What China hotel address should you enter on the arrival card and Boarding Kit?

How to choose and save your first-night hotel address for the China arrival card, airline check-in, and Boarding Kit.

Quick verdict

Use your real first-night hotel address on the China arrival card. Use the same address in your airline and Boarding Kit papers. The safest choice is a confirmed hotel booking with a full street address, city, district, phone number, and your passport name. For a deeper explanation of what to enter on the official form, see the China Arrival Card hotel address guide.

Where the address is used

Digital Arrival Card: the form asks where you will stay in China.
Airline counter: staff may ask where you will stay.
Boarding Kit: a stable first-night address makes your papers clearer.
Hotel registration: the hotel will register your passport when you check in.

What a usable hotel address includes

Hotel name.
Street address, not just a landmark.
District and city.
Phone number.
Chinese address if available, plus English or pinyin for your own notes.

What not to enter

A city name only, such as "Shanghai" or "Beijing".
An airport name if you are not sleeping at an airport hotel.
A hotel you have not actually booked.
A friend's address unless they know how foreigner lodging registration works.
A sightseeing district if your first night is somewhere else.

Step-by-step

Pick the first city where you will sleep after entering mainland China.
Book a hotel that can check in your passport. Free cancellation is better.
Save the hotel name, full address, and phone number offline.
Use that same address on the arrival card.
Use the same booking as supporting proof in your Boarding Kit.
If the hotel changes, regenerate or update any documents before flying.

Booking platform notes

Use a booking site that gives you a clear address and a confirmation you can save. Trip.com is useful for China hotels because it is made for international users. Still, check the guest rules and address before you rely on the booking.

Find a first-night hotel on Trip.com. Sponsored · we may earn a commission if you book.

Common failures and backup paths

The address field is too long. Put the hotel name, street address, district, and city first. Keep the phone number in your notes.
The hotel address is only in Chinese. Save both the Chinese text and an English/pinyin version. The Chinese version helps local staff. The English version helps you.
You change hotels after submitting the arrival card. If the change is material, submit a new arrival card before travel. Do not carry papers with different hotel details.
You are staying with a friend. Ask them for the full address and registration plan. Hotels handle registration for you. Private stays can need extra local steps.

Sources and last checked

Last checked: 2026-05-18. Official sources support arrival-card and accommodation-registration requirements; platform sources support hotel booking workflow.