How do I register with the police in Shenzhen?

Every foreigner in China must register their address with the local police station within 24 hours of arriving. A hotel does it for you at check-in. If you are in a flat or a dormitory that has not registered you, go to the station covering that address with your passport and your lease.

What happens if I miss the 24 hour deadline?

Go anyway, as soon as you realise. Late registration is usually handled with a warning. The trouble comes later if you never registered at all, because the slip is required for the residence permit and for opening a bank account.

Do I need to register again if I move?

Yes. Every time you change address you register again at the station covering the new address, within 24 hours.

Police registration

Who has to do this

The rule covers everyone who is not a Chinese citizen, each time they arrive in the country and each time they change address. Length of stay makes no difference, so a three-day visit counts as much as a three-year course.

If you are in a hotel

Reception does it when you check in. It happens as part of the same process that takes your passport at the desk. Ask them to confirm it has been done, and keep the printed slip if they will give you one. A few hotels hand it over without being asked, but most will only print it if you ask them to.

If you are in a flat, a dormitory or staying with a friend

You have to go yourself, to the police station that covers that address, which is often not the nearest station to where you are standing. Ask your landlord, your building management or your university’s international office which station that is, because getting it wrong costs you a morning.

Take with you:

Your passport, with the entry stamp
Your lease, or a letter from the dormitory
A copy of your landlord’s ID card, if you rent privately
The landlord in person, because a few stations ask for them

You will be given a registration form (境外人员临时住宿登记表). Photograph it and keep the paper. You need it for the residence permit, for the bank, and sometimes for a phone contract.

What it costs

Nothing. Registration is free, so if someone asks you to pay for it you are in the wrong place.

Why the slip matters

The slip is your proof of address. Without it the Exit-Entry Administration will not process a residence permit and most banks will not open an account, so a ten-minute errand can hold up a month of other things.

If you lose it, go back to the same station and ask for a reprint.