What this checklist covers
In your first days in mainland China, the practical work narrows to two threads: keeping your documents in order and locking in a registered address. The national baseline for foreign residents comes from the State Council living guide and the National Immigration Administration notice. Your city, your employer, and your housing situation decide how that baseline is carried out locally.
Confirm your starting point
Before any filing, fix three facts, because each changes which steps apply:
- Your visa or residence-permit type — set nationally, confirmed through the immigration authority.
- Whether an employer is sponsoring your stay.
- Your housing type: hotel, rented apartment, employer-provided lodging, or a private host.
The first-week sequence
- Keep your passport and entry record in a form you can present on request.
- Register your accommodation. This is a national requirement for foreign residents; the local exit-entry authority runs it, but the NIA offers a nationwide online channel for non-hotel stays, and local public security authorities remain available in person. For a non-hotel stay, the filing period is 24 hours after arrival. Check the official NIA route and ask the local authority for help with your own record.
- If you are employed, obtain the documents your employer must supply for any residence or work-related filing. These come from the employer, not from you alone.
- Collect proof of your address from your housing provider — a lease, a hotel record, or a host confirmation — in whatever format your city accepts.
- Identify the authority responsible for each matter: local police or exit-entry for accommodation and residence questions, and the relevant work-permit authority for employment matters.
When the normal route stalls
If an online system is down, a provider cannot issue a document, or a filing is returned, do not assume the national rule has changed. Respond by level:
- A rejected or unclear document: go back to the city office that imposed the requirement and ask what specifically is missing.
- A question about the underlying national requirement: consult the National Immigration Administration notice or the State Council living guide.
- An employer-sponsored step: ask your employer's designated contact before re-filing, since they hold the supporting documents.
- A local instruction that seems to conflict with the national notice: ask the office to point to the local rule that applies.
Who sets what
| Matter | Set by | Confirm with |
|---|---|---|
| Entry status and residence-permit baseline | National authority | National Immigration Administration notice |
| Local registration method and office | Your city | Local exit-entry authority |
| Employer filings and documents | Your employer | Your employer or HR contact |
| Housing proof format | Housing provider and city | Provider and city office |
| Personal timing and travel | You | Your own plan |
Check the current official requirements
This checklist gives an order of work, not every document list, fee or individual immigration deadline. The NIA does specify a 24-hour filing period for non-hotel accommodation. Before you act, read the two official sources below for what applies to your case:
- State Council living guide for expats in China — the broader living sequence.
- National Immigration Administration nationwide notice — the non-hotel accommodation registration route and its national availability.
For anything the sources do not state — local office locations, accepted document formats, processing times, or costs — confirm directly with the relevant city office, your employer, or the housing provider.