If you stay somewhere other than a hotel in China, you or the person accommodating you must complete accommodation registration with the public security organs where you stay within 24 hours after arrival.[1] Hotels handle their guests’ accommodation registration and submit the information to local public security organs.[1] The NIA announcement dated March 20, 2026 introduces an online pilot, not confirmation of nationwide availability.[1] Source reviewed: September 21, 2026. The planning steps below are editorial recommendations, not additional legal requirements or a guarantee of compliance.
1. Start with the accommodation, not the booking label
The announcement distinguishes hotels from domiciles other than hotels; for the latter, either the foreign guest or the person accommodating them can carry out registration.[1] It does not set out separate procedures for every commercial booking label or property type.[1]
Editorial recommendation: before choosing a private home, apartment or other non-hotel stay, ask your host how accommodation registration will be handled. Do not rely on a booking confirmation as your registration plan. If the property calls itself a hotel but responsibilities are unclear, ask explicitly who will register you and how you can confirm completion.
2. Understand what the seven-region pilot establishes
The pilot began on March 20, 2026 in Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing and Sichuan.[1] The announcement says nationwide rollout will proceed gradually based on pilot progress; it does not establish that every destination already has this service.[1]
For the pilot service, the notice lists the NIA Government official website, the NIA 12367 app, the NIA 12367 WeChat mini program and the Alipay mini program.[1] Editorial recommendation: confirm the currently accepted channel for your exact accommodation location rather than assuming that a listed platform supports your address. Outside the seven regions, ask about current local arrangements; this announcement alone cannot confirm them.
3. Before arrival: agree a workable plan
Editorial recommendation: share your expected arrival time with your host, agree who will handle registration, and ask which local public security office serves the accommodation. Obtain the full address in a form you and the host can use consistently. Save the host’s contact details and the office’s location and opening information before travelling.
Ask the host or responsible office which information and supporting documents your case requires, whether the guest needs to attend, and how completion is confirmed. The announcement does not provide a universal document checklist.[1] Editorial recommendation: verify those details locally instead of treating an internet checklist as authoritative.
4. After arrival: act within the registration window
For non-hotel accommodation, the stated deadline is within 24 hours after the foreigner’s arrival, with registration handled by the guest or accommodating person through the public security organs at the place of residence.[1] The announcement does not describe an exemption for a short or one-night stay.[1]
Editorial recommendation: start promptly after arriving at the accommodation; do not wait until checkout or assume your host has already finished. Check the submitted address and personal details together. Ask what status or receipt confirms completion, and keep any confirmation provided. If you change accommodation, ask the responsible local office what registration action is needed at the new address.
5. If online registration fails, keep the offline route
Offline accommodation registration at local public security organs remains available, and completed online registration has the same legal effect as registration completed on site.[1] The notice does not give a deadline extension for technical difficulties.[1]
Editorial recommendation: if the platform rejects your address, will not load, or leaves your submission unresolved, contact the host and responsible office promptly. Ask how to complete registration offline within the applicable window. Keep any error message to explain the problem, but do not treat a screenshot, attempted submission or unanswered enquiry as proof that registration is complete.
Before you go
- Planning questions: Who is handling registration, and when will they do it?
- Which channel currently accepts this exact address?
- Which information, documents and attendance does the local office require?
- What confirms successful completion rather than a pending submission?
- Where is the offline office, and what should we do if online access fails?
- What should we confirm if the accommodation address changes?
Sources & freshness
Independent desk research, not a field test. No bookings or affiliate links. Numbered statements cite sources; unnumbered planning steps are editorial advice.
- [1] NIA: Non-hotel accommodation registration pilot
National Immigration Administration · Source date: 2026-03-20 · Accessed: 2026-09-21
Scope: Mainland China: non-hotel accommodation; seven-region online pilot