Do I need to book to visit Xiamen University?
Yes. You cannot walk in and arrange a visit at the gate. Xiamen University's Security Department (保卫处) says the WeChat official account 厦门大学访客预约系统 (Xiamen University Visitor Reservation System) is the only official booking channel, and that walk-in booking is not accepted (不接受现场预约). The visit itself is free.
The rules come from the Security Department's guide to visiting the Siming campus (思明校区), 厦门大学思明校区预约参观管理指南. The page is dated 2024-02-13, and the guide is signed 2023-09-27; visits resumed on 2023-09-28. It covers the Siming campus only. It says nothing about any other campus.
The one gap that matters for foreigners
The guide lists a passport as an accepted document at the gate. But it does not say how a foreign visitor completes the real-name authentication (实名认证) that WeChat requires before booking. It does not say whether a passport number can be entered, whether a Chinese phone number is needed, or how the live-person check works for foreigners. It does not mention an English version. If you cannot get through that step, the page names no other way to book.
How to book a Xiamen University visit step by step
- Follow the WeChat account 厦门大学访客预约系统. The guide page has a QR code for it.
- Open the 参观预约 (visit reservation) menu and complete real-name authentication. You cannot book before this.
- Read the 《预约参观须知》 (visit notice) and, if you need to, add your companions' details first.
- Choose the date, the entry slot and your companions. Only one slot per visitor.
- Confirm, then pass the 真人检测 (live-person check).
- Check the booking under 我的预约 (My bookings). The 入校位置 (entry location) menu shows where to enter.
You can book at least 1 day and at most 3 days ahead. New slots open every day at 08:00, 12:00 and 16:00, and they close when full (额满为止). The page does not say which dates each release covers.
Do not pay anyone to book for you. The notice says the account is the only official channel, and the visit costs nothing. We do not book university visits or sell tickets for them.
Xiamen University entry time slots and daily quotas
The notice has a table of release times, entry slots and quotas. The numbers below are from that table on the guide page (page date 2024-02-13). The page adds that the university may adjust them as needed (学校将根据实际情况适时动态调整), so treat them as the table on that page, not a promise for your date.
| Day type | Slots open at | Entry slot | Quota |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekdays (工作日) | 08:00 | 10:30–11:30 | 400 |
| Weekdays | 12:00 | 13:00–14:00 | 400 |
| Weekdays | 16:00 | 16:30–17:30 | 200 |
| Weekends and winter/summer vacations (双休日及寒暑假) | 08:00 | 09:30–12:00 | 2000 |
| Weekends and vacations | 12:00 | 13:00–15:30 | 2000 |
| Weekends and vacations | 16:00 | 16:00–17:30 | 1000 |
| National public holidays (国家法定节假日) | 08:00 | 08:00–10:00 | 2000 |
| National public holidays | 08:00 | 10:00–12:00 | 2000 |
| National public holidays | 12:00 | 12:00–14:00 | 2000 |
| National public holidays | 12:00 | 14:00–16:00 | 2000 |
| National public holidays | 16:00 | 16:00–18:00 | 2000 |
The written totals match the table: 1,000 people a day on weekdays, 5,000 on weekends and vacations, and 10,000 on national public holidays. Weekday slots are the smallest, and the 16:30–17:30 slot has only 200 places.
The page does not give the dates of the winter and summer vacations. It does not say whether a quota is split by nationality, and it does not give the campus's general opening hours. The table shows entry slots only.
Can foreigners enter Xiamen University with a passport? Which gate?
The guide says to show your own second-generation ID card or another valid document, and gives examples: the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, the Residence Permit for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Residents, and a passport (护照). You enter on foot after an identity check that matches your face to your ID (人证比对).
You enter only through the visitor-centre dedicated channel (厦大访客中心访客专用通道). The notice says the other campus gates are not visitor entrances. The page gives no address or map for the visitor centre; it says to look at the 入校位置 menu in the WeChat account. It gives no route or transport advice either.
Late, missed or cancelled? The rules that can lock you out
- Be on time. You may enter only in your booked slot. If you cannot, the page treats it as giving up that visit (视为自动放弃本次入校参观资格).
- No re-entry. Once you are in, you cannot go in and out again (入校后不能重复进出).
- Booking again. After a successful booking you cannot book again for 7 days.
- Cancelling. Each person can cancel only once within the bookable period. A second successful booking can no longer be cancelled. Three cancellations in a month suspend your booking right for 3 months.
- Closures. Visits are suspended when class schedules are adjusted, for major events, or in extreme weather. The page points you to the WeChat account for updates.
Groups, companions and children
Only individual bookings are accepted. The notice says booking as a group through a travel agency or intermediary is not accepted, and visitors found doing it will be refused entry (拒绝放行). So a tour operator cannot book the campus for your group.
A main booker aged 18 or over can book for up to 4 companions. Companions can enter only after the main booker has passed the ID check. Children aged 8 and over must book. Children under 8 need no booking but must be with a guardian who has a successful booking. For under-8s, the page says the guardian must carry the household register (户口本) or the original ID card. Those documents are written for Chinese residents. The page does not say what a foreign guardian should show.
What you cannot do on campus
Entry is refused for anyone who will not show ID or cooperate with the check, who uses a fake ID or someone else's, who carries controlled knives or dangerous goods without permission, who brings an animal (working dogs excepted), or who is on the entry ban list. The notice lists more cases in point 6.
- The library, indoor gym, office buildings, teaching and research areas, student dorms, residential areas and canteens are not open to visitors. The page asks visitors not to eat in canteens.
- No swimming or boating in the lakes and reservoirs.
- In the Furong Tunnel (芙蓉隧道), do not stay long to take photos, and do not draw on the graffiti.
- No unapproved gatherings, commercial filming or live-streaming, and no selling or leafleting.
Is there a newer version of the rules?
The guide page is dated 2024-02-13. The Security Department's notice list (通知公告) shows its newest item dated 2026-09-08, about new-student registration, and no newer visit-reservation notice on its first page. For closures, the guide points you to the WeChat account.
For the rest of your trip, see our Xiamen travel guide. We can book flights, hotels, train tickets, a local guide or a private car for your Xiamen trip.
