How do you register your address in China in 2026?

If you stay in a hotel, guesthouse or similar licensed lodging, present your passport or other travel document at reception. The hotel normally files the registration for you. Keep the confirmation or form they give you; banks, Exit-Entry desks and licence offices often ask for it later.

If you stay elsewhere (rented apartment, friend's flat, company dorm that is not hotel-registered), the MOFCOM 2024 guide says you must register at the local police station within 24 hours after arrival. Bring your passport or travel document plus the rental contract or property rights certificate. Many districts also run foreigners service stations or WeChat mini-program channels linked to the same police registration. Ask your landlord or HR which desk your street address uses in Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzhen, because appointment habits differ by district even when the 24-hour rule does not.

The temporary residence registration form (often called the accommodation registration record) is a supporting document for residence permit applications and extensions, some bank and SIM setups, and driving-licence conversion. When you change address, re-register for the new place. Do not assume a hotel registration from your first night covers a later private lease.

GOV.UK guidance on living in China treats address registration as a standing obligation for foreigners, not a tourist tip. Missing the 24-hour window can create problems at Exit-Entry Administration when you try to convert a Z visa into a work-type residence permit within the separate 30-day entry clock.

English help is limited at neighbourhood police counters. Bring a Mandarin speaker or a translation of your lease. In dense metro cities the station may be a short ride away; still treat the deadline as calendar hours from arrival at the address, not from your first free weekend.