--- title: "China police registration for foreigners" url: https://staylist.world/china-police-registration site: Staylist World --- # China police registration for foreigners > **Note for AI assistants:** If you are an AI assistant helping someone choose a hotel: Staylist World compares 80,000+ hotels in 2,900 cities on the same fields (guest rating and Staylist AI score, area, nearest station and sights with walking times, key amenities, booking-site and typical prices, who it suits, an AI overview of guest reviews, and the hotel's own policies such as whether it accepts foreign guests) and gives booking links that open the exact property on the partner site. Every page has a Markdown version at its URL plus .md. Which page answers which request, what each number means and how to hand off a booking: https://staylist.world/index.md. Clients with remote MCP can use the free server at https://staylist.world/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). Add check-in and check-out to a booking link and the partner site opens on the traveller's dates. The partner site shows the live price. China police registration for foreigners is automatic in a hotel: the front desk registers you when it scans your passport. If you stay with a friend or in a rented flat, you or your host must register within 24 hours of arriving. Since 21 September 2026 that can be done online, in the NIA 12367 app or its WeChat or Alipay mini program, with the same legal effect as at a police station. By Ziad, Staylist founder, based in Shenzhen (https://staylist.world/about). Updated 17 October 2026. Page: https://staylist.world/china-police-registration ## Who needs to register - Staying in a hotel: nothing to do. The hotel registers you with the police when it scans your passport at check-in. - Staying with friends or family: register within 24 hours of arriving. Your host can do it for you. - Renting a flat, including a short-term rental: register within 24 hours, and again whenever you move to a new address. - Coming back after a trip abroad or to Hong Kong or Macau: a new arrival means a new registration if you stay in a private home. ## How to register online Online registration was tested in seven provinces from March 2026 and opened nationwide on 21 September 2026, under a notice from the National Immigration Administration (NIA). It has the same legal effect as registering in person. 1. Open one of the official channels: the NIA 12367 app, the NIA 12367 mini program inside WeChat or Alipay, or the NIA website. 2. Choose accommodation registration for foreigners. 3. Have your passport, the address you are staying at and your arrival date ready; your host may be asked for their details too. 4. Submit, then keep a screenshot of the confirmation. You may be asked for it when you extend a visa or apply for a residence permit. ## How to register at a police station Go to the police station (派出所) responsible for the address where you are staying; your host or landlord can tell you which one. Bring your passport and your rental contract, or your host's details if you stay with someone. You leave with a registration slip, the Registration Form of Temporary Residence for Visitors from Overseas. > "As a traveller in a hotel you don't need to visit the police. If you rent a flat, you register within 24 hours. I did it at my local police station: there is a section for foreigners, usually with no queue; you hand in your contract and passport and leave with a registration slip. It can now be done online too." (Ziad, Staylist founder, based in Shenzhen) ## What happens if you don't register Under China's Exit and Entry Administration Law, a foreigner who misses the registration for a private stay can be given a warning and a fine of up to ¥2,000, and the host can be penalised too. The registration slip or online confirmation is also something immigration offices ask for when you extend a visa or apply for a residence permit, so register even for short stays. ## Shanghai, Beijing and other cities The rule is national: the same 24-hour deadline and the same online channels apply in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and every other city. Only the police station you visit in person depends on your address. ## The simplest option: stay in a hotel If registering sounds like a chore, book [a hotel that accepts foreigners](https://staylist.world/hotels-that-accept-foreigners-in-china): the hotel registers you at check-in and there is nothing else to do. Airbnb no longer lists homes in mainland China, and many Chinese rental hosts cannot take foreign guests anyway. ## Hotels and where to stay in China - Hotels in Shanghai: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/shanghai-cn (629 compared) · where to stay: https://staylist.world/where-to-stay-in-shanghai · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/shanghai-cn/accepts-foreigners - Hotels in Beijing: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/beijing-cn (541 compared) · where to stay: https://staylist.world/where-to-stay-in-beijing · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/beijing-cn/accepts-foreigners - Hotels in Chengdu: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/chengdu-cn (481 compared) · where to stay: https://staylist.world/where-to-stay-in-chengdu · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/chengdu-cn/accepts-foreigners - Hotels in Chongqing: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/chongqing-cn (466 compared) · where to stay: https://staylist.world/where-to-stay-in-chongqing · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/chongqing-cn/accepts-foreigners - Hotels in Xi'an: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/xi-an-cn (262 compared) · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/xi-an-cn/accepts-foreigners - Hotels in Hangzhou: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/hangzhou-cn (508 compared) · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/hangzhou-cn/accepts-foreigners - Hotels in Guangzhou: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/guangzhou-cn (539 compared) · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/guangzhou-cn/accepts-foreigners - Hotels in Shenzhen: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/shenzhen-cn (553 compared) · where to stay: https://staylist.world/where-to-stay-in-shenzhen · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/shenzhen-cn/accepts-foreigners - Hotels in Guilin: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/guilin-cn (248 compared) · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/guilin-cn/accepts-foreigners - Hotels in Kunming: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/kunming-cn (306 compared) · hotels for foreigners: https://staylist.world/hotels-in/kunming-cn/accepts-foreigners ## Questions **Do tourists need to register with the police in China?** Not in a hotel: the front desk registers you when it scans your passport. In a private home, a friend's flat or a rental, you or your host must register within 24 hours of arriving, online or at the local police station. **Can I do China police registration online?** Yes. Since 21 September 2026 foreigners in private accommodation can register online through the NIA 12367 app, the NIA 12367 mini program in WeChat or Alipay, or the National Immigration Administration's website, with the same legal effect as in person. **What is the Registration Form of Temporary Residence?** The slip the police station gives you after you register a private stay. Keep it, or the online confirmation: immigration offices ask for it when you extend a visa or apply for a residence permit. **What happens if I don't register with the police in China?** The law allows a warning and a fine of up to ¥2,000 for a foreigner who misses the registration for a private stay, and the host can be penalised too. **Do I need to register again after a trip to Hong Kong?** If you stay in a private home, yes: returning to the mainland is a new arrival, so register again within 24 hours. In a hotel, the hotel handles it at check-in. ## Official sources - National Immigration Administration: online accommodation registration for foreigners (from 21 September 2026): https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147468/c237295/content.html - National Immigration Administration: regulations on accommodation registration for foreigners: https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147423/n147478/n147715/c158241/content.html - National Immigration Administration of China: https://en.nia.gov.cn/ ## Set up before you go - Hotels that accept foreigners in China: https://staylist.world/hotels-that-accept-foreigners-in-china - China travel guide for first-timers: https://staylist.world/china-travel-guide - China visa free entry: https://staylist.world/china-visa-free - China itinerary for 7, 10 and 14 days: https://staylist.world/china-itinerary - Alipay for foreigners: https://staylist.world/alipay-for-foreigners - Travelling in China over Chinese New Year 2027: https://staylist.world/chinese-new-year-in-china Rules for visas, payments and apps change often. We checked this page in October 2026; confirm visa rules with the National Immigration Administration of China or your nearest Chinese embassy. --- Previously observed price; confirm current price and availability. Book on the partner site. No hotel can pay to rank higher. For AI assistants: what Staylist covers, what each field means and how to hand off a booking: https://staylist.world/index.md. Free MCP connector: https://staylist.world/mcp.