✓ Last verified: September 2026Official sources: National Immigration Administration (opens in a new tab), Alipay (opens in a new tab)Rules, prices and apps change, so confirm before you travel.
📘 Part of our complete guide to student exchange in China
24 h
to register your address with the police
30 days
for X1 visa holders to get a residence permit
1 SIM
unlocks payments, deliveries and campus accounts
Passport
needed for trains, SIMs, hotels and banks
The night before you fly
Most first-day stress comes from being offline or unable to pay. Fix both before you board.
- Payments ready: Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to your foreign card and tested — how to set them up.
- Data on landing: an eSIM or roaming plan active, or a plan to buy a SIM at the airport — compare the options.
- Apps installed: a map that works in China, a translator and a ride-hailing app — the essential apps.
- Your address in Chinese: save your dorm or hotel address in Chinese characters as a screenshot, for taxi drivers and forms.
- Paperwork in your hand luggage: passport, visa, admission notice, JW201/JW202 or DQ form and passport photos — printed and as phone photos.
- A little cash: some RMB for the rare place that will not take your card or phone.
Hour by hour
- Hours 0–2 · At the airport. Pass immigration with your passport, visa and completed arrival card; fingerprints are usually taken. Switch on your eSIM or roaming, check Alipay works, and withdraw a little cash if you need it.
- Hours 1–3 · Get to campus. Use the metro if you travel light and it is daytime; otherwise use the official taxi queue or a ride-hailing app — never touts in the arrivals hall. Your university guide lists the exact route from each airport and station.
- Hours 2–6 · Check in. Go to your dorm reception (or hotel) with your passport and admission notice. Bedding is often not provided — ask at check-in where students buy it.
- Within 24 hours · Register your address. Foreigners must register where they stay with the local police within 24 hours. Hotels and most campus dorms do it for you at check-in — ask to be sure. If you rent privately, register at the local police station or through the city’s official online service.
- Evening · Eat and rest. Try the nearest canteen or a convenience store; most accept Alipay or WeChat Pay. Charge everything and sleep — registration day is long.
- Day 2 · University registration. Register with your international office on the date in your admission letter: identity check, photos, compulsory insurance, campus card and student account.
- Day 2 · Local SIM and accounts. Get a Chinese number in your name (passport needed) — campus systems, deliveries and many apps require it.
- Within 30 days · Residence permit (X1 visas). Your university explains the steps, usually starting with a health-check verification. One-semester X2 visa holders normally do not need a permit — check your university guide.
Mistakes that cost students a day
🕐 Arriving too early
Many dorms only open a few days before registration. Check your earliest check-in date before booking flights.
🛂 Leaving your passport behind
You need the original for SIM cards, train tickets, hotels, banks and registration — carry it for the first week.
🏠 Missing the 24-hour registration
If you stay somewhere other than a hotel or campus dorm, registering your address is your job.
🇭🇰 A quick trip to Hong Kong on an X2 visa
Many X2 visas are single-entry: leaving the mainland can mean you cannot come back. Check your visa before planning trips.
Campus-specific details
Airport routes, check-in desks, insurance prices and registration rooms differ by university — each university guide has its own arrival section and first-days checklist.
Zhejiang · Fudan · SJTU · Tongji · Tsinghua · Peking · SUSTech · Shenzhen University
Related Guides
Last updated: September 2026. Prices, opening hours and rules in China change often — treat costs as estimates and confirm anything important with the official source before you go.
Photos: Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels.com