Accommodation Registration in China
Registering where you stay: for anyone not in a hotel it is now an online form, and in Shanghai there are two systems to choose between.
The short version
- Who. Foreign visitors staying anywhere in China other than a hotel, including with friends, in a rented flat, in a dormitory or in a serviced apartment, must register their address with the local public security organ. Residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan register too.
- Deadline. Registration must be completed within 24 hours of arriving at the address. Either the visitor or the host may file it, and the first registration at an address is made with the host's help.
- How. Nationwide since 21 September 2026 it can be done online, through the National Immigration Administration platform at s.nia.gov.cn or the NIA 12367 app and mini programs. In Shanghai the city's own system at gaj.sh.gov.cn/crj/24hr is also open, and it is the one residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are directed to use.
- Hotels. Hotel guests do not register themselves. The hotel registers every foreign guest, reports the record to the police and prints the registration form at check-in.
- Proof. Online registration leaves a record that is accepted in place of the paper form. The printed Registration Form of Residence for Visitors from Overseas is available at any public security window nearby.
What the law asks for
Article 39 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law splits the duty in two. In a hotel, the hotel registers you under the public security rules for the hotel industry and reports the record to the local public security organ. In any other place, you or your host must register with the public security organ for that address within 24 hours after check-in.
Since 21 September 2026 the second half of that duty can be discharged online anywhere in China. The obligation itself has not changed, only the way you meet it. Registering online and registering in person are legally equivalent, and going to the counter is still an option.
Who needs to register
If you stay in a hotel
Nothing for you to file. The hotel handles the registration and reports it, and it prints the accommodation registration form for you. In Shanghai, any hotel can complete the procedure. You need only present a valid identification document.
One thing registration does not settle: not every property in China can take foreign guests at all. That is a booking question rather than a registration one, and our hotel booking guide deals with it.
If you stay anywhere else
You must register. This covers more than most people expect:
- Staying with friends or family
- A flat you own or rent
- A university or company dormitory
- Serviced or talent apartments
- Any other non-hotel address
Residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan
Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are part of China, and their residents register their accommodation when they come to the mainland, under a separate legal basis: Article 17 of the Provisional Measures for the Control of Chinese Citizens Entering and Leaving the Regions of Hong Kong and Macao for Personal Reasons, and Article 16 of the Measures for the Administration of Chinese Citizens Travelling to or from the Taiwan Region. The rules are otherwise the same as for foreign nationals, and the Shanghai guidance directs these residents to the city's system rather than the national one. See below.
The 24-hour rule
You have 24 hours from arriving at the address to complete the registration. The clock starts when you get to the place you are staying, not when you land in China.
The law puts the duty on either the visitor or the host, so if you are staying with a friend, the friend can file it. Keep the record afterwards. The registration is also an important basis for a later application for a residence permit.
Two systems, and which one is yours
Both are official, both produce a registration accepted by the public security authorities, and both can be reached from the same starting point. The difference is scope.
Online Accommodation Registration for International Visitors
外国人互联网住宿登记系统. The national system, marked applicable nationwide. It is the default for foreign nationals, and the one that was extended across the country on 21 September 2026. Register and verify an account first, then the path inside the platform is Services for Foreigners → Accommodation Registration, and a Registration Record Query shows what you filed. There is also a short operation video and a written guide, described below.
Self-service Accommodation Registration for Overseas Personnel
境外人员自助申报系统, marked applicable in Shanghai only. Shanghai has run this system since well before the national rollout. Foreign nationals in Shanghai may use it, and residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are directed to it rather than to the national system. You sign in with an email address, upload the pages of your identification document, enter the residential address and the check-in date, and submit.
How to reach either one
Channels 01 to 04 lead into the national system. Channels 05 and 06 lead to a screen that asks you to choose between the national system and the Shanghai one, so use them if you are not sure which applies to you. The same choice is offered by the QR code printed on the Shanghai notice.
Who files it
Either the visitor or the host may be the person filing, and the host can be a Chinese citizen or a foreigner. There is one qualification that matters: the first registration at an address is made with the host's help, because the host knows the property details and the address has to be entered exactly right the first time.
After that, you can file for yourself in two situations:
- You have registered on the platform before and are registering the same address again
- You are staying in a property you own
With the Shanghai system, a resident of Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan files either personally or through the host.
What happens after you submit
In the national system, work through the form step by step and then query the record. In the Shanghai system the sequence is:
- Sign in with an email address to receive the Foreigner Accommodation Registration Form
- Upload the pages of your identification document and enter the residential address, the check-in date and the remaining details
- The system either clears the submission automatically or refers it to manual review. A manual review is answered within 24 hours
- Track the outcome under History Record, where an approved entry can be viewed and downloaded
Registering in person
The offline route has not closed. A "local public security window" means the household registration and other service windows at a police station, and the public security service windows inside community affairs service centres at sub-district or town level. Ask your local police station which is nearest.
Take the valid identification document of the person being registered. If someone else files on their behalf, or the host files, that person's identification document is required as well.
The registration form
How you get proof of registration depends on which route you used.
National system
The accommodation registration record is available to view in the system. When you apply for visa or residence permit services, or during an inspection, the electronic record is accepted in place of the paper form.
Shanghai system
Once the submission shows as approved, the system supplies the accommodation registration form, 境外人员住宿登记表, in electronic form for review and download.
Paper copy, if you want one
Go to any public security window nearby and ask for the printed Registration Form of Residence for Visitors from Overseas. It is printed and handed over after the record is verified.
Hotel stays
The hotel prints and provides the accommodation registration form for you.
When you do not need to register again
If you have already registered at an address, three situations do away with the repeat filing after you travel and come back:
A property you own in China
You live in a property that you or your spouse owns in China and return to it after travelling inside or outside China.
A habitual address, on a residence permit
You hold a residence permit or permanent residence permit and live at a habitual address, and you return to it after travel inside or outside China within the validity of the same permit.
A habitual address is somewhere you live, or plan to live, in China for the long term. Article 36 of the Regulations on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners defines long term, or residence as residing in China for more than 180 days, and the immigration authority applies that threshold to the habitual-address exemption.
Residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan
You hold a valid Residence Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents or Residence Permit for Taiwan Residents, and you have already completed the registration. You do not register again while your place of residence is unchanged.
If something goes wrong
Three ways out, in the order most people use them:
- Open the guide inside the system. The national system carries a written Online Accommodation Registration Guide covering who may register online, how a host files on someone's behalf, how to register from someone else's address and from your own, how to view and reuse a record, how to ask for help, and what to check after registering. The Shanghai system carries a Frequently Asked Questions panel, including what to do if a submitted form turns out to be wrong after it has been approved, and the correct way to write the address.
- Call the 12367 immigration service hotline
- Go to the exit-entry administration service window of the local public security organ, or your local police station, and ask for help filing in person
What happens if you do not register
Under Article 76 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law, failing to register attracts a warning, and a fine of up to CNY 2,000 may also be imposed. The duty falls on the host as well as the visitor.
This is not a formality to leave until the end of a trip. Chinese hotels report every foreign guest automatically; a private address does not report itself, which is exactly the gap this registration fills.