Physical examination form

What the form is

The 'Foreigner Physical Examination Form' (sometimes called the Foreigner Physical Examination Record) is a standard medical document that all international students must submit to study in China. You download the official form, take it to a hospital, and the doctors complete it directly on that form. Do not use a generic medical certificate from a clinic - it must be this specific form.

It must be completed at a government-authorized hospital (a public or officially recognised facility), not a small private clinic. In many countries only certain hospitals are authorised to issue documents accepted by Chinese authorities, so confirm this before booking.

What the examination includes

The examination is comprehensive. It records your medical history and includes a physical check-up (height, weight, blood pressure, vision, and a general physician's assessment), blood tests - which include screening for HIV and syphilis among others - a chest X-ray, and an electrocardiogram (ECG). Set aside a few hours and, in some hospitals, expect to fast beforehand for the blood work. Costs typically range from about US$50 to US$150 depending on your country and hospital.

The three things that make it valid - or invalid

This is where applications quietly fail. For the form to be valid it must carry all three of the following: the examining physician's signature, the hospital's official stamp or seal, and a photo of you that is stamped or sealed across its edge (so the seal overlaps both the photo and the form). If any one of these is missing - most often the stamped photo - the form is invalid and your application can be rejected without further review. Check every page before you leave the hospital.

Timing: the 6-month validity trap

The examination results are valid for only 6 months from the examination date. This creates a timing problem: if you do the exam too early, it will expire before you arrive in China and you will have to repeat it (and pay again). If you do it too late, you may miss the application deadline. The sweet spot is to complete the exam close to your application deadline - early enough to include it in the application, but late enough that it remains valid through your expected arrival in early September.

Keep the originals safe. You must bring the original physical examination form (and its lab reports and X-ray) with you to China, because the university and local authorities may ask to see them again during registration and residence-permit processing. Submit scanned copies with your application but never surrender your originals.