How to Register Your Accommodation in China: Hotel & Apartment Rules

Quick Summary

• Staying at a hotel: Show the original passports of all foreign guests at check-in. The hotel will normally complete the accommodation registration for you.

• Staying in an apartment or private home: You or your host must normally register the address with the local public security authority within 24 hours of arrival.

• Online registration: Since March 20, 2026, the unified NIA 12367 online service has been piloted in Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing, and Sichuan. Other cities may have their own local online systems.

• Moving to a new private address: Register the new address unless a specific repeat-registration exemption applies to you.

You’ve just arrived in China, checked into your accommodation, and handed over your passport. If you’re staying at a hotel, that’s usually all you need to do—the front desk handles the accommodation registration during check-in.

But if you’re staying in a rented apartment, a friend’s home, a relative’s house, or another private residence, the process is different. You or your host normally need to register the address with the local public security authority within 24 hours of your arrival.

This is called:

• Accommodation registration for foreigners

• Temporary accommodation registration

• Foreigner residence registration

• 境外人员住宿登记 (Jìngwài rényuán zhùsù dēngjì)

These expressions usually refer to the same basic procedure: reporting where you’re staying in China. The requirement applies to tourists, business travelers, students, foreign employees, and visa-free visitors.

01. What Is Accommodation Registration in China?

Accommodation registration tells the local public security authority where a foreign visitor is currently staying.

It is separate from:

• Completing an arrival card

• Passing through immigration

• Holding a valid visa

• Applying for a residence permit

• Signing a rental agreement

Completing your arrival and immigration procedures in China does not automatically register a private residential address.

Under Article 39 of China’s Exit and Entry Administration Law, hotels must register foreign guests and submit their accommodation information to the local public security authorities. Foreigners staying somewhere other than a hotel must register within 24 hours of arrival, either personally or through the person providing the accommodation.

The rule also applies if you entered China under a visa-free policy. Visa-free entry changes whether you need a visa; it does not remove the accommodation registration requirement.

02. If You Stay at a Hotel, the Hotel Registers You

At a regular hotel, the front desk normally completes the registration during check-in.

Present the original passport or international travel document you used to enter China. The receptionist will scan or record your passport information and submit your accommodation details through the hotel registration system.

You usually do not need to visit a police station or submit a second registration yourself.

What to do at hotel check-in

Give the receptionist:

• Your original passport

• Your booking name or confirmation

• Your visa, entry stamp, or entry information if requested

If you’re traveling as a family or group, every foreign guest should be registered. Don’t assume that registering only the person whose name appears on the reservation automatically covers everyone staying in the room.

Do you need a printed registration form?

Not for an ordinary tourist stay. The hotel’s electronic submission is normally enough.

However, you may need proof of accommodation registration when applying for a visa extension, residence permit, or another local administrative service. In that case, ask the front desk:

Could you print my accommodation registration form, please?

You can also show them:

可以帮我打印住宿登记单吗？
Kěyǐ bāng wǒ dǎyìn zhùsù dēngjì dān ma?

Some hotels can print it immediately, while others may ask you to wait until the registration has been processed.

03. Can a Hotel Refuse Foreign Guests?

Chinese government departments issued measures in 2024 stating that booking platforms and accommodation operators should not restrict properties from receiving international guests based on supposed “foreign guest qualifications.” Properties are also prohibited from illegally advertising that they do not accept foreign guests.

In practice, you may still meet a small hotel or guesthouse whose staff are unfamiliar with foreign passport registration.

If reception says that the hotel cannot accept foreigners, stay calm and ask them to check with their manager or the local police station. You can show this sentence:

请问可以联系派出所确认一下外国人住宿登记吗？
Qǐngwèn kěyǐ liánxì pàichūsuǒ quèrèn yíxià wàiguórén zhùsù dēngjì ma?
Could you contact the local police station to confirm the registration procedure for a foreign guest?

If it’s late at night or you’re exhausted after traveling, arguing at the front desk may not be the most practical solution. Contact the booking platform through your order page and ask it to help move you to another property that can complete the registration correctly.

If you’re using Trip.com, check our guide to booking hotels and travel in China with Trip.com before choosing another property.

When booking a small inn, rural guesthouse, or privately operated homestay, message the property in advance and ask:

Can you register a foreign passport at check-in?

This is especially useful when traveling outside major cities.

04. Staying in an Apartment, Friend’s Home, or Private Residence

If you’re not staying at a hotel, don’t assume the landlord, booking platform, or building reception has registered you.

The registration must normally be completed by:

• You, the foreign guest; or

• Your landlord, host, friend, or relative

The deadline is generally within 24 hours after arriving at the residence.

This includes stays in:

• A rented apartment

• A friend’s or relative’s home

• An employer-provided apartment

• A privately operated short-term rental

• Your own home in China

• Another foreign resident’s home

The important question is not how you booked the property. What matters is whether the accommodation operator registers foreign guests through a hotel registration system.

A serviced apartment may operate like a hotel, while another apartment in the same city may count as a private residence.

Ask the property directly:

Will you complete my foreign guest accommodation registration, or do I need to register with the police myself?

If the answer is unclear, treat it as a non-hotel stay and confirm the procedure with the local police station.

05. How to Register a Non-Hotel Stay

The exact online system and required documents can vary by city. Your safest first step is to ask the host which police station manages the address.

In Chinese, the local police station is called:

• 派出所 (Pàichūsuǒ)

Ask your landlord or host:

这个地址属于哪个派出所？
Zhège dìzhǐ shǔyú nǎge pàichūsuǒ?
Which police station is responsible for this address?

Registering at the local police station

For an in-person application, prepare:

• Your original passport or another valid international travel document

• A copy or clear photo of your passport information page

• Your current visa, entry stamp, or residence permit where applicable

• The complete address in Chinese

• A rental agreement or property ownership document

• The landlord’s or host’s identification

• The host’s contact information

The local police station may request different supporting documents depending on whether you’re renting, staying with a friend, living with a relative, or staying in your own property.

Your host should come with you if possible, especially for the first registration. The host usually knows the official Chinese address and can provide the property documents requested by the police.

After the information is accepted, you may receive a paper or electronic accommodation registration record. Its Chinese name may appear as:

• 境外人员住宿登记表

• 临时住宿登记表

• 住宿登记凭证

Keep a photo or digital copy. You may need it for immigration, residence permit, visa extension, banking, or other administrative procedures.

06. Can You Register Accommodation Online in 2026?

Online registration is available in some locations, but there is not yet one identical process operating everywhere in China.

The new NIA 12367 online registration pilot

From March 20, 2026, the National Immigration Administration began piloting a unified online registration service for non-hotel accommodation in:

• Hebei

• Liaoning

• Zhejiang

• Hubei

• Guangxi

• Chongqing

• Sichuan

In these seven provincial-level regions, the foreign guest or host can use:

• The NIA Government Service Platform website

• The NIA 12367 app

• The NIA 12367 WeChat Mini Program

• The NIA service in Alipay

Open the Foreigner Service section and look for Accommodation Registration. You must complete account registration and identity verification before submitting the address information.

If you haven’t set up the Chinese payment apps yet, follow our guide to using Alipay and WeChat Pay in China with an international card before you arrive.

The initial registration should be completed with the host’s assistance because the host is more likely to have the correct property and address details.

After registration, use Registration Record Inquiry to check the result. Online registration under this pilot has the same legal effect as registering in person.

What about Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities?

Some cities already operate their own local online systems.

For example, Beijing provides online registration through the Beijing public security system and the official 北京公安出入境 WeChat account. Beijing’s official guide says an online application may require:

• A photo of your passport information page

• A live photo of the applicant

• Proof showing the accommodation address

Because local platforms can change, don’t rely on an old QR code or an unofficial travel-blog link. Check the city government or local public security website, ask your host, or call the National Immigration Administration service hotline at 12367.

If online registration is unavailable, rejected, or still pending close to the 24-hour deadline, go to the police station responsible for the address.

07. Do You Need to Register Again After Moving?

If you change to a different private residential address, register the new accommodation. Your previous registration only shows the address where you were staying at that time.

For a typical tourist journey, it works like this:

• Hotel in Beijing: The Beijing hotel registers you

• Hotel in Xi’an: The Xi’an hotel registers you at check-in

• Friend’s apartment in Chengdu: You or your friend registers the Chengdu address

• Hotel in Shanghai: The Shanghai hotel registers you again

You do not need to visit a police station personally every time you change hotels. Each hotel handles its own guest registration.

The 2026 NIA policy also simplifies repeat registration in certain situations. For example, some foreigners returning to the same self-owned residence, or residence-permit and permanent-residence holders returning to the same habitual residence during the validity of their documents, may not need to register again.

These exceptions have specific conditions. A tourist returning to a friend’s apartment should not assume they apply.

If your address, passport, visa, residence permit, landlord, or rental arrangement changes, check with the local authority or submit a new registration.

08. What If You Arrived More Than 24 Hours Ago?

Don’t ignore it and hope it won’t matter.

Go to the local police station or use the official online registration channel as soon as possible. Bring your passport, proof of address, and your host or landlord if available. Explain honestly when you arrived and why the registration was delayed.

You can say:

我需要办理外国人住宿登记，但是已经超过24小时了。
Wǒ xūyào bànlǐ wàiguórén zhùsù dēngjì, dànshì yǐjīng chāoguò èrshísì xiǎoshí le.
I need to complete foreigner accommodation registration, but more than 24 hours have passed.

Failure to register as required may result in a warning and a fine. The National Immigration Administration states that a foreigner who fails to register a non-hotel stay may be fined up to RMB 2,000.

Whether a penalty is imposed depends on how the local authority handles the case. Registering late is still better than continuing to leave the address unregistered.

09. Common Problems and What to Do

The landlord says registration is unnecessary

Show the landlord the Chinese term 境外人员住宿登记 and explain that a non-hotel stay must normally be registered.

Ask the landlord to help identify the responsible police station and provide proof of the address.

If the landlord refuses to cooperate, contact the booking platform, property manager, local police station, or 12367. This is also a warning sign that the apartment may create problems during a longer stay.

The host does not want to share property documents

The police need to confirm that the address is genuine and that the host is entitled to provide the accommodation.

Ask whether the host can submit the registration personally instead of sending the documents directly to you.

The online application is rejected

Check:

• Whether the passport photo is clear

• Whether your name matches the passport exactly

• Whether the address matches the lease or ownership document

• Whether the correct district was selected

• Whether the host’s identity details are complete

If you cannot correct the application, take the documents to the local police station.

You cannot find the correct police station

Ask the building reception, neighborhood committee, landlord, or property-management office. You can also call 12367 for immigration-related guidance.

Don’t simply visit any police station in the city. Accommodation registration is normally handled by the public security authority responsible for the address where you’re staying.

10. Accommodation Registration Checklist

If you’re staying at a hotel

• Bring your original passport to reception

• Present the passports of all foreign guests

• Let the hotel submit the registration

• Ask for a printed record if you need one for another procedure

If you’re staying in a private residence

• Tell your host about the registration before arriving

• Confirm the complete address in Chinese

• Identify the responsible police station

• Prepare your passport and proof of residence

• Register within 24 hours

• Save the paper or electronic record

If you move to a new private address

• Don’t rely on the registration for your previous address

• Ask the new host who will complete the registration

• Register the new residence

• Keep the latest registration record

11. Useful Chinese Phrases

Information note: Accommodation registration platforms and required documents can differ by location. Check the official system used by the city where the residence is located, or call the National Immigration Administration service hotline at 12367.