In accordance with Article 39 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China, any foreign national staying at a hotel within Chinese territory shall have their accommodation information registered by the hotel in compliance with the public security administration provisions governing the hotel industry. Hotels are required to submit such registered accommodation data of foreign guests to the local public security authorities where the premises are situated. For foreign nationals dwelling or staying in non-hotel residential venues, either the foreigners themselves or their hosts must complete accommodation registration procedures with the local public security organs within 24 hours of the foreigners’ arrival at the residence.
To further optimize service convenience for foreign nationals residing and staying in China, and streamline the accommodation registration process for those settling in non-hotel residential locations, the National Immigration Administration (NIA), on the basis of successful preliminary pilot operations, has approved the nationwide launch of online accommodation registration services effective September 21, 2026.
Eligible foreign nationals or their hosting parties may complete relevant registration procedures via official online channels including the official website of the National Immigration Administration, the “NIA 12367” mobile application, the “NIA 12367” WeChat mini-program, and the corresponding Alipay mini-program. Conventional offline registration services at local public security authority service windows will continue to be accessible to applicants. It is confirmed that online registration procedures carry identical legal validity as on-site offline registration.
