Passport validity for studying in China: the 12-month line in the scholarship guide
For the Chinese Government Scholarship, the passport rule is item 2 of section VI of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship. It asks for a clear scanned copy of the information page of your ordinary passport, and it says that if the passport's validity is less than 12 months, calculated from the expected start date of study, you should renew the passport and use the new one. The rules in this article are conditions of that scholarship, taken from its guide.
The passport rule in the scholarship guide
Section VI, item 2 of the Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship sets out the following rules.
- Applicants are required to submit a clear scanned copy of the information page of their ordinary passports.
- If the validity period of the currently held passport is less than 12 months, calculated from the expected start date of study, the applicant should renew the passport and use the new passport to complete the scholarship application.
- An applicant who fails to apply for a passport due to objective reasons may submit valid documentation that carries information about the applicant's full English name, gender, nationality and date of birth. This is allowed upon the approval of the application receiving agency.
Item 2 does not define "objective reasons". It also does not name the application receiving agency.
Passport in the visa instructions
The visa rule is a separate rule. It comes from the Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China, Section I, Basic Documents.
Section I says that, as required by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality, you fill in the visa application form online and submit the applicant's passport and photo. The same section also lists proof of legal stay or residence, and the previous Chinese passport or previous Chinese visa.
Section I gives no validity period for the passport. It does not use the 12-month figure from item 2 of section VI of the scholarship guide.
For specific requirements, Section I refers you to the "Guidance on Visa Application" section of the China Online Visa Application System, or to the website of the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General in your locality.
Suggestion, not a requirement: check the mission's own page before you submit a visa application, because Section I points to the mission for the specific requirements.
Two applications, two rules
The 12-month rule in item 2 of section VI belongs to the scholarship application. Section I of the visa instructions is the rule for the visa application. Do not apply one to the other. Each document sets the rule for its own application.
Self-funded applications
The passport rule above belongs to the Chinese Government Scholarship. It does not set the passport rule for a self-funded application.
What a university requires for passports is that university's own decision, published in its admissions brochure. Check the brochure of the university you are applying to.
Sources
- Application Guide for Chinese Government Scholarship, China Scholarship Council (Campus China)
- Visa Application Instructions of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC (China Consular Services)
Checked 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 or any university, and it is not legal advice. If the official text differs from this page, the official text and the current notice of the university or authority handling your case prevail.