Hotels, Homestays and Accommodation Registration

Updated October 31, 2026

Accommodation planning in China has two separate jobs: securing a room and making sure the stay is registered correctly. A hotel normally completes the registration for you; a private home, apartment, or homestay arrangement requires action from you or the host.

Booking a Hotel With a Foreign Passport

Chinese authorities have stated that hotels should not refuse international guests merely by claiming that they lack a special "foreign guest qualification." In practice, recent visitor reports still describe occasional front-desk confusion, especially at small or independently operated properties.

Reduce that risk by:

• booking under the passport holder's exact name;
• listing every international guest on the reservation;
• carrying the original passport, not only a photo;
• saving the booking confirmation, hotel phone number, and Chinese address offline;
• contacting a small hotel before a late-night arrival if its foreign-passport process is unclear.

If you are travelling alone, the solo female travel guide adds arrival-time, staffed-reception, final-walk and room-door checks to this registration process.

Trip.com provides international-card payment and English-language booking support. You can compare accommodation on Trip.com, but a platform listing is not a substitute for checking unusual requirements directly with the property.

What Happens at Hotel Check-In

Present the original passport or other accepted international travel document at reception. The hotel records the guest information and submits the accommodation registration to the local public-security authority. Ask the front desk for help if you later need proof of registration for an official process.

Confirm payment and deposit methods before arrival. A property may accept Alipay or WeChat Pay but not every international card network. Keep one physical card and some RMB cash as backups.

Staying in a Homestay, Apartment or Friend's Home

If you stay somewhere other than a hotel, Chinese law requires the foreign guest or the person providing the accommodation to complete registration with the local public-security authority within 24 hours of arrival.

Before confirming a private stay, ask the host:

1. Have you registered foreign guests at this address before?
2. Will you assist with the initial registration?
3. Which documents or proof of address will be needed?
4. Is the process online in this location, or must we visit a police station or service point?

Do not rely on a vague promise that the booking platform "handles everything." Keep a screenshot or record showing that registration was completed.

Online Registration Since September 2026

Since 21 September 2026, foreigners staying outside hotels can register online anywhere in mainland China. This follows a pilot in seven provinces that began in March. You or your host can use any of these:

• the National Immigration Administration service site (s.nia.gov.cn), under Foreigner services → Accommodation registration;
• the "移民局12367" app;
• the "移民局12367" WeChat or Alipay mini-program.

Who files. For a first registration at an address, the host normally files it because they know the property details. You can file yourself when returning to an address you registered before on the platform, or when staying in your own property.

Validity. Online and police-station registration are equally valid, and the in-person route remains available when online filing fails.

Keep the downloadable receipt: visa-extension and residence-permit applications can check it. Questions go to 12367. See the National Immigration Administration announcement.

When You Change Accommodation

A new hotel registers the new stay during check-in. When moving to another private residence, do not assume the previous record follows you automatically; confirm whether a new registration is required for the new address.

Keep your accommodation history, host contact, and booking confirmations until departure. They are useful if a registration record needs correction, a passport is lost, or an immigration officer asks where you stayed.