China Accommodation Registration: 24-Hour Rule for Foreign Visitors
Hotels register foreign guests at check-in. For a private home or other non-hotel stay, the visitor or host normally has 24 hours to register. Here is the current process, the seven-region online pilot, and what to do when registration fails.
The short answer: a hotel normally registers every foreign guest during check-in. If you stay in a private home, apartment, or other address that is not operating as a hotel, you or the person hosting you must normally complete accommodation registration with the local public security authority within 24 hours of arrival at that address.
A reservation confirmation is not accommodation registration. Before paying for a private stay, agree with the host who will register each guest, which channel you will use, and what address documents will be available.
Hotels submit the registration for you; at a private address, the visitor and host should plan the registration together.
Which situation applies to you?
| Where you sleep | Who normally handles registration? | Your practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel with a staffed reception | The hotel | Present the valid passport or travel document used for the stay |
| Serviced apartment or licensed guesthouse operating as a hotel | Usually the property | Confirm that reception will register every foreign guest at check-in |
| Private apartment or informal rental | The visitor or host | Arrange online or in-person registration within 24 hours |
| Friend's or relative's home | The visitor or host | Prepare the complete Chinese address and host/address evidence |
| Self-owned home | The foreign resident or owner | Use the applicable online or local in-person route; limited repeat-registration exceptions may apply |
What China's 24-hour accommodation rule means
The National Immigration Administration's 20 March 2026 announcement restates the two-part rule:
- hotels register foreign guests and send the required information to the local public security authority;
- at a place other than a hotel, the foreign visitor or the person providing the accommodation completes registration within 24 hours after arrival.
The deadline concerns arrival at the accommodation, not the date when you booked it. It also applies to visa-free visitors: your entry permission and your accommodation registration are separate matters.
China Travel Pulse is an independent planning resource. Registration acceptance, documents, and any exception are decided by the responsible authority for the address.
Staying in a hotel
At check-in, give reception the valid passport or other international travel document used for your trip. Every foreign guest staying in the room should be included; a reservation under one name does not automatically register everyone else.
The hotel normally completes the submission as part of check-in. You do not usually need to visit a police station for the same hotel stay. If you later need proof for a visa, residence, banking, or other administrative process, ask reception whether it can provide a registration form or confirmation.
Hotels and booking platforms should not restrict guests simply because a property supposedly lacks a special "foreign guest" qualification. Chinese authorities addressed this directly in a 2024 government response. Operational mistakes can still happen, especially with late arrivals or an inexperienced front desk, so confirm the reception hours and passport-registration process before a non-refundable booking.
For platform, location, and cancellation checks, use our guide to booking hotels in China.
Staying in a private home or apartment
Do not wait until arrival to ask whether the host will help. For a first registration at an address, the official interpretation recommends host assistance because the host normally knows the property information.
Prepare:
- the visitor's valid passport or international travel document;
- current entry or stay information;
- the full residential address in Chinese;
- the host's identity and contact details;
- a lease, ownership record, or other evidence connecting the host to the address, if requested;
- the arrival date and intended period of stay.
The exact checklist can differ by address and registration channel. A rental-platform receipt may help explain the stay, but it is not a substitute for the public-security registration.
Before booking, send the host these questions:
- Is this address registered through a hotel-style guest system?
- If not, will you help with non-hotel accommodation registration?
- Is the national or a local online channel available for this address?
- Which address or property documents will you provide?
- If online registration is rejected, which local office handles the address?
If the accommodation is an apartment-style rental, also read Can Foreigners Use Airbnb in China?.
Where online registration is available
Since 20 March 2026, the NIA has operated a national online-registration pilot for non-hotel stays in seven provincial-level regions:
- Hebei;
- Liaoning;
- Zhejiang;
- Hubei;
- Guangxi;
- Chongqing;
- Sichuan.
The visitor or host may use the NIA Government Service Platform, the NIA 12367 app, or the NIA 12367 WeChat or Alipay mini program. The official policy interpretation says online registration has the same legal effect as registration completed on site. The in-person channel remains available.
Do not assume the seven-region pilot is nationwide. Outside those regions, some cities have their own online systems while others direct visitors to a police station, exit-entry service window, or foreigner service station. Ask the host or the authority responsible for the exact address.
Use only a verified government website, app, or mini program when submitting passport and residential information. Avoid third-party pages that ask you to upload identity documents.
Step-by-step plan for a private stay
- Before arrival: confirm the Chinese address, host assistance, and available registration channel.
- On arrival: note the time you reach the address; do not calculate the deadline from memory later.
- Prepare the documents: use the same passport and current entry information you traveled with.
- Submit once carefully: check the name, document number, arrival date, and address before sending.
- Save the result: retain the registration record, reference number, or paper confirmation privately.
- Escalate early if it fails: use the official help guide, call 12367, or visit the responsible local office before the 24-hour period expires.
The State Council's guide for foreign visitors also describes the hotel and local-police-station routes.
When you move to another address
For an ordinary short-term visitor, treat a move to a new non-hotel address as a new registration situation. Confirm the procedure for the new address rather than assuming the previous record follows you.
The 2026 official interpretation describes narrow situations where re-registration may be simplified, including a person returning to the same self-owned residence and certain residence-permit holders returning to the same habitual residence during the permit's validity. Do not generalize those exceptions to a tourist moving between rentals.
If online registration fails
Check the document number, document type, spelling of the name, arrival date, and complete address. Ask whether the host must verify the first registration at that property.
Save the error message, but do not spend the whole deadline repeating an unsuccessful submission. Take the passport and available host/address evidence to the designated public security office when the issue cannot be resolved online. A technical error does not remove the underlying registration requirement.
For questions, the official interpretation directs users to the registration guide inside the government platform, the NIA 12367 service hotline, or a local exit-entry service window or police station.
Common questions
Does a hotel booking confirmation count as registration?
No. The booking reserves accommodation. Registration records the actual foreign guest after arrival.
Does the hotel register my partner or children automatically?
The hotel should register every foreign guest who is staying. Present each travel document and check that reception has included the full party.
Do I register if I entered China visa-free?
Yes. Accommodation registration and the legal basis for entry are separate requirements.
Should I post the confirmation online?
No. It may contain passport, host, and residential information. Store it privately and share it only when a legitimate authority or service requires it.
What if the host refuses to help?
Do not rely on an informal promise that registration is unnecessary. Contact 12367 or the local authority, and consider accommodation where the registration process is clear.
Official sources
- National Immigration Administration: seven-region online-registration pilot
- State Council: interpretation of the online accommodation-registration service
- State Council: guide to working and living in China
- Chinese Government response on hotel reception of overseas guests
Last verified: 8 September 2026. Procedures may vary by address and local authority; use 12367 or the responsible local office when your facts do not fit the standard routes above.