Accommodation Registration in China: Hotels, Apartments and Staying with Friends

Every foreign visitor should know who is handling the accommodation registration. At a hotel, the front desk normally does it. At a friend's home, a private apartment, or another non-hotel address, the visitor or host normally has to complete it within 24 hours of arrival.

This is separate from booking and payment. A confirmation from a rental platform does not by itself prove that the address has been registered with public security.

The basic rule

Article 39 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law divides accommodation into two practical groups:

• Hotel stays: the hotel registers the foreign guest and submits the information to the local public security authority.
• Stays outside hotels: the foreigner or the person providing the accommodation completes registration with the public security authority for the place of residence within 24 hours of arrival.

The National Immigration Administration's March 2026 announcement repeats this distinction. It also confirms that failure to register as required can lead to a warning and may lead to a fine.

In ordinary travel, “within 24 hours” is the safe planning rule. Do not wait until the end of a multi-night stay.

Hotels

Bring the valid passport or other international travel document used for the booking. The hotel will inspect it at reception and collect the details required for registration. Every foreign guest occupying the room should be listed and should present the appropriate document.

You normally do not make a second police registration for the same hotel stay. The hotel is responsible for reporting it. If you need evidence for another administrative process, ask reception whether it can provide a registration form or confirmation; the document format and availability vary.

An early online check-in is not necessarily the legal registration. The property may still need to inspect the original travel document when you arrive.

If the desk appears unfamiliar with a foreign passport, ask staff to check with a supervisor. Frame the question precisely: “Can you register this passport for accommodation?” Do not ask the property to skip the process.

Serviced apartments, guesthouses, homestays, and private rentals

The commercial label is not enough to tell you who registers the stay. A serviced apartment with a staffed hotel reception may report guests like a hotel. A privately managed unit in the same building may be treated as a non-hotel stay. A “homestay” or guesthouse may have its own reporting process, but you should not assume it does.

Before paying for a non-standard property, ask in writing:

1. Is the stay registered by the property as a hotel stay?
2. If not, who will assist with non-hotel accommodation registration?
3. Can it be completed online at this address?
4. What address and host documents will be provided?
5. Is help available if the online submission is rejected?

If the answer is only “foreigners can stay here,” ask the registration question again. Permission to occupy the room and completion of the reporting step are different matters.

Staying with friends or family

When you stay in someone's home, you or the host should complete registration within 24 hours. The host can be a Chinese citizen or a foreigner. For the first online registration at an address, the National Immigration Administration says host assistance is recommended because the host is more familiar with the residence information.

Have the following ready:

• the visitor's passport and current entry or stay information;
• the full residential address in Chinese;
• the host's identity and contact details;
• evidence connecting the host to the address, if requested;
• lease, ownership, or property-management information where applicable.

The exact local checklist can differ. A tenant hosting a friend may need different address evidence from an owner. Contact the local police station or 12367 if the document path is unclear.

The online pilot from 20 March 2026

From 20 March 2026, the National Immigration Administration began piloting online registration for foreigners staying outside hotels in:

• Hebei;
• Liaoning;
• Zhejiang;
• Hubei;
• Guangxi;
• Chongqing;
• Sichuan.

The official announcement says the service will be expanded gradually based on the pilot. Do not describe it as nationwide until the NIA confirms that expansion.

In the pilot regions, the visitor or host can use:

• the NIA Government Service Platform website;
• the NIA 12367 app;
• the NIA 12367 WeChat Mini Program;
• the NIA 12367 Alipay Mini Program.

After registration and identity verification, open Foreigner Service → Accommodation Registration and follow the current prompts. The completed record can be checked through Registration Record Inquiry. Online registration has the same legal effect as on-site registration.

The official service website is https://s.nia.gov.cn. Start there or from the verified NIA 12367 app or Mini Program. Avoid lookalike websites collecting passport images.

If you are outside the seven pilot regions

Some cities have established local online processes of their own, while others handle non-hotel registration at a police station or an exit-entry service window. Availability can depend on the exact district and document type.

Ask the host or local authority for the current route. If a search result or old travel post conflicts with the police station responsible for the address, use the official local instruction or call the NIA's 12367 service line.

The nationwide in-person route remains available. An online error is not a reason to leave the stay unregistered.

If the online submission fails

Save the error message, but do not spend the entire 24-hour period retrying the same form. Check:

• the passport number and name;
• the selected document type;
• the arrival and move-in dates;
• the province, city, district, street, and building details;
• whether the host must complete or confirm the first submission;
• whether the address is inside the current pilot.

Use the guide on the NIA accommodation-registration page, call 12367, or visit the local police station or exit-entry service window. Take the passport, host, and address evidence with you.

Moving between addresses

A new hotel handles its own stay. If you move from a hotel to a friend's home, from one private rental to another, or otherwise start staying at a different non-hotel address, treat the new address as a new registration event.

The 2026 policy interpretation provides limited exemptions from repeat registration for some people returning to the same self-owned or habitual residence after travel. Those provisions are mainly relevant to owners and longer-term residents. A short-term tourist should not assume that returning to a friend's home or rental is exempt. Ask 12367 or the responsible local authority if the facts do not match the published examples exactly.

Keep a record

After online registration, save the record page or reference number. After an in-person registration, keep the document the authority provides. A long-term resident may need the record for other services; a tourist may simply need to show that the step was completed.

Do not post the document publicly. It can contain passport, address, and host information.

A simple arrival checklist

Before arrival, decide whether the property is registering you or whether the host will help. Carry the address in Chinese. Complete the process within 24 hours, then retain the confirmation. Repeat the check whenever the accommodation type or address changes.

If no one can explain how registration will be handled, solve that before committing to a non-refundable private stay.

Official sources

• National Immigration Administration announcement of the seven-region online pilot: https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147413/c196926/content.html
• National Immigration Administration policy interpretation, channels, first-registration guidance, and exceptions: https://english.www.gov.cn/services/visitchina/202603/21/content_WS69ce124cc6d00ca5f9a0a368.html
• NIA Government Service Platform: https://s.nia.gov.cn
• State Council guide to hotel and non-hotel registration: https://english.www.gov.cn/2025special/bizexpatsinchina2025
• State Council report on accommodation access for foreign travelers: https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202407/26/content_WS66a2d827c6d0868f4e8e975c.html

Last reviewed: 24 July 2026. The seven-region pilot and any later expansion should be rechecked before publication updates.