A health examination certificate is required for anyone staying in China longer than 6 months. That means basically anyone with a work visa (Z) or student visa (X). It is also possible to get your health examination done in your home country before you arrive in Beijing, but it must conform to the Chinese exam standards.* The test results are required for your temporary, single-entry Z visa to be turned into a standard Z that allows multiple entries. I assume the same is true with the student visa.
The health exams are performed at the Haidian Clinic of Beijing International Travel Healthcare Center (ITHC) which is located in the north-west part of the city. The address in Chinese is:
北京国际旅行卫生保健中心海淀分中心
北京市海淀区德政路10号
Tel.: 010-82403675
and English…
Haidian Clinic of Beijing International Travel Healthcare Center
#10 De Zheng Street, Haidian District, Beijing
Tel.: 010-82403675
The easiest way to get there is to take the metro to XiErQi Station on Line 13, then grab a cab and show them the address. There are also two nearby buses that you can take rom the station:
Head east across the the Digital Science Square and grab a north-bound #365 bus on ShangDiXiLu
Head south to Xierqi Da Jie and grab an west-bound #570.
The ITHC is only open from 8:30am to 11:30am, Monday to Friday. So you’ll need to go in the morning. It’s better to be there right when it opens because the line can get very long. Especially during the busy times when many foreigners are arriving in Beijing (August and after Chinese New Year). Here are some things to remember before you go:
Bring your passport
Bring two passport size photos with a white background (there is also a small photo/print shop across the street)
Do NOT eat breakfast (there are signs everywhere that remind you of this, of course by that point it’s too late)
The process goes as follows. Get in line, hand in your filled-out form and pictures at the counter, receive your checklist of which exams you need, get in the Cashier line, pay the cashier (¥650 for work visa, ¥400 for students), and then make the rounds to various rooms getting different parts of you checked out. You’ll have a sheet with a bunch of stickers with bar-codes on them, and at each room the technician will take and scan one of the stickers and sign off one of the boxes on your checklist. The whole process is a little tedious, but once you have your shiny, brand-new health certification and you are passed through one of the hoops that you have to jump for the visa process your mind will be more at ease.
