ChinaReadyCheck

Where to Stay · Check-in

A hotel check-in card in Chinese for your foreign passport

Front desks in China register every foreign guest, and the conversation often stalls on the booking, the deposit or a kiosk that cannot read your passport. Fill in your booking once and get a card the desk reads in Chinese, with English underneath for you.

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At the desk

How to use the card

  1. Hand over your passport with the card. The desk checks the original passport; the card says, in Chinese, whose booking it is and what you need.
  2. Let them register you. Hotels register foreign guests with the police themselves. It is a separate step from the arrival card you filled before landing.
  3. Ask your questions from the card. Deposit, foreign cards, luggage, breakfast: the desk can point at the line and answer.
  4. If it does not work, use the back of the card. Ask what the problem is, ask for the manager, and contact your booking platform before you cancel or pay twice.

Checked facts

What the card relies on

  • Hotels register foreign guests with local public security authorities. For a non-hotel stay, the visitor or host must generally register within 24 hours of arrival; use the local process. Source
  • The July 2024 MOFCOM joint measures prohibit qualification barriers by local departments/platforms and unlawful notices excluding overseas guests. They do not guarantee room availability or a particular check-in outcome. Source
  • Trip.com hotel guarantee terms require prompt support contact when a confirmed room is unavailable and exclude arrivals outside the arranged time. A passport-related dispute is not automatically eligible for compensation. Source

FAQ

What does the card say in Chinese?

That you are checking in with a foreign passport, the hotel name, the name on the booking and your dates, where you booked, how many guests need registering, and the requests you tick, such as completing the accommodation registration, a card with the hotel's Chinese address, the deposit and whether a foreign credit card works. A short back section helps if check-in fails.

Do hotels in China have to accept foreign guests?

A 2024 national measure tells local departments and platforms not to set qualification barriers for hotels hosting overseas guests, but it does not guarantee the outcome at a particular hotel. The card avoids arguing the rule at the desk; if a hotel refuses, contact your booking platform.

Is hotel registration the same as the arrival card?

No. The arrival card is filled before you land. Accommodation registration happens where you stay: hotels do it for you with your passport. For a non-hotel stay, you or your host generally register within 24 hours.

Why does it not ask for my passport number?

The desk reads your original passport, so the card does not need it, and leaving it out keeps one less copy of your passport number on your phone.

Is the card free?

Building the card and the preview are free. A one-time unlock (US$4.99) removes the preview watermark and shows your booking number on the card; edit and save it again for each hotel. Full refund on request within 7 days.

Is anything I type sent to your server?

No. The card and the saved image are made in your browser, and the form is kept only in this browser. If you unlock the card, Stripe handles the payment and we only check that it was paid.

Sources · checked 2026-09-07

This card helps you explain your booking at the desk; it does not guarantee check-in. Hotels, kiosks and local rules vary. Keep your booking platform's support contact with you. See the disclaimer.