- Hotels accepting foreigners
- Chains & English-listed hotels
- Mid-range refusal rate
- ~40% lack the licence
- Registration deadline
- 24 hours of arrival
- Who registers you
- The hotel, automatically
- Private stays
- You or your host must file
01Do Chinese hotels accept foreigners?
Not all of them — and this catches travellers out more than anything else about staying in China. Every hotel must be licensed and equipped to register foreign guests with the local police. An estimated 40% of mid-range and budget hotels still turn foreign passports away because they never installed the required passport-scanning and police-filing system.
A 2024 government directive ordered hotels not to refuse foreign guests, and enforcement is improving — but in budget hotels, themed hotels and smaller cities, refusals still happen. The fix is simple: book the right kind of hotel.
- International chains (Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor and their Chinese equivalents) are always equipped — the safest choice.
- Hotels listed in English on Trip.com, Agoda or Booking.com are almost always foreigner-licensed; that English listing is itself a strong signal.
- Star rating is not a reliable indicator — a licensed 3-star is fine; an unlicensed boutique can refuse you. The licence, not the rating, is what matters.
Arriving at a hotel that can't register you means finding somewhere else — sometimes late at night with luggage. Book a chain or an English-listed hotel, or call ahead to confirm "Do you accept foreign guests?" before you pay.
02The 24-hour registration rule
Under Article 39 of China's Exit-Entry Administration Law, every foreign visitor must be registered with the local Public Security Bureau (PSB) within 24 hours of arrival. How that happens depends on where you stay:
- In a hotel — you do nothing. The hotel files the registration electronically the moment it scans your passport at check-in. (This is exactly why unlicensed hotels can't take you.)
- In an Airbnb, private apartment or a friend's home — you or your host are responsible for filing the registration yourselves.
Since 20 March 2026, seven pilot provinces — Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing and Sichuan — let you file non-hotel registration online via the National Immigration Administration platform, the "移民局12367" app, or its WeChat and Alipay mini-programs. The first registration at a new address must be done by the Chinese host; after that you can self-file. Elsewhere in China, non-hotel registration still means an in-person trip to the PSB.
03Where to book
Use a platform that shows you foreigner-friendly hotels by default, in English:
- Trip.com (Ctrip) — the largest inventory of Chinese hotels, English interface and support; listings here are almost always licensed for foreign guests.
- Booking.com / Agoda — popular with international travellers; reliable for filtering hotels that accept foreigners.
- Direct — larger hotels sometimes offer the best rate directly; call to confirm foreign registration first.
Trip.com has the largest inventory of Chinese hotels licensed to accept foreign guests, with an English interface and support. Search hotels on Trip.com →
04Where to stay by city
Which neighbourhood puts you in the right place — and where foreigner-licensed hotels cluster:
| City | Best base | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Dongcheng | Walk to the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven & hutongs |
| Shanghai | The Bund / Jing'an | Waterfront, metro hub, dense chain hotels |
| Chengdu | Jinjiang / city centre | Near Chunxi Road, easy panda-base day trip |
| Xi'an | Inside the city walls | Bell Tower, Muslim Quarter, Terracotta Army transit |
We cover Beijing in depth in our Beijing city guide, with the exact neighbourhoods and what to see. More city guides — Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi'an — are on the way; see the cities hub.
05What about Airbnb?
Airbnb left mainland China in 2022, so its listings there are gone. Other private-rental and homestay options exist, but the registration catch applies: if your host is not set up to register foreign guests, you are responsible for filing within 24 hours — online in the seven pilot provinces, or in person at the PSB elsewhere.
Ask explicitly before booking any private stay: "Can I stay here as a foreigner, and will you handle the police registration?" If the answer is unclear, a licensed hotel is the safer choice. The fine for non-registration — up to ¥2,000 (about US$276) — falls on the visitor.
06At check-in
Bring your passport — the hotel will scan it to complete the registration. You may receive a registration slip; keep it in case you need to show it. In a licensed hotel the whole thing takes seconds and needs nothing further from you.
07Frequently asked questions
Do Chinese hotels accept foreigners?
Not all of them. Every hotel must be licensed and equipped to register foreign guests with the local police, and an estimated 40% of mid-range and budget Chinese hotels still turn foreign passports away because they lack that setup — even though a 2024 government directive ordered hotels not to refuse foreign guests. International chains and hotels listed in English on Trip.com, Agoda or Booking.com almost always accept foreigners. Book those, or call ahead to confirm.
Why do some hotels in China refuse foreign guests?
Because registering a foreign guest requires a police (PSB) licence and passport-scanning equipment that many smaller, budget or themed hotels never installed. Without it they legally cannot file the required registration, so they decline foreign passports. It is a paperwork limitation, not hostility — and it is most common in budget hotels and smaller cities.
Do I have to register with the police in China?
Yes — every foreign visitor must be registered with the local Public Security Bureau within 24 hours of arrival. If you stay in a hotel, the hotel does this automatically when it scans your passport at check-in; you do nothing. If you stay in an Airbnb, a private apartment or a friend’s home, you or your host must file the registration yourselves.
Can I register my accommodation online instead of going to the police station?
As of 20 March 2026, yes — but only in seven pilot provinces (Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing and Sichuan), via the National Immigration Administration platform, the "移民局12367" app, or its WeChat/Alipay mini-programs. The first registration at a new address must be completed by the Chinese host. Elsewhere, registration for non-hotel stays still requires an in-person PSB visit.
Where should I stay in Beijing or Shanghai?
In Beijing, base yourself in Dongcheng for walking access to the Forbidden City and the hutongs. In Shanghai, the area around the Bund and Jing’an puts you near the waterfront and the metro. In both cities, stick to international chains or English-listed hotels on Trip.com to guarantee foreign-guest registration.
What happens if I don’t register within 24 hours?
Non-registration can bring a warning and a fine of up to 2,000 yuan (about US$276). In practice, staying in a licensed hotel means it is handled for you. The risk only arises with private stays where no one files the registration — so confirm who is doing it before you check in.
Last re-checked 10 June 2026 against the official sources below.
- NIANational Immigration Administration — accommodation registration & 2026 online-filing pilot.
- LAWExit and Entry Administration Law of the PRC — Article 39 (accommodation registration).
- MPSMinistry of Public Security — 2024 directive barring hotels from refusing foreign guests.
Affiliate disclosure — the Trip.com link on this page may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes which hotels we recommend or how we describe the registration rules. Read the full policy.