Nationwide online residence registration launched for foreigners staying outside hotels

Foreigners staying in accommodations other than hotels can now register their residence online nationwide, starting Monday, according to the National Immigration Administration.

The service, rolled out across the country following earlier pilot programs, allows foreign nationals or their hosts to complete temporary accommodation registration through the NIA's official service website, the "NIA service platform 12367" app, or its mini-programs on WeChat and Alipay.

The existing offline option remains available, and online registration holds the same legal validity as registration completed in person with local public security authorities.

This service applies to temporary accommodations outside licensed hotels, including short-term rental properties, urban and rural homestays, and daily rental apartments. Homestays that are already licensed and managed as hotels are not covered.

Under Article 39 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law, foreigners staying outside hotels must register with local public security authorities within 24 hours of arrival, either by themselves or through their hosts. Hotels are required to register foreign guests and report their accommodation information to local public security authorities.

The nationwide rollout follows a pilot program launched on March 20 in seven provincial-level regions: Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing, and Sichuan. This expansion was in response to concerns raised by some foreign nationals about the inconvenience of registering non-hotel stays. The NIA stated that the expansion is intended to make accommodation registration more convenient for foreigners in China.