By AVIORA Travel Team, China travel specialists
Foreign visitors staying in Chinese hotels are registered by the hotel as part of check-in. If a foreign visitor stays in a private home or another domicile rather than a hotel, the visitor or the person providing the accommodation must complete registration with the local public security authorities within 24 hours of arrival. From 20 March 2026, an official online-registration pilot operates in seven provincial-level regions, while the offline channel remains available.
This distinction matters more than the type of trip. A traveler can be visa-free, on a transit permission or holding a regular visa and still have accommodation-registration responsibilities.
Hotel stays: what normally happens
At a licensed hotel, reception records the foreign guest’s passport information and submits the required accommodation details. Travelers should present the same passport used to enter China and allow time for the check-in process. If a hotel is uncertain whether it can receive foreign guests, resolve that before arrival rather than at midnight after a long flight.
Ask the hotel to retain the registration correctly when a room change, name correction or extended stay affects the record. A traveler may also request a registration form or confirmation when it is needed for a later administrative process. The exact document name and availability can vary, so describe what the proof is needed for.
Private homes and non-hotel stays
Article 39 of China’s Exit and Entry Administration Law, as restated in the March 2026 NIA announcement, places the registration duty on foreigners staying outside hotels or on the people accommodating them. Registration must be handled with the public security organs in the place of residence within 24 hours after arrival.
This can apply to:
• staying with friends or relatives;
• using a privately operated apartment or residence;
• moving from a hotel into a private home;
• returning to a private address after travel elsewhere; or
• changing to another non-hotel address.
Do not assume that a booking platform, building reception or landlord has completed the legal registration. Ask who will submit it, through which official channel and what confirmation will be retained.
The 2026 online pilot
The National Immigration Administration began an online accommodation-registration pilot on 20 March 2026 in Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing and Sichuan. Foreign visitors or their hosts can use the NIA official website, the NIA 12367 app, the NIA 12367 WeChat mini program or the Alipay mini program.
Online registration has the same legal effect as in-person registration under the pilot announcement. The existing offline process at local public security organs remains available. Because this is a pilot intended to expand gradually, travelers should confirm whether their exact address is supported rather than infer coverage from the nearest large city.
Information to prepare
The live official channel determines the required fields. As a practical preparation list, keep ready:
• the guest’s passport and current entry details;
• the complete address and local administrative area;
• the host or accommodation provider’s contact details;
• arrival date and expected departure date; and
• supporting proof requested by the platform or local authority.
Never send unredacted passport images through an unofficial chat account simply because someone offers to “register” the stay. Use the official process or a verified accommodation provider.
Mixed hotel and private-home itineraries
A common mistake is to assume that the first hotel’s registration covers the entire trip. It covers that hotel stay. When the traveler changes accommodation, the new provider or host must handle the relevant registration for the new location.
For a route such as Beijing hotel → friend’s home in Hangzhou → Chengdu hotel, plan three distinct check-ins:
1. The Beijing hotel registers its stay.
2. The Hangzhou host and visitor confirm the non-hotel registration within 24 hours; Zhejiang is included in the current online pilot.
3. The Chengdu hotel registers the final hotel stay.
This is an operational reason to keep hotel names, addresses and contact numbers in a single itinerary document. AVIORA’s China travel planning guide treats confirmations as part of route design, not administrative clutter.
What if registration was missed?
Do not invent a backdated confirmation or rely on advice from an unverified forum. Contact the accommodation provider and the local public security authority promptly, explain the facts accurately and follow their instructions. The NIA’s 12367 service is the official immigration-service contact cited in national announcements.
If a private accommodation cannot explain how it handles foreign-guest registration before booking, consider a licensed hotel or another property with a clear process. For mid-to-high-end travel, operational certainty is part of comfort.
How AVIORA handles the question
For hotels arranged through AVIORA, we can ask the property to confirm its foreign-guest check-in process in writing. For a private-home stay, we can flag the registration step in the itinerary and identify the official channel, but the traveler and host remain responsible for accurate submission. Requirements should be reconfirmed close to arrival.
See the visa and entry planning guide for entry rules and the planning FAQ for related arrival questions. These are separate from accommodation registration.
Sources and verification
• National Immigration Administration, “Announcement…Online Accommodation Registration for Foreigners Residing or Staying in Domiciles Other Than Hotels,” 20 March 2026: https://english.www.gov.cn/services/visitchina/202603/21/content_WS69ce1384c6d00ca5f9a0a36d.html — hotel duty, 24-hour non-hotel duty, seven-region pilot, official channels and offline availability. Verified 2026-08-06.
• National Immigration Administration, official English site and service hotline reference: https://en.nia.gov.cn/ — authority context. Verified 2026-08-06.
• AVIORA, “China Visa and Transit Planning”: /planning/visa — internal distinction between entry and stay operations. Verified 2026-08-06.
