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Hotel Check-in and Accommodation Registration

A hotel says it cannot host foreign guests or process your passport, or you are staying in a home or rental and do not know how to register.

Updated Oct 22, 2026

The lobby of Wangjiang Hotel in Chengdu. Check-in requirements should be confirmed with your own hotel.
The lobby of Wangjiang Hotel in Chengdu. Check-in requirements should be confirmed with your own hotel.
Photo source & licenseLobby in Wangjiang Hotel - Chengdu, China - DSC02886.JPG · Credit: Daderot · CC0 · Photographed 2015Resized and converted to WebP; display framing may crop the photograph. The photograph and these versions retain the linked license.

Quick sequence

Start here

  1. Prepare the booking and document

    Save the property's confirmation, phone number, and name and address in Chinese. Bring the valid original passport or other international travel document you use for entry and check-in.

  2. Let the hotel complete registration

    Present your document at the front desk. Under Article 39 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law, the hotel handles accommodation registration and submits the information; ask staff to resolve any document-entry problem.

  3. Challenge a blanket foreign-guest refusal calmly

    If staff cite a lack of foreign-related qualifications, show the booking and the Chinese help text below, ask a manager to check the registration process, and use 12367 or the booking platform if needed.

  4. Register a non-hotel stay within 24 hours

    For a home, rental or other non-hotel residence, the guest or host must register with the local public security authority within 24 hours after arrival at that residence. Since 21 September 2026, this can be done nationwide online or in person.

  5. Use an official online channel and keep the record

    The guest or host can use the NIA Government Service Platform website, NIA 12367 app, or NIA 12367 WeChat or Alipay mini program. For a first registration, ask the host to assist, then check Registration Record Inquiry after submission.

Troubleshooting

Match your symptom

Hotel staff say they cannot host foreigners because the property lacks 'foreign-related qualifications'.
  1. Show your valid original document and booking, and ask staff to complete the accommodation registration.
  2. Explain that the authorities have said hotels must not use a claimed lack of foreign-related qualifications as a reason to refuse foreign guests.
  3. Ask a manager to contact the local police station about the process, or call 12367 for policy guidance and ask the booking platform for assistance.
Show this in Chinese

您好，我有有效护照和订单。有关部门已明确，酒店不能以没有“涉外资质”为由拒绝接待外宾。麻烦您帮我办理住宿登记；如果流程不清楚，请联系属地派出所确认。

Fallback: If the property still cannot register you, ask the platform to help move the booking to a property that confirms it can process your document. Confirm this before travelling to the replacement property; any refund is subject to the platform and booking terms.

The hotel accepts the booking but its staff or registration system cannot process your passport.
  1. Ask for a manager or a staff member familiar with foreign-guest registration rather than treating a system problem as a qualification rule.
  2. Present the original document and ask the property to contact its local police station for the correct entry procedure.
  3. Call 12367 if you need policy guidance while staff resolve the problem.
Show this in Chinese

我的护照暂时无法登记。麻烦您问一下负责人或属地派出所，境外人员住宿登记应该怎样操作？

Fallback: If the problem cannot be resolved, arrange a confirmed alternative through the booking platform or accommodation provider rather than assuming the stay has been registered.

Online registration for a non-hotel residence fails or you cannot find the submission record.
  1. Ask the host to assist with the first registration and check the address and identity information against the documents.
  2. Use Foreigner Service → Accommodation Registration on an official NIA channel and check Registration Record Inquiry after submission.
  3. Consult the guide on the registration page or call 12367 if the online process remains unclear.
Show this in Chinese

我们住在这里，需要在入住后24小时内办理外国人住宿登记。网上办理遇到了问题，请问应该到哪里线下办理？

Fallback: Go to the local police station or the exit-entry administration service window with the guest, host and relevant documents. The offline channel remains available and has the same legal effect as online registration.

The symptoms differ: a hotel may claim it lacks a special qualification, its staff may not know how to enter a passport, or a non-hotel host may not know that registration is required. Do not treat these as the same problem. The rules and official guidance below were checked on 22 October 2026.

Know the rules

  • Hotel stay: the hotel is responsible for accommodation registration and for reporting it to the local public security authority. Present your valid original passport or other international travel document at the front desk.
  • No blanket “foreign-related qualification” refusal: Chinese authorities said in 2024 that hotels must not turn away foreign guests by claiming they lack such qualifications or cannot process the paperwork. This does not mean that booking, payment, document or system problems cannot occur; it means staff need to address the actual process rather than use that blanket excuse.
  • Non-hotel stay: the guest or the person providing the accommodation must register with the public security authority where the residence is located within 24 hours after arrival at that residence.
  • Nationwide online option: since 21 September 2026, the NIA has offered online non-hotel registration throughout China. In-person registration remains available, and online and in-person registration have the same legal effect.

Complete the right process

  1. At a hotel, check in at the front desk. Show the original document and booking. Ask staff to confirm the accommodation registration if they appear uncertain; you do not need to file a second non-hotel registration for that same hotel stay.
  2. At a home, rental or other non-hotel residence, contact your host immediately. Either the guest or host can register. For a first online registration, the NIA recommends host assistance because the host knows the residence information.
  3. Use an official channel. Open the NIA Government Service Platform website, the NIA 12367 app, or the NIA 12367 WeChat or Alipay mini program. After registration and identity verification, open Foreigner Service → Accommodation Registration and follow the prompts.
  4. Check the result. Use Registration Record Inquiry to find the record. If you cannot complete the process, call 12367 or go to the local police station or exit-entry administration service window within the 24-hour period.

Ask for help in Chinese

  • A claimed qualification restriction: 您好，我有有效护照和订单。有关部门已明确，酒店不能以没有“涉外资质”为由拒绝接待外宾。麻烦您帮我办理住宿登记。
  • A staff or system problem: 我的护照暂时无法登记。麻烦您问一下负责人或属地派出所，境外人员住宿登记应该怎样操作？
  • A non-hotel registration problem: 我们住在这里，需要在入住后24小时内办理外国人住宿登记。网上办理遇到了问题，请问应该到哪里线下办理？

Use a safe fallback

For a hotel dispute, ask a manager to confirm the process with the local police station, call 12367, and involve the booking platform. If you must move, get confirmation that the replacement property can register your document before going there. For a non-hotel stay, the retained offline channel is the direct fallback: the guest and host should take the relevant identity and address documents to the local police station or exit-entry service window. Online registration is an additional option, not a replacement for the in-person channel.

  1. National Immigration Administration — nationwide online non-hotel accommodation registrationChecked Oct 22, 2026

    The 21 September 2026 notice supports hotel responsibility, the 24-hour non-hotel rule, nationwide online channels, retained in-person service and equal legal effect.

  2. State Council — China to facilitate accommodation for foreign travelersChecked Oct 22, 2026

    Supports the July 2024 seven-department measures against qualification-based restrictions and unlawful advertising that foreign guests are not accepted.

  3. Shanghai Municipal Government — Hotels told not to turn away foreign guestsChecked Oct 22, 2026

    Reports the ministries' direct instruction that hotels must not refuse foreign nationals by claiming a lack of foreign-related qualifications or paperwork capacity.

  4. National Immigration Administration — online accommodation registration policy interpretationChecked Oct 22, 2026

    Supports host-assisted first registration, the Foreigner Service workflow, registration-record inquiry, 12367 help and in-person alternatives.

  5. 2026 Guide for Foreign Business Expatriates in China — accommodationChecked Oct 22, 2026

    Pages 1 and 7 support presenting a valid passport or other international travel document at the hotel front desk; newer NIA rules govern online registration.

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