Getting an X1 Residence Permit

If you run into issues that aren’t covered here, contact the International Students Office for help.

1. Register at the International Students Office

Bring the three items below to Tsinghua’s International Students Office (Zijing Dormitory Building 22, First floor, Room 100) to register:

  1. Your passport (the one containing your visa)
  2. Tsinghua Admission Notice 录取通知书
  3. JW202/201 form

2. Get a verified physical examination

Note

If you have documentation for a physical examination from your home country, you can try to get it verified by the Travel Health Care Center, Monday to Friday, 8:30a to 11:45a and 1:00p to 4:00p. However, it seems most students end up having to get another full physical exam at the Travel Health Care Center, which costs RMB 400.

No appointment is necessary, but physical examinations must be done in the morning: Monday to Friday, 8:30a to 11:00a. The center will let you know when your verified results will be available upon completing your physical examination. The pickup window for results is open Monday to Friday, 1:00p to 4:00p.

Note

You can pay an additional fee to have the verified results of the exam delivered to you on campus. Be sure to bring along your mailing address in Chinese as well as your phone number if you want to use this service.

The Travel Health Care Center is far away. It takes about an hour to get there from campus using public transit. At the beginning of each school year in the Fall, the International Students Office may organize group trips to the Travel Health Care Center. Contact the International Students Office for more info about this.

You must bring these items to the Health Center:

  1. Your passport
  2. Two two-inch color photos of you with a white background
  3. Tsinghua Admission Notice 录取通知书 or student ID
  4. RMB 400 in cash to pay for the physical

If you have documentation for a physical examination from your home country, bring it along to see if you can get it verified and avoid shelling out for the physical.

Warning

Do not eat breakfast on the morning of your physical examination, as it includes a blood test.

3. Apply for a Residence Permit

Bring the items below to the Residence Permit agent at the International Students Office (Zijing Dormitory Building 22, First floor, Room 100) Monday to Friday, 1:00p to 4:00p.

You must give these items to the agent:

  1. Your passport (he will provide a receipt)
  2. One copy of your Tsinghua Admission Notice 录取通知书
  3. JW202/201 form
  4. Verified physical examination results
  5. One two-inch color photo of you with a white background
  6. Temporary Residence Registration Form 临时住宿登记表 (what’s this?)
  7. 500 RMB in cash

The application process usually takes five business days. The agent will provide a pickup date when you submit your materials.

Note

The RMB 500 fee includes a RMB 100 service charge for bringing your passport to and from the Visa Center 北京公安局出入境管理处 off campus. This service allows you to pick up your passport and Residence Permit directly from Zijing Dormitory Building 22, First floor, Room 100 when they’re ready.

You can save RMB 100 by putting in a bit more legwork. If you’re interested, just tell the agent you want to do it yourself and he’ll print a 居留许可申请表 for you (takes three to four business days). Bring the 居留许可申请表 along with all the documents listed above to the 北京市公安局出入境管理总队 here. If everything goes smoothly, it takes approximately 10 business days to get your passport back along with your residence permit.

4. Register with the local authorities

Almost there. Once you get your passport and Residence Permit, if you live on campus, head over to the Foreign Student Affairs Office (Zijing Dormitory Building 19, First floor) with your passport and register at the main desk. They’ll give you a Residence Registration Form 住宿登记表 updated with your new Residence Permit info.

If you live off campus, go to your local police station 派出所 that is responsible for managing corresponding residential area with your passport. If you’re unsure about where your local police station 派出所 is, ask your landlord. All you need is your passport and your current living address.

Note

This final step of the process is completely free. There are no fees for registering at your local police station or at the Foreign Student Affairs Office. Just bring the passport that contains your residence permit, present it at the counter so they can enter your info into the system, and leave with a Residence Registration Form 住宿登记表, no money involved.