Article 39 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law — Accommodation Registration and the 24-Hour Rule
Two paragraphs, one system: stay in a hotel and the hotel registers you and reports it to the police; stay anywhere else and you — or whoever hosts you — must register with the public security organ of your place of residence within 24 hours after arrival.
About the text on this page: this is a structured walkthrough of Article 39 based on the official English translation published by the National Immigration Administration. The English translation is for reference only — where it differs from the Chinese authoritative text, the Chinese text prevails. All quoted wording is from the official translation.
Article 39 at a glance
- Staying in a hotel → the hotel registers you and submits the registration information to the police — you do nothing beyond showing your passport (paragraph 1)
- Staying anywhere that is not a hotel → you, or the person accommodating you, register with the public security organ of the place of residence within 24 hours after arrival (paragraph 2)
- Missed the deadline → warning + fine of up to RMB 2,000 under Article 76 item (6)
Paragraph 1: the hotel duty
The official text:
"Where foreigners stay in hotels in China, the hotels shall register their accommodation in accordance with the regulations on the public security administration of the hotel industry, and submit foreigners' accommodation registration information to the public security organs in the places where the hotels are located."
Read plainly: the registration duty at hotels sits with the hotel, not the guest. The hotel checks your identity document, registers the stay under the hotel-industry public security regulations, and reports the registration information to the police where the hotel is located. This is why checking in requires your passport — every foreign guest, every time — and why some properties without the hotel license cannot take foreigners at all.
Paragraph 2: the 24-hour rule for everywhere else
The official text:
"For foreigners who reside or stay in domiciles other than hotels, they or the persons who accommodate them shall, within 24 hours after the foreigners' arrival, go through the registration formalities with the public security organs in the places of residence."
Three elements to note in the wording:
- "Domiciles other than hotels" — a rented apartment, your own home, a friend's place, a dormitory: if it is not a hotel, this paragraph governs.
- "They or the persons who accommodate them" — either the foreigner or the host can carry out the registration; the duty does not fall on only one side.
- "Within 24 hours after arrival" / "public security organs in the places of residence" — the clock starts when you arrive, and the counter is the police (public security organ) covering where you actually live, not any convenient station.
What the article does not do is prescribe the procedure — no forms, no app, no document list. That detail comes from administrative practice and, since March 2026, from the NIA's online registration service. This page stays with the legal duty; the accommodation registration guide carries the step-by-step, including the three online channels, and the Wuhan city guide covers the local police-station route.
What happens if the duty is skipped
Article 39 states the duty; the sanction lives in Article 76 of the same law:
- Foreigner or host side: Article 76 item (6) covers failing to go through registration formalities under Article 39 paragraph 2 — a warning, plus a fine of not more than RMB 2,000 that may also be imposed.
- Hotel side: Article 76's closing paragraph punishes hotels — failing to process accommodation registration is punished under the public-security penalties law, and failing to submit guests' registration information brings a warning, rising to a fine of RMB 1,000–5,000 where circumstances are serious.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Article 39 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law?
It is the accommodation registration clause — the legal basis of China's 24-hour rule. Paragraph 1 puts the duty on hotels: guests staying in hotels are registered by the hotel, which submits the registration information to the police. Paragraph 2 covers everywhere else: foreigners residing or staying in any domicile other than a hotel, or the persons who accommodate them, must register with the public security organ of the place of residence within 24 hours after arrival.
Do hotels in China register foreigners with the police?
Yes — that is Article 39 paragraph 1. When foreigners stay in hotels in China, the hotels register their accommodation in accordance with the regulations on the public security administration of the hotel industry, and submit the foreigners' accommodation registration information to the public security organs where the hotels are located. As a guest you do nothing beyond showing your passport at check-in — every guest, every time.
What is the 24-hour registration rule for foreigners in China?
Article 39 paragraph 2: for foreigners who reside or stay in domiciles other than hotels — a rented apartment, your own home, a friend's place — they or the persons who accommodate them must go through registration formalities with the public security organs in the place of residence within 24 hours after the foreigner's arrival. Skipping it does not just expire quietly: it lands as an Article 76 violation.
Who must register — the foreigner or the host?
Either — the law's wording covers both: "they or the persons who accommodate them" shall go through the registration formalities. In practice, first-time registration is usually completed with the host's help (the host often knows the residence details best), and the foreigner can register at the same address independently afterwards.
Where do you register if you are not staying in a hotel?
Article 39 paragraph 2 names the counter: the public security organs in the place of residence — in everyday terms, the police station with jurisdiction over your address (or its exit-entry administration window). The law does not name online channels; those are a separate NIA service — the 12367 app, WeChat/Alipay mini programs and s.nia.gov.cn — which carries the same legal effect. See the accommodation registration guide below for the step-by-step.
Does Article 39 apply if you stay in your own home?
Yes. The paragraph covers foreigners who "reside or stay in domiciles other than hotels" — a domicile is a domicile, whether it is a rented apartment, a friend's place or your own home. The 24-hour registration duty after arrival applies the same way.
What happens if you miss the 24-hour deadline under Article 39?
The penalty comes from Article 76 item (6) of the same law: failing to go through registration formalities under Article 39 paragraph 2 brings a warning, and a fine of not more than RMB 2,000 yuan may also be imposed — no minimum, so the outcome depends on the officer's discretion. On the hotel side, a hotel that fails to submit guests' registration information gets a warning, rising to a fine of RMB 1,000–5,000 in serious cases.
Source & verification
Source: National Immigration Administration — Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China, updated 2021-03-10. https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147458/c155978/content.html
Last verified: 2026-09-06
Paragraph texts are quoted from the official English translation of the law (Article 39). The English translation is for reference only — the Chinese authoritative text prevails. Local public security organs apply the rules on site; their instructions prevail.