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MBBS in China Q&AMenu

Is medical insurance compulsory for MBBS students in China?

Unofficial · Sources checked

Yes. International students in mainland China — including those on an English-taught medical degree — must buy medical insurance as the national rules and the school require, under Article 40 of Order No. 42 of China's Ministry of Education. Article 21 of the 2007 medical standard separately requires applicants to undertake to buy medical insurance for their period of study as the school requires.

The English text on this page is this site's translation of the Chinese documents cited below. Where each school publishes its fees and refund rules is explained on our fees page.

What Order No. 42 requires

Article 40 of the Administrative Measures for the Enrolment and Education of International Students by Schools (Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security) states that schools operate an insurance system covering all international students. International students must insure as the national rules and the school require. Those who have not bought insurance as required are given a time limit to do so; if they still do not insure, the school does not admit them, and those already studying are to be withdrawn or not registered.

What the 2007 medical standard requires

Article 21 of the Interim Provisions on Quality Control Standards for Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Students (annex 1 to 教外来〔2007〕39号) requires that applicants who come to study in China must undertake to buy medical insurance for their period of study as the school requires.

How much does the insurance cost

Article 40 of Order No. 42 states no premium or price. Article 14 of Order No. 42 requires schools to publish their fee items, fee standards and refund rules for international students, and states no amount. The cost is set out in the school's own fee notice, not in these provisions.

Medical check on enrolment

Article 39 of Order No. 42 requires international students, on enrolment, to complete the confirmation formalities for the Foreigner Physical Examination Record at China's health quarantine department, or to undergo a physical examination, as China's health authority prescribes. A student found on examination to have a serious mental disorder, infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, or another communicable disease that may cause major harm to public health, as defined in the Exit and Entry Administration Law, is dealt with by the public security department under that law.

Related questions

Does the school decide the insurance type and price?

Article 40 says students must insure as the national rules and the school require. Article 14 requires the school to publish its fee items and standards. The two articles name no specific insurer, policy type or amount.

Is the insurance a one-time or yearly requirement?

Article 21 of the 2007 standard requires applicants to undertake to buy insurance for the period of study. Article 40 states students must insure as required. Neither provision states a single payment or a yearly cycle.

Sources

Checked 11 October 2026.

This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or professional-licensing advice, is not published by the bodies named, promises no admission, examination or registration outcome, and the official text and the regulator's own instructions prevail if they differ.

Check the regulator's current document before you act. Medical councils issue new notices often, and a notice can change who may sit an examination. This page reflects the documents as they stood on the date above. It does not promise registration or a licence.

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