Registering your address in China within 24 hours

Under Article 39 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law, a foreigner staying in China, or the person accommodating them, must register the address with the public security organ at the place of residence within 24 hours of arrival. This duty applies to stays in domiciles other than hotels; in a hotel, the hotel registers the guest. The 24-hour clock and the person responsible are set out in Article 39 of the Law.

The accompanying X1 or X2 visa check prints the accommodation registration step that matches where you will live.

Hotel

Where foreigners stay in hotels, the hotel shall register their accommodation under the hotel-industry public security rules and submit the registration information to the public security organ where the hotel is located (Article 39, first paragraph, Exit and Entry Administration Law). The guest does not register.

A hotel that fails to process accommodation registration is punished under the Law of the PRC on Penalties for Administration of Public Security; a hotel that fails to submit the information is given a warning, and where circumstances are serious is fined not less than RMB 1,000 yuan but not more than RMB 5,000 yuan (Article 76, second paragraph, Exit and Entry Administration Law).

University dormitory

A university dormitory is a domicile other than a hotel, so the second paragraph of Article 39 of the Law applies: the foreigner, or the person accommodating them, shall within 24 hours of arrival go through the registration formalities with the public security organ at the place of residence. Article 39 of the Law does not name dormitories, and section I of the NIA policy interpretation does not describe a dormitory-specific registration method.

For international students who move out of the school dormitory, Ministry of Education Order No. 42, Article 24 requires them to go through the registration formalities with the residence public security department promptly. The English of Order No. 42 is this site's translation of the Chinese text.

Off campus

The same Article 39 duty applies: the foreigner, or the person accommodating them, registers within 24 hours of arrival with the public security organ at the place of residence.

Registration for domiciles other than hotels may be done online. The National Immigration Administration has rolled out the online accommodation registration service nationwide; online registration has the same legal effect as on-site registration (NIA policy interpretation, section I).

Who may register online: the foreigner or the person accommodating them (NIA policy interpretation, section III). The initial registration should be completed with the host's assistance to ensure accuracy. A foreigner may register independently where they have previously registered through the NIA Government Service Platform and need to register again at the same residence, or where they reside at a self-owned residence. The accommodation host may be either a Chinese citizen or a foreigner.

Penalty for not registering

Foreigners or their accommodation hosts who fail to process accommodation registration in accordance with the relevant regulations are given a warning and may also be subject to a fine, under Article 76 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law (read with the second paragraph of Article 39). The fine is not more than RMB 2,000 yuan.

When re-registration is not needed

For foreigners who reside or stay in domiciles other than hotels and have already registered after arrival, re-registration is not required in these cases (NIA policy interpretation, section IV):

• The foreigner resides at their own residence within China and returns to the same residence after traveling within or outside China.
• The foreigner holds a residence permit or a permanent residence permit, resides at their habitual residence within China, and returns to the same residence after traveling within or outside China during the validity period of the same permit.

"Self-owned residence" means a residence owned by the foreigner or their spouse within China. "Habitual residence" means a residence where the foreigner resides or plans to reside in China for a long term. Under Article 36 of the Regulations of the PRC on Administration of the Entry and Exit of Foreigners, "long term" means residing in China for a period exceeding 180 days.

Questions people ask

Does a hotel guest need to register their own address?

No. Where foreigners stay in hotels, the hotel registers the accommodation and submits the information to the public security organ (Article 39, first paragraph, Exit and Entry Administration Law).

Can I register my off-campus address online instead of in person?

Yes. Online registration for domiciles other than hotels has the same legal effect as on-site registration (NIA policy interpretation, section I). The foreigner or the host may complete it.

If I travel and return to the same place, do I register again?

Not in the two cases in section IV of the NIA policy interpretation: returning to your own residence, or returning to your habitual residence during the validity of the same residence or permanent residence permit after traveling. Other changes are not covered by that section.

Sources

• Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China — National Immigration Administration
• Policy Interpretation of the Nationwide Implementation of the Online Accommodation Registration Service — National Immigration Administration
• Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students, Order No. 42 — Ministry of Education

Checked 11 October 2026. This page is an unofficial summary, is not legal or immigration advice, is not published by the bodies named, and the official text and the instructions of the body handling your application prevail if they differ.