Foreigner Health Certificate From Home Country or China Exam: What Official Pages Say

This page gives general administrative information and no medical advice.

The regulation text

The State Council's 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. It says a health certificate is valid for 6 months from the day it is issued.

State Council Order 814 amended the Regulation, and the Order took effect on 1 October 2025.

The Beijing health entrance examination guide

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

The guide describes people 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. It asks them to bring all the examination reports and the original form, stamped by the overseas institution, to a health centre and apply for verification.

The guide says the overseas physical examination must be carried out by the local public hospital, and that a report from a private hospital or clinic must first be notarized locally.

The guide says that if the content of the report needs to be certified by the Chinese consulate or embassy in a foreign country, the applicant provides 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.

The Shanghai health check guide

The Shanghai Municipal Government English portal carries a guide to the health check. The page is dated August 30, 2024, and its footer says it was updated July 14, 2026.

The guide says to bring the original report for reference if the check was completed within the past six months at an embassy-designated hospital in the country or region concerned, along with the original laboratory test results and X-ray film.

The guide says anyone planning to live, work or study in Shanghai for a year or more needs to complete a health check at the International Travel Healthcare Center.

The Beijing work permit manual

A manual on the Beijing Municipal Government English portal says a physical examination report issued by an overseas health and medical institution and accepted by the Inspection and Quarantine Institutions of China can be accepted. It says any health certificate must have been issued within the past six months.

The manual says that when applying for a Foreigner's Work Permit after entry, the Verification Certificate of Physical Examination Records of Overseas Personnel or the Certificate of Health Examination issued by the Inspection and Quarantine Institutions of China has to be provided.

Not covered here

Fees: this page gives no fee figures.

Questions people ask

What does the Beijing guide ask a person with an overseas examination to bring?

The Beijing guide asks the person to bring all the examination reports and the original Physical Examination Record for Foreigner, stamped by the overseas institution, to a health centre and apply for verification.

What time window does the Shanghai guide give for an overseas report?

The Shanghai guide refers to a check completed within the past six months at an embassy-designated hospital.

What does the Beijing work permit manual say about an overseas report?

The manual says a report issued by an overseas health and medical institution and accepted by the Inspection and Quarantine Institutions of China can be accepted.

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.