JW201 form: the visa application form for government scholarship students

JW201 form (外国留学人员来华签证申请表) is the form used for study visa applications by foreign students who come to China through government channels. The Ministry of Education set out this scope in its reply of 15 February 2008. The reply is written in Chinese; the English on this page is this site's translation of that Chinese text. For the wider list of papers, see Admission and documents.

Definition

The Ministry of Education reply gives three points about JW201 form:

• Who it is for: students on the Chinese Government Scholarship, and foreign personnel who come to China through government-to-government exchange channels.
• Who handles it: the secretariat of the China Scholarship Council (中国国家留学基金管理委员会秘书处), which asks the relevant higher education institutions to carry out the specific procedures.
• What it is used for: the reply states that JW201 and JW202 are important documents for the study visa, entry, enrolment reporting and residence procedures.

What the official text says

Article 7(11) of the Regulations on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (State Council Decree No. 637), in the English text published by the National Immigration Administration, covers the documents for the X1 and X2 visas. For the X1 visa, it lists the admission notice issued by the admission institution and the certification documents from the competent authority. Article 7(11) names no form.

The Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom lists X1 documents on its page "Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (Mainland only)". Item (2) of that X1 list reads "Original or photocopy of 'Visa Application for Study in China' (Form JW201 or Form JW202)." This is the UK embassy's own list.

The Embassy of the PRC in the United States, in "Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025)", includes JW201 in its X1 row. Under foreign higher education institution students, item A reads "Confirmation Form for Study in China (Form JW201 or Form JW202)", with item B being a photocopy of the admission letter. The US row names the same form "Confirmation Form for Study in China", while the UK page calls it "Visa Application for Study in China". The US row describes the X1 visa as issued to those who intend to study in China for a period of more than 180 days.

Related terms

• JW202 form
• X1 visa
• Admission notice
• Chinese Government Scholarship

Sources

• Ministry of Education reply on the difference between JW201 and JW202 forms, 15 February 2008 (Chinese) — Ministry of Education
• Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners (English text) — National Immigration Administration
• Part Two: How to Apply for a Visa for China (Mainland only) — Embassy of the PRC in the United Kingdom
• Requirements and Procedures for Chinese Visa Application (Updated September, 2025) — Embassy of the PRC in the United States

Checked 11 October 2026.

This entry is an unofficial summary. It is not legal or immigration advice, and it is not published by the bodies named. If the official text or the instructions of the body handling your case differ from this entry, the official text and those instructions prevail.