Hotels need a police permit to take foreign guests and some still turn travellers away, even though three ministries ordered them to stop in May 2024. Book somewhere that states it accepts foreigners, expect a refundable deposit at check-in, and register yourself with the police within 24 hours if you are not in a hotel.
- Not every hotel may legally take you - accepting foreign guests needs a permit from the local Public Security Bureau, and cheaper guesthouses (binguan) often do not have one.
- Since May 2024 hotels have been ordered not to refuse foreign guests by the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Commerce and the immigration authority - but enforcement is uneven, so book somewhere that says it accepts foreigners.
- Booking sites used inside China carry an "accepts foreigners" filter; use it rather than finding out at the desk.
- Expect a refundable deposit at check-in, taken in cash, as a card hold or through Alipay.
- The hotel registers you with the police automatically when it scans your passport.
- Outside a hotel you register yourself within 24 hours; seven provinces and Shanghai now take it online.
- Beijing: Wangfujing puts you next to the Forbidden City on metro lines 1 and 5; Sanlitun/Chaoyang is the international, nightlife side.
- Shanghai: People's Square is the metro crossroads and the simplest first base; Jing'an is calmer with the same access.
Which district
- Beijing - Wangfujing - the historic and commercial centre, walkable to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, on metro lines 1 and 5.
- Beijing - Sanlitun / Chaoyang - modern and international, the embassies, the Western restaurants and the nightlife.
- Shanghai - People's Square - where the main metro lines cross, including line 2 straight from Pudong airport. The easiest base for a first visit.
- Shanghai - Jing'an - residential and shopping, cafés and parks, quieter than People's Square with the same metro access.
Not every hotel may legally take you
Accepting foreign guests requires a permit from the local Public Security Bureau, and cheaper guesthouses, hostels and smaller inns (binguan) often do not hold one. They will turn you away at the desk.
- In May 2024 the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Commerce and the National Immigration Administration jointly ordered hotels to stop refusing foreign guests. It has improved things without fixing them - refusals are still one of the more common complaints from foreign travellers, so do not treat the order as a guarantee.
- Book somewhere that states it takes foreigners. The Chinese booking platforms carry a filter for it; a property with an English-language listing and foreign reviews is the practical proxy elsewhere.
- Expect a refundable deposit at check-in, in cash, as a hold on a credit card, or as an authorised payment in Alipay. It comes back at checkout.
Registration
A hotel registers your stay with the police automatically when it scans your passport at check-in - this is a legal requirement under the Exit and Entry Administration Law, not an optional formality.
- Staying anywhere else - a friend's flat, a short-let - you register yourself within 24 hours. Seven provincial-level regions (Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan) accept it online, as does Shanghai through its own police portal. Elsewhere it means the local police station.
Comments
No comments yet. Share the first one.
Share a tip
Sign in to continue.