China Physical Examination Form for Foreigners: Where Official Pages Mention It and What It Contains

A consular page of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Fiji, dated 2011-10-21, carries a PDF with that title alongside visa application forms. The Chinese Consulate General in Munich carries a PDF with the same title. This page gives general administrative information and no medical advice.

When the regulation mentions a health certificate

The Regulation on the Administration of Entry and Exit of Foreigners says foreigners who apply for a residence permit valid for 1 year or more must submit a health certificate as the rules provide. A health certificate is valid for 6 months from the day it is issued.

State Council Order 814 amended the Regulation. The Order took effect on 1 October 2025. The regulation text read here does not name the Physical Examination Record for Foreigner.

What one embassy lists for study visas

The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Iraq published a notice on visa policy and procedures dated 2024-10-22. The notice says the X1 visa is for those who intend to study in China for more than 180 days. It says the X2 visa is for those who intend to study in China for no more than 180 days.

Among the items listed for X1 and X2 is the Physical Examination Record for Foreigner. A bracketed note beside it says to see Annex I where the intended duration exceeds 180 days. The annex itself was not read.

That is one embassy's notice. Other embassies and consulates may list different items.

Who the Beijing guide says is examined

The Beijing Municipal Government English portal carries a guide to the health entrance examination. The page carries the date 2022-12-16.

The guide lists several groups of people who shall undergo a physical examination. One group is foreigners who apply to reside permanently, obtain employment, study or stay in China for one year or longer, and have reached the age of 16. The guide also lists returning Chinese citizens who have lived abroad for more than 3 months, and foreigners or Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots under the age of 16 who apply for physical examinations at local health centres.

Examination abroad and verification in Beijing

The guide says a person who had a physical examination at an overseas medical institution within the past six months, according to the items on the Physical Examination Record for Foreigner, should bring all the examination reports and the original form, stamped by the overseas institution, to a health centre and ask for verification.

What the blank form contains

The list below follows the labels transcribed from the blank PDF on the Munich page.

Personal details. Name, sex, date of birth, present mailing address, blood type, nationality, place of birth and a photo.
Disease history. A list of diseases, each answered "Yes" or "No". It includes typhus fever, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, scarlet fever, viral hepatitis and epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, among others.
Public order and security. A second "Yes" or "No" list covering toxicomania, mental confusion and psychosis.
Measurements. Height, weight and blood pressure.
Physical findings. Fields for development, nourishment, neck, vision, corrected vision, eyes, colour sense, skin, lymph nodes, ears, nose, tonsils, heart, lungs, abdomen, spine, extremities, nervous system and other abnormal findings.
Test results. Fields for a chest X-ray, an ECG and a laboratory examination that names HIV and syphilis serodiagnosis.
Closing section. A checklist headed "None of the following diseases or disorders found during the present examination", followed by fields for a suggestion, the official stamp, the signature of the physician and the date.

The checklist names cholera, yellow fever, plague, leprosy, venereal disease, opening lung tuberculosis, AIDS and psychosis. This page lists the printed headings only and does not interpret any result.

What the Beijing guide says about an overseas record

The date of issuance should be clear. The form is valid within six months from the date of issuance.
The form must include the photo of the examinee with the official seal of the hospital, the results of the physical examination, the signature of the doctor and the official seal of the hospital.
The input fields should be filled out in Chinese or English.
The examination must proceed in accordance with the Certificate of Health Examination for International Traveler.
The results must be attached with an X-ray report or film, an electrocardiogram drawing or report, a laboratory test report covering at least HIV and syphilis, and an ultrasound report.
The examination and the issuance of the report must be carried out by the local public hospital.
A report from a private hospital or clinic must first be notarized locally.
If the content of the report needs to be certified by the Chinese consulate or embassy in a foreign country, the applicant should provide the certification proof or label to health centre staff.

The guide adds that the consulting physician adds corresponding items of physical examination case by case if the certification proof or label is missing, if fields are missing or unclear, or if the original reports are not attached.

What the guide lists for the examination in Beijing

The guide lists these components of the physical examination: internal medicine, otorhinolaryngology, stomatology, ECG examination, chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasound examination and laboratory-related components.

Not covered here

The Beijing guide covers Beijing health centres only.
Fee figures are not repeated here.

Questions people ask

How long is the form valid?

For a form completed overseas and brought for verification at a Beijing health centre, the guide says the form is valid within six months from the date of issuance.

Can the form be filled in English?

For a form completed overseas and brought for verification at a Beijing health centre, the guide says the input fields should be filled out in Chinese or English.

Does the regulation name the form?

The regulation text read here uses the term health certificate and does not name the Physical Examination Record for Foreigner.

Sources

Each source above was read on the date shown. This page is an unofficial summary of general administrative information. It is not published by the bodies named above, and it is not medical advice. If it differs from the official pages, the official pages prevail, and rules may change after the check date.