China travel · 住宿
Hotel check-in in Chinese: registration, deposit, and the front desk
The hotel registers you. Your job is the passport, the booking, and the questions you can ask at the desk. Confirm the foreign-guest policy before you book.
Written October 20, 2026. The registration rule and the 2024 hotel notice were read on the same date.
Hotel check-in in Chinese is mostly a document exchange. You hand over the passport, the clerk finds the booking, and the hotel registers your stay with the local police. The language you need is the vocabulary of that exchange: reservation, passport, deposit, breakfast, luggage, and checkout. The one thing to confirm before you book is whether the hotel accepts foreign guests.
The national rule is clear about the hotel's duty, and the section below sets it out. If you stay somewhere other than a hotel, you or your host must register at the local police within 24 hours.
What the law says
Article 39 says that when a foreign national stays in a hotel, the hotel registers the accommodation under the hotel public-security rules and reports the registration information to the local public security organ. The same article puts the 24-hour duty on the guest or host when the stay is outside a hotel.
The Shanghai police's foreign-guest FAQ puts the practical version in one line: if you stay in a hotel, you show a valid ID and the hotel handles the registration. The FAQ says all hotels in Shanghai can process it. Other cities may use a different system, so the national rule is the floor, not a promise about every front desk.
Why some hotels still say no
A 2024 notice from the Ministry of Commerce and six other departments says “地方相关部门、网络运营平台不应以资质要求等为门槛限制住宿业经营者接待境外人员住宿”. In English: local departments and booking platforms should not use qualification requirements as a threshold to restrict hotels from receiving foreign guests.
The notice asks local departments to improve registration services and staff training, which points at the front desk as the place where the rule meets practice. The practical response is a phone call before you book. Ask one direct question: do you accept foreign passports? If the answer is vague, book somewhere else.
The front-desk phrases
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我有预订。 | wǒ yǒu yùdìng. | I have a reservation. | First line at the desk |
| 我要办理入住。 | wǒ yào bànlǐ rùzhù. | I want to check in. | If the clerk does not ask first |
| 这是我的护照。 | zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào. | This is my passport. | When the clerk asks for ID |
| 需要押金吗？ | xūyào yājīn ma? | Do I need a deposit? | Before you hand over a card |
| 可以刷卡吗？ | kěyǐ shuākǎ ma? | Can I pay by card? | For the deposit or the room |
| 早餐几点开始？ | zǎocān jǐ diǎn kāishǐ? | What time does breakfast start? | At check-in, if breakfast is included |
| WiFi 密码是多少？ | WiFi mìmǎ shì duōshao? | What is the WiFi password? | After you get the key |
| 可以寄存行李吗？ | kěyǐ jìcún xíngli ma? | Can you store my luggage? | Before check-in or after check-out |
| 退房是几点？ | tuìfáng shì jǐ diǎn? | What time is check-out? | At check-in |
| 可以晚一点退房吗？ | kěyǐ wǎn yìdiǎn tuìfáng ma? | Can I check out a little later? | The morning of departure |
| 请给我住宿登记表。 | qǐng gěi wǒ zhùsù dēngjì biǎo. | Please give me the accommodation registration form. | If you need proof of registration |
| 附近有地铁吗？ | fùjìn yǒu dìtiě ma? | Is there a subway nearby? | When you head out |
A check-in exchange
You put the passport and the booking confirmation on the counter and say: 你好，我有预订。 (Nǐ hǎo, wǒ yǒu yùdìng. Hello, I have a reservation.) The clerk asks for the passport. Say: 这是我的护照。 (Zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào. This is my passport.) The clerk may ask for a deposit. Ask: 需要押金吗？ (Xūyào yājīn ma? Do I need a deposit?)
If the clerk speaks too fast, say: 请说慢一点。 (Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn. Please speak a little slower.) If you need the WiFi password, ask: WiFi 密码是多少？ (WiFi mìmǎ shì duōshao? What is the WiFi password?) If you arrive before the room is ready, ask: 可以寄存行李吗？ (Kěyǐ jìcún xíngli ma? Can you store my luggage?)
If the hotel says it cannot accept you
Stay calm and ask for the reason in writing. If the hotel claims it has no foreign-related qualification, show the 2024 notice or ask the hotel to call the local police foreign-guest service. If the hotel still refuses, do not spend the night arguing. Ask the front desk to help you find a hotel that accepts foreign passports, or call your booking platform.
The practical prevention is a message before you book. Send the hotel a direct question in Chinese and English: 请问可以用外国护照办理入住吗？ (Qǐngwèn kěyǐ yòng wàiguó hùzhào bànlǐ rùzhù ma? Can I check in using a foreign passport?) Keep the reply. If the answer is yes, you have something to show at the desk.
If you cannot say it
Show the booking confirmation and the passport. Point to the name on the booking. Use a translation app for the clerk's question, and ask the clerk to write the answer on paper. At a Chinese front desk, a written room number or deposit amount is often faster than a spoken sentence.
If you need to call the hotel, ask a Chinese-speaking friend or the booking platform to call for you. If you are already in the room and something is broken, the phrases are 没有热水 (méiyǒu rèshuǐ, there is no hot water) and 空调坏了 (kōngtiáo huài le, the air conditioner is broken). Show the front desk the photo.
After check-in
Keep the registration form if the hotel gives you one. It is proof that your stay was registered, and it can be useful if you need to explain your address later. Ask which registration record to keep if you need proof of your address.
If you are paying by phone or card, the paying in China page has the counter lines. If you are taking a taxi from the hotel, the trains and taxis page has the destination lines.
The ten lines and the seven-day schedule are on China travel phrases.
Questions that still sit on the table
Do hotels in China accept foreign passports?
The national rule requires hotels to register foreign guests and report the registration to the local police. A 2024 notice from the Ministry of Commerce and other departments says local authorities and booking platforms should not use qualification requirements to restrict hotels from receiving foreign guests. In practice, some individual hotels still refuse; confirm before you book.
What does the hotel need at check-in?
Your passport is the main document. The hotel registers your stay and may give you a registration form. Have the booking confirmation, the passport, and a payment method ready. If you are staying somewhere other than a hotel, the registration is your responsibility within 24 hours.
Why do some hotels say they cannot accept foreigners?
The official position is that they should not refuse for lack of a foreign-related qualification. Ask the hotel to explain the specific registration or booking issue; the notice alone does not establish why a particular front desk refuses. A phone call before booking is more useful than an argument at the desk.
How do I ask for a late check-out?
Say 可以晚一点退房吗 (kěyǐ wǎn yìdiǎn tuìfáng ma), meaning can I check out a little later. The hotel may agree, charge for an extra half day, or refuse. Ask before the morning of departure.
Can the hotel keep my luggage after check-out?
Ask whether luggage storage is available and confirm its hours and any charge. If it is available, ask how to identify and collect your bags.
Sources
- 《中华人民共和国出境入境管理法》 Article 39, English translation, Hunan government portal, read 20 October 2026.
- Shanghai Public Security Bureau, “境外人员办理住宿登记常见问答”, page dated 27 October 2025, read 20 October 2026.
- Ministry of Commerce and six other departments, “关于服务高水平对外开放便利境外人员住宿若干措施的通知”, issued 1 July 2024, read 20 October 2026.
Version 1. Recheck when the national registration rule or the 2024 hotel notice changes, or every six months.