that page says about originals and photocopies.
  4. Keep the originals of your admission letter and your JW form for enrolment.

Step 4 is a planning suggestion from this site. None of the three X1 pages or the 2008 reply sets it as a rule. The reply does describe the forms as documents used for enrolment reporting.

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 China Scholarship Council, the National Immigration Administration, any embassy or any university, and it is not legal advice. If the official text differs from this summary, the official text and the current notice of the office handling your case prevail.