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Hotels and many serviced apartments file for you — keep the slip. In a private flat, you (often with the host or landlord) must register with the local police or the city’s foreigner app, generally within 24 hours of occupying that address. The clock is from moving in, not from the first landing if you already registered at a hotel. Re-file when you move, change host, or sometimes after a long trip. Missing registration is a separate Exit-Entry offence from overstay; it still blocks the next FWP or residence appointment. Landlord “too busy” is not a defence.
At a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Hotel enough? | Usually — keep their registration slip. |
| Private lease? | You file within 24 hours of occupying. |
| Residence permit a substitute? | No. Different file. |
| Clock from landing or move-in? | From occupying that address. |
| Same as overstay? | No. Both can be broken at once. |
| Employer can do it? | They can help; the duty is still yours. |
Scope and legal framework
Exit and Entry Administration Law (temporary residence registration). Foreigners shall register their place of stay. Hotels do it through the hotel system. Other lodgings go through the local public-security organ, generally within 24 hours (rural rules can be longer — confirm locally).
Local implementing practice. Many cities now have an app or WeChat mini-program. The output is a 境外人员临时住宿登记表 or electronic equivalent. Exit-Entry and work-permit windows ask for it.
Practical workflow
- If you are in a hotel, confirm they filed and photograph the slip.
- On lease move-in day, try the city foreigner-registration app before you queue.
- Otherwise go to the police station with jurisdiction over the address — passport, visa/residence, lease or host ID.
- Keep the paper or PDF with the immigration pack.
- Re-register on move, host change, or as the station instructs after travel.
Common mistakes
- Showing the hotel slip after you have lived in the flat for a month.
- Waiting for HR to “handle it next week.”
- Mixing this up with overstay and ignoring both.
Action checklist
- Write the exact address you will sleep at tonight.
- Hotel? Get the slip. Flat? Start the 24-hour clock.
- Open the local app; if it fails, go to the station.
- Photograph the result into the same album as your passport.
- Diary a re-file if you move for the new job.
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