Accommodation registration in China: you can now do it online
Hotels register you automatically. Anywhere else — a friend's flat, an Airbnb, a rented apartment — you must register within 24 hours of arrival. Since September 2026 you no longer need to queue at a police station.
Where you do and don't need to act
| Where you stay | Who registers |
|---|---|
| Hotel, hostel, guesthouse with a licence | The hotel does it automatically. Nothing for you to do. |
| Airbnb, rented apartment, friend's or relative's home | You or your host, within 24 hours of arrival. |
| Your own home in China (yours or your spouse's) | Register once. Returning to the same address does not need re-registration. |
How to register online
Open the NIA Government Service Platform
Any of these works: the NIA official website, the NIA 12367 app, the NIA 12367 WeChat mini program, or the Alipay mini program.
Register and verify your identity
You will need your passport and, usually, a face scan — the same kind of verification you do in Chinese apps.
Go to Foreigner Service → Accommodation Registration
Follow the prompts. You will enter the address and the host's details.
Check the record
Click "Registration Record Inquiry" to confirm it went through. Online registration has the same legal effect as registering in person.
The part that catches people out
Your host should start the first registration with you. You can do it alone only if you have registered at that same address before, or you live there yourself. In practice, ask your host to sit with you for the first one — they know the address format and the property details, and a wrong address fails the check.
The host can be a Chinese citizen or a foreigner. So an expat friend hosting you can register you from their own account.
If it won't work
- Read the step-by-step guide linked on the accommodation registration page of the platform.
- Call 12367 — the NIA service hotline, which handles foreigner enquiries and has English support.
- Fall back to the exit-entry administration window or your local police station (派出所) and register in person.
Do you need it if you're on visa-free entry?
Yes. Registration is separate from your visa status. Being allowed in without a visa does not exempt you from registering where you sleep.
Source: National Immigration Administration, Policy Interpretation of the Nationwide Implementation of the Online Accommodation Registration Service (21 September 2026), and the Exit and Entry Administration Law, Articles 39 and 76.
Show your host this
Card 5 covers the other accommodation problem — a hotel that says it cannot take foreign guests, and what actually resolves it.
See the cards