Kenyans staying in private homes in China must register within 24 hours, now online nationwide

China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) opened online registration of foreigners' stays outside hotels to the whole country on 21 September 2026. A Kenyan who sleeps in a friend's flat, a relative's home or a rented room in Guangzhou, Yiwu or Shanghai can now register online, and the rule that it must be done within 24 hours of arrival is unchanged.

The NIA set out the change in Announcement No. 7 of 2026, issued on 21 September.

Hotels register their foreign guests themselves. The duty falls on people who stay anywhere else. Under the announcement, the foreigner or the person putting them up must register with the police at the place of residence within 24 hours of the foreigner moving in.

The announcement lists four online channels: the NIA's government services website, the "NIA 12367" app, the "NIA 12367" WeChat mini programme and an Alipay mini programme. Going in person to the police station where the foreigner is staying remains possible. The NIA says online registration has the same legal effect as registration on site.

The nationwide rule follows a pilot. From 20 March 2026 the NIA tested online registration in seven provinces and regions: Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing and Sichuan. Its March notice said the service would be extended across the country in stages, depending on how the pilot went. Guangdong and Shanghai were not among the seven.

In its guidance of 20 March, the NIA said the host helps with the first registration at an address, because the host knows the address details better. A foreigner who has already registered online at the same address, or who lives in their own property, can file alone.

The same guidance says a foreigner with a residence permit who lives at a regular home in China and returns to it after travelling, within the permit's validity, does not have to register again. It defines a regular home as one where the foreigner lives, or plans to live, long term, meaning more than 180 days in China.

Under Article 76 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law, the guidance says, a foreigner or host who does not register as required is given a warning and may also be fined.

The Beijing municipal government's English-language site, which summarised the nationwide rule on 23 September, says help is available from the online registration guide, the NIA 12367 hotline, and the exit-entry service windows of local public security organs or local police stations.