Hotel and homestay registration for foreigners in China
At a hotel or a licensed guesthouse, you show your passport at check-in and they register you. If you stay with friends or in a private rental, or the place can't register you, you or your host must register at the local police station within 24 hours of arrival. Ask whether the place accepts foreign guests before you book.
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Hotels and licensed guesthouses
Show your passport at check-in. They register you with the police. Nothing else to do.
Ask before you book: since 2024, China's Ministry of Public Security and other ministries have told hotels not to turn foreigners away for lacking a "foreign guest licence". Still, some small hotels and guesthouses aren't used to registering foreign passports. Message the place through Trip.com and ask: "Do you accept foreign guests?"
Friends' homes and private rentals
If you stay anywhere other than a hotel or licensed guesthouse, or the place can't register you, you must register within 24 hours of arriving:
- Go to the local police station (派出所) near where you're staying. Your host can go with you, or go for you.
- Bring your passport and the address where you're staying.
- You'll get a registration slip. Keep it.
Need the registration form?
Some processes, like extending a stay, ask for the temporary residence registration form (境外人员临时住宿登记单). Show those characters to the hotel front desk. If they can't print it, the police station can.
If you're using Hainan visa-free entry, registration works the same way.
Sources: Exit and Entry Administration Law of China, Article 39; Shanghai government: hotels told not to turn away foreign guests (May 2024).