In short: 5 offices in China verify, attest or issue the papers a student visa asks for. For each: what it does, the official portal, the steps, the fee as its official page prints it and its offices, read on 16 October 2026.
Notary Public Offices (公证处)
Your papers must be notarised by a Notary Public Office in mainland China before they can get an apostille or legalisation. This includes diplomas, degree certificates, transcripts, birth/kinship papers and the no-criminal-record certificate. Notary offices usually also give an English translation attached to the notarial certificate.
Steps
Choose a notary office (usually where your hukou or residence is).
Bring your ID card, the original documents (diploma, degree, transcript, birth or relationship proof, police certificate) and copies.
Ask for a notarial certificate for overseas use, with an English translation if the destination needs one.
Collect the notarial certificate, then take it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a local Foreign Affairs Office for the apostille.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Consular Legalisation/Apostille (and authorised local Foreign Affairs Offices)
Puts the apostille on notarised Chinese documents for countries in the Apostille Convention (China joined; it took effect 7 November 2023). For countries not in the Convention it does consular legalisation first, then the destination embassy in China legalises. The MFA in Beijing accepts documents from all of China; provincial and some city Foreign Affairs Offices accept documents from their own area (some do legalisation only).
Get your documents notarised at a Notary Public Office first (paper originals are needed).
Pick the office: MFA Beijing (any province) or the authorised Foreign Affairs Office of your province/city.
Book: search 'Consular Service Center' (领事服务中心) mini-app in Alipay, make an appointment (or choose the mail-in service there).
Go at the booked time with your ID and the notarial certificate; pay; keep the pick-up form and the invoice.
Collect in person or by EMS mail-back. You can check the apostille online at consular.mfa.gov.cn/VERIFY/.
Appointment: Book through the 'Consular Service Center' mini-app on Alipay (in-person or mail-in). Also available: the 中国领事 app, WeChat and Alipay mini-programs.
Fee, as the official page prints it: Fees for Apostillisation are 50 Yuan/document for civil affairs and 100 Yuan/document for business affairs. Express service is provided by MFA with an extra 50 Yuan/document. (Regular: 4 working days; Express: 2 working days.) (official source, checked 16 October 2026)
Offices
Beijing (MFA): 11th floor, Block B, Fenglian Plaza, No. 18 Chaoyangmen Waidajie, Chaoyang District, Beijing. 8:30-11:00 AM, Monday to Friday (not on Chinese public holidays)
CHSI / CHESICC - Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education
Makes official online verification reports (in Chinese and English) for your degree certificate, higher-education qualification, secondary-school (high school) certificate, Gaokao scores, Huikao results and university transcripts. Universities and embassies abroad use these to check your papers.
Local police station / Public Security Bureau - No Criminal Record Certificate (无犯罪记录证明)
Issues the certificate that says you have no criminal record in China. Many embassies want it notarised (and apostilled) before use.
Steps
Go to the police station or Public Security Bureau for your hukou address or your usual home (some cities let you apply online through the local government service app).
Bring your national ID card, hukou booklet, proof of residence and the application form.
If you cannot go, a family member can apply for you with a power of attorney (notarised if not immediate family).
Take the certificate to a Notary Public Office, then to the MFA / Foreign Affairs Office for the apostille if needed.
If you are going to the UK for more than 6 months, you need a TB (tuberculosis) test certificate from a UK-approved clinic, because China is on the UK list. The certificate is valid for 6 months from your chest x-ray. Some other countries (for example Canada or Australia) use their own approved doctors for medical exams.
Pick an approved clinic from the GOV.UK list (15 cities).
Contact the clinic to book; say it is for a UK visa.
Bring your passport, 3 recent passport photos (some clinics) and the fee; bring old x-rays if you had TB or lung disease.
Get a chest x-ray; if clear you get the certificate - use it within 6 months.
Appointment: Contact the clinic directly to book.
Fee, as the official page prints it: Raffles Hospital (Beijing) - Test fees: 11 years and above ¥550; Below 11 years ¥250. (Each clinic prints its own fee; many list ¥550 for 11 years and above.) (official source, checked 16 October 2026)
Offices
Beijing: Raffles Hospital, Suite 105 Wing 1 Kunsha Building No. 16 Xinyuanli Chaoyang District 100027. Monday to Sunday, 8:30am to 5pm
Beijing: Beijing Eaton Medical Centre, Level 5 Beijing New World Shopping Mall No.3 Chong Wen Men Wai Street Dongcheng District. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm
Shanghai: Shanghai International Travel Healthcare Center, 2nd Floor, Building 3 No.15 Jinbang Road Changning District. Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm
Shanghai: Parkway MediCentre Xintiandi, Room 302, Shanghai Plaza Office Building No. 138 Middle Huaihai Road Huangpu District 200021. Monday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm
Guangzhou: New Omega Medical Center, 9/F, Tower A Center Plaza East Railway Station Linhexi Lu Tianhe District 510620. Monday to Sunday, 8:30am to 5:30pm
Guangzhou: Guangzhou International Travel Healthcare Center, No.59 Huali Road 6th Floor Eastern Tower of the Poly Building Zhujiang New City 510623. Monday to Friday, 8am to 12pm and 1pm to 4pm
Shenzhen: Shenzhen IME Centre, 2/F 11 Jinhu Road Luohu District Shenzhen Guangdong 518025
Chengdu: Global Doctor Chengdu International Medical Center, Room 9-12 South entrance, 2nd floor Lippo Tower 62 North Kehua Road Wuhou District. Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Chongqing: Global Doctor Chongqing International Medical Center, Suit 2, F3 NO.343 Jinkai Avenue Liangjiang New Area 401147. Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Nanjing: Global Doctor Nanjing Clinic, No. 283 Shui ximen Avenue Jianye District. Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm
Hangzhou: IME Centre - Hangzhou, 4th Floor, World Trade Centre No. 122 Shuguang Road Xihu District 310000
Wuhan: IME Centre - Wuhan, Hubei International Travel Health Care Centre No.457 Luoshi South Road Hongshan District 430070
Xi'an: Global Doctor Xi'an International Medical Center, 8F, Yongli International Financial Center Jinye 1st Road Hi-tech Zone. Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm
Shenyang: Shenyang IME Centre, No.2 Wanghu Road Heping District Shenyang Liaoning 110006
UK Visas and Immigration decides. You apply online on GOV.UK. If you are asked to give fingerprints and a photo, you go to a UK visa application centre run by VFS Global (GOV.UK's centre finder links to VFS for this country). Some applicants prove their identity with the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' phone app instead and do not visit a centre. · Official booking
Get your CAS number from your UK university first; you need it for the form.
Apply online for the Student visa on GOV.UK (earliest 6 months before your course starts) and pay the visa fee and healthcare surcharge.
The form tells you whether to use the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app or to book a visa application centre appointment.
If you need a centre, book it on the VFS Global page for this country and take your passport with you.
A decision usually comes within 3 weeks; if approved you get an eVisa and must set up a UKVI account.
IRCC decides online. Fingerprints and photo are given at Canada visa application centres (the canada.ca finder links to VFS Global for China). · Official booking
Get your letter of acceptance and PAL from the Canadian school.
Apply online in your IRCC account and pay the processing fee and biometrics fee (CAD $85).
When the biometrics letter arrives, book a visa application centre within 30 days.
Do a medical exam with an IRCC panel doctor if you are asked.
German Embassy Beijing and Consulates General in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenyang. Which one depends only on where you live now (not hukou). Students with Chinese school certificates need the APS certificate first; students who did APS hand in their visa file through the APS office for their district. · Official booking
Finish the APS check and get German university admission.
National (long-stay) visas, including study, are handled by the Italian Embassy in Beijing (Visa Section) and the Italian consulates for their areas - not by the Italy Visa Application Centres (those take short-stay Schengen visas). Book through Prenot@mi. · Official booking
Pre-enrol on Universitaly and get it validated by your Italian university (Marco Polo/Turandot students follow that programme's rules).
Get your degree papers translated into Italian and legalised, plus a Declaration of Value or CIMEA statement if asked.
Book the national visa appointment on Prenot@mi with the office for your province.
Hand in the file; national visa fees at the Embassy are paid with Alipay.
Beijing (Embassy Visa Section): 2, San Li Tun Dong Er Jie, 100600 Beijing. Visa section phone line: Monday to Friday, 14:30-16:00
Shanghai (Consulate General): Changle Lu 989, The Center, 19th floor, 200031
Your Dutch university applies to the IND for you. When the IND says yes, you collect the MVV entry visa sticker at the Dutch Embassy in Beijing or the Consulates General in Guangzhou or Shanghai (as named in the IND letter). The appointment page is hosted on a VFS Global booking system, but you go to the Dutch mission itself. · Official booking
Your Dutch university applies to the IND for your MVV and residence permit.
Wait for the university's email with your V-number (the IND's yes).
Book an appointment online for the location named in the IND letter (within 3 months of the IND's yes).
Bring your passport (valid 6+ months, 2 empty pages), a copy of the photo page, a Dutch-standard passport photo, the filled MVV issue form and the university's email with your V-number.
Hand in your passport; the sticker can take up to 10 working days.
Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) handles student pass applications. You apply online after you get your offer letter; you get an electronic Visa Approval Letter (eVAL) before you travel. · Official booking
Get the offer letter from your Malaysian university or college.
Apply online through EMGS (or your institution submits it) while you are still outside Malaysia: passport photo, passport copies, signed health declaration, academic certificates and transcripts, English test result.
Wait for the eVAL (visa approval letter).
If your nationality needs a Single Entry Visa, get it before you travel.
After arrival, do the medical screening and your institution gets the student pass put into your passport.