Your hotel normally submits foreign-guest accommodation information; a private host does not automatically do it for you. Under China’s Exit and Entry Administration Law, foreigners staying outside hotels must complete accommodation registration with the local public security organ within 24 hours after arrival.
At immigration
Keep your passport, accommodation address, contact number and onward or return travel accessible. Answer questions consistently with your visa or visa-free purpose. Admission remains an immigration decision even when a policy appears to apply.
At a hotel
Present the original passport used for the stay. The hotel registers accommodation under hotel public-security procedures. Confirm before booking that the property can complete foreign-guest registration; platform availability alone is not a guarantee of current reception practice.
At a home, apartment or non-hotel address
The foreign guest or host must register within 24 hours. As of March 20, 2026, NIA introduced an online accommodation-registration pilot in seven provincial-level regions including Chongqing and Sichuan. Eligible users can use NIA Government Service channels, the NIA 12367 app or related mini-program access; on-site registration remains available. Check the current pilot scope and instructions rather than assuming every rental platform completes the process.
Keep the record
Save a digital and offline copy where available. Proof of accommodation registration can be relevant to later visa or stay-permit applications. If registration was missed, correct it promptly through the official channel or local police station instead of waiting for departure.
Next, prepare mobile data and payments before your first long journey across the city.
Prepare the arrival conversation before the aircraft door opens
Keep the passport used for the booking, the first accommodation address, a reachable telephone number and onward or return travel in one offline folder. The address should be available in Chinese because an English hotel name may not identify the correct property or entrance. If a local coordinator will meet you, save that person’s name and number separately from the chat app in which it was sent.
Answer immigration questions accurately and consistently with the visa or visa-free purpose. A short tourism itinerary is normally easier to explain than a collection of unrelated reservations. Do not describe paid work as tourism or use an invitation that does not reflect the real trip. Visa-free eligibility or possession of a visa allows a traveller to present for entry; it does not remove the authority’s admission decision.
Hotel registration is a process, not a label on a booking platform
A hotel receiving a foreign guest will ask for the original passport and submit accommodation information under the applicable public-security procedure. A room being visible on an international platform does not prove that the specific property, front desk or self-check-in arrangement can currently complete that process. Confirm directly before booking, especially for small guesthouses, serviced apartments and unmanned properties.
At check-in, verify that the passport details and dates are correct. If the hotel changes rooms or properties, ask whether any registration update is needed. Keep a photo or electronic confirmation when the property can provide one. The purpose is not to collect paperwork for its own sake: an accurate accommodation record can matter when dealing with a lost passport, extension application or another official process.
Staying with friends, family or in a non-hotel property
China’s Exit and Entry Administration Law requires a foreigner staying outside a hotel to complete accommodation registration with the public security organ within 24 hours after arrival. The guest and host should agree in advance who will handle it and what documents are needed. Do not assume a rental platform, landlord or building reception automatically submits the required foreign-guest record.
As of the stated review date, the National Immigration Administration has announced online accommodation-registration access in a pilot that includes Chongqing and Sichuan, while on-site channels remain available. Use the official NIA Government Service platform, NIA 12367 application or current local instructions; do not follow an unofficial mini-program link from an unknown seller. Pilot scope and required supporting material can change, so confirm the live process for the address.
When you move between Chongqing and Chengdu
Accommodation registration follows the place of stay, not the overall trip. A traveller who checks out in Chongqing and checks into a Chengdu hotel will be registered by the new hotel under its procedure. A traveller moving into a friend’s home or a non-hotel apartment should complete the applicable registration for that address. Keep the itinerary realistic so each night has a clear, lawful place of stay.
Late arrivals deserve special planning. If a train reaches Chengdu after midnight or a flight lands in Chongqing very early, confirm that the reception desk is staffed, knows a foreign passport will be presented and can find the reservation under the correct name. Save the property’s Chinese name and phone number, not only the platform customer-service number.
Correct a missed or inaccurate registration promptly
If registration was not completed, do not wait until airport departure or a visa deadline. Contact the property, official online channel, local police station or NIA 12367 to learn how to correct the record. Take the passport, proof of stay and information about the address. Explain the facts truthfully; do not create a false hotel receipt or ask someone to backdate a document.
Consequences depend on law and circumstances, and a travel website cannot predict an official decision. Prompt correction is more responsible than hiding the problem. If the situation affects visa status, a residence matter or a longer period, obtain advice from the exit-entry authority or a qualified professional rather than treating a host’s past experience as a rule.
Privacy and passport handling
Hotels and official registration channels need identity information, but a traveller should still minimise unnecessary copying. Do not send a full passport image through an unverified messaging account merely because someone claims it is needed for check-in. Confirm the recipient and purpose, use the property’s official channel where available and avoid leaving passport photographs in a public phone album or group chat.
Carry the original passport securely and keep an encrypted or otherwise protected copy separate. A paper card can contain the hotel address and emergency contact without displaying the full passport number. If the passport is lost, report it to local police promptly and contact the relevant embassy or consulate; the accommodation record and secure copy may help establish the travel history.
Arrival checklist for the first night
- Match the flight, hotel and passport names before departure.
- Save the property name, address, reception number and map pin in Chinese.
- Confirm that the property accepts foreign guests and can complete registration at the planned arrival time.
- Carry the original passport used for the reservation.
- For a private home or non-hotel stay, identify the official registration channel and required documents before arrival.
- Keep proof of the actual stay and correct any error promptly.
After check-in, make data and payment resilient rather than rushing into sightseeing. Test one small mobile payment, save the hotel card offline and learn the return entrance. In a vertical city such as Chongqing, the correct building level and road entrance can be as important as the street address.
For group travel, give every adult the first hotel address and registration plan instead of leaving the information with one organiser. If one person arrives on a different flight or changes accommodation, treat that person’s actual stay separately. A shared spreadsheet or itinerary is useful only when it reflects where each passport holder will really sleep and who will be available at check-in.