Guide · 9 min
China Arrival Card hotel address: what foreign travelers should enter
What address to enter on China's Digital Arrival Card, why your first-night hotel matters, what to do if the address is only in Chinese, and how to keep your airline and Boarding Kit papers consistent.
Short answer
Enter the address where you will actually sleep on your first night in mainland China. For most travelers, that should be a confirmed hotel booking with a full hotel name, street address, district, city, and phone number. Do not enter only "Shanghai", an airport name, or a hotel you have not booked.
Use the same first-night address everywhere: the Digital Arrival Card, your airline-counter papers, and your Boarding Kit. Mismatched documents create avoidable questions at the counter.
Who this is for
This guide is for foreign travelers entering mainland China for tourism, business visits, family visits, or 240-hour visa-free transit who need to complete the online arrival card before landing. It is especially useful if you are arriving under the 240h policy, because airline staff may ask for your hotel address before they let you board.
This is not for travelers who are not entering mainland China, travelers who will stay airside in a pure transit zone, or travelers whose employer, school, or host organization has given them a formal address and registration process. If you are staying in a private home, ask your host how local accommodation registration will be handled before using that address.
What counts as a usable address
A usable arrival-card address is specific enough for an airline agent, immigration officer, taxi driver, or hotel front desk to understand where you will stay. A strong hotel address includes:
- hotel name
- street address
- district or area name
- city and province or municipality
- hotel phone number
- Chinese address if available, plus English or pinyin for your own notes
The Chinese address matters because local staff, taxi drivers, and some airline supervisors can understand it faster than an English-only booking confirmation. The English version matters because you need to recognize your own booking and match it against your passport name.
Good and bad examples
These are practical examples, not official form screenshots.
| Entry | Use it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Full hotel name + street address + Shanghai Jing'an + phone number | Yes | Specific, checkable, and useful for arrival-card and taxi purposes. |
| Hotel name plus Chinese address from the booking confirmation | Yes | Best for local verification if the booking name matches your passport. |
| "Shanghai" | No | A city name is not an address. |
| "PVG airport" | No, unless you booked an airport hotel | An airport is not your lodging address. |
| A hotel you plan to choose after landing | No | Your airline and immigration documents should not rely on an unbooked plan. |
| A friend's apartment | Only if registration is clear | Hotels normally handle foreigner accommodation registration. Private stays can require extra steps. |
Why the first-night hotel matters
The arrival card is only one place where the address appears. Your first-night address can also become part of the airline-counter conversation. If a check-in agent is unsure about China's 240h visa-free transit policy, a clear hotel booking helps show that your trip is planned, time-limited, and document-backed.
It also reduces landing friction. After a long flight, you may need the same hotel address for taxi, Didi, Alipay setup, map search, hotel messaging, or an immigration question. A vague address saves a few minutes when booking and costs time when you are tired.
Before you submit the arrival card
- Book your first-night hotel, preferably with free cancellation.
- Check that the hotel can receive foreign guests and check in a foreign passport.
- Save the booking confirmation offline.
- Copy the hotel name, full address, district, city, and phone number into your notes.
- Save the Chinese address if the platform shows one.
- Use the same address on the arrival card and in your Boarding Kit.
- If the hotel changes, submit a corrected arrival card if the portal allows it, then regenerate your papers.
What if the address is only in Chinese?
Keep the Chinese text. Do not replace it with a loose English description such as "near People's Square" or "downtown Beijing". If you need an English note for yourself, save it next to the Chinese address, not instead of it.
If you cannot tell which part is the hotel name, street address, district, and phone number, use the booking platform's English interface, message the hotel, or choose a clearer first-night booking.
What if you are staying with a friend?
A private address may be truthful, but it can be operationally harder. China requires accommodation registration for foreigners. Hotels usually handle that process for guests. Private stays may require your host to help with local registration after arrival. Ask your host for the full Chinese address, phone number, and registration plan before you use the address on travel documents.
Common failures and backup paths
- The airline asks for your hotel address and you only have a city. Book a cancellable first-night hotel before going to the airport, then update your documents.
- The booking confirmation does not show a Chinese address. Message the hotel or use a platform that shows clearer China hotel details.
- The hotel says it cannot check in foreign passports. Cancel if possible and book a larger hotel or international-facing property. Do not wait until midnight after landing.
- You changed hotels after submitting the arrival card. Submit a new or corrected arrival card if the portal allows it for your timing, and make sure your printed papers match the new booking.
Booking a clearer first-night hotel
Use the official or hotel-direct path when you already know the property and can confirm the foreign-passport check-in policy. Use a mainstream booking platform when you need English interface, foreign-card payment, and a booking confirmation you can show at the airline counter.
If you still need a first-night booking, use a platform that gives you a clear hotel address and confirmation. Trip.com is useful for China hotel bookings because it is built around China inventory and international users, but you should still check the guest rules before relying on any listing.
Find a first-night hotel on Trip.com. Sponsored · we may earn a commission if you book.
Next step
If you already have a first-night address, continue to the Digital Arrival Card guide. If you are entering under 240h transit and want your airline-counter papers to match your hotel booking, build a fresh Boarding Kit after the hotel is final.
Sources and last checked
Last checked: 2026-05-19. This guide is informational. It is not legal advice, not a visa, and not a guarantee of entry. Final decisions are made by the airline at check-in and by Chinese immigration on arrival.