Which hotels in China accept foreigners, and how check-in works

✅ Updated Aug 2026

Most hotels in China can take foreign guests, and the worry about being turned away is bigger than the reality. It is still worth knowing where the limits sit, because a property that cannot register you generally cannot be talked into it. Every hotel must register its guests with the local police within 24 hours of check-in, and for a foreign guest that means scanning the passport into that system. Two things follow from it. A property needs the appropriate licence to host foreign guests at all, and smaller family-run places or guesthouses inside residential buildings often do not have it — they legally cannot take you even if the owner would like to. Separately, some budget hotels still run check-in software built purely around Chinese ID cards, with no field for a passport number or for a name that does not fit Chinese naming conventions. The useful part is that you do not have to guess. Booking platforms state it on the listing itself: both Trip.com and Meituan show whether a property receives foreign guests (接待外宾), so you check the label before booking rather than finding out at midnight with your luggage in the lobby. Major chains and anything aimed at business travellers are safe by default. Regulation has been moving the same way. In May 2024 authorities told hotels they may not refuse a guest merely for holding a foreign passport, and further guidance in 2025 pushed booking platforms in that direction — but enforcement is uneven, so the listing label is still more reliable than the principle. At the desk, every guest presents their own passport, not only whoever made the booking. A deposit is standard and refundable: typically 100 to 300 yuan at budget and express hotels, more at higher-end ones, returned to the same card or app you paid with. You may be given a registration slip; keep it until you check out. If you are not staying in a hotel at all — a friend's home, or a private apartment rental — the registration duty falls on you rather than a front desk, and you do it at the local police station. That process is covered separately in the police registration guide, and the deadline varies by area, so check locally rather than assuming.

1. 1

   Check the listing label before booking: Trip.com and Meituan both state whether a property receives foreign guests.

   接待外宾 · jiēdài wàibīn

2. 2

   If a listing is unclear, pick a major chain or a business hotel — foreign-passport check-in is routine there.

3. 3

   Save the hotel name and address in Chinese as a screenshot for the taxi driver.

4. 4

   At check-in, every guest hands over their own passport — not only the person who booked.

5. 5

   Expect a refundable deposit — typically 100–300 yuan at budget and express hotels, more at higher-end ones — returned to the card or app you paid with.

6. 6

   Not staying in a hotel? Register yourself at the local police station — see the police registration guide, and check the local deadline.

   住宿登记 · zhùsù dēngjì