tauphi

As of the 1st of July, the maximum fine for not registering at a police station after arriving in China has been raised from 500 to 2000. There is at least one report of two Korean nationals being given the new maximum fine after a random check in a residential compound in Qingdao.

It remains to be seen if the police in Shanghai/Beijing will also step up their enforcement.

tiblot

This is just a dumb policy to begin with.

moondog

I wouldn't leave much sleep over this. My papers have been questioned a total of zero times during the course of the past 15 years.

jiejie

I've never found it a problem to just register after a passport change, visa change, or address change. Takes about 5 minutes, get the little Certificate of Temporary Residence to keep and that's that. What may now be more of a pain is for Residence Permit holders exiting and re-entering China, having to re-register every time even if at the same address. This is truly BS. Previously most jurisdictions just wanted re-enters on L's and F's to re-register upon each return but not those on RP's.

moondog

It took me over half a day here in Nanning. I had to make a second trip to the PSB because, in addition to the standard documents (lease, passport, visa), those guys wanted a certificate from my apartment management office.

The fact that I was the first foreigner to ever register there didn't help matters.

Loren Pechtel

A registration question: It looks like next trip we will be spending most of our time in Shanghai and will register there. We are looking at possibly spending a couple of nights elsewhere--do we need to register again there and then again when we get back to Shanghai?

MSPeconomist

Are you staying in private residences rather than in hotels?

trueblu

As stated, hotels will automatically register you. If staying at a residence in a rural area, you have several days to register, so you would return before being obliged. In a town, to be honest, for 2 days I wouldn't bother, and I'm generally a stickler for the rules.

tb

uanj

Does this mean Z holders have to register each time they enter China?

If that is the case I will stop opening the door on the quarterly police visits when they ask who is living in the apartment.....

jiejie

Ah yes, you are a pioneer, a guinea pig down there in Nanning. That's a bit different. But now that you've "broken them in" hopefully it will be quicker and painless the next time. Downside is, there are so few foreigners there that you'll be easy to spot and track.


Apparently, that's what it means. But in practical terms, it may be up to your local police jurisdiction--they may get sick of you creating more work for them after your 12th time in 6 months showing up again. Maybe you can deal with them to just phone them when you return--some police stations allow this. Others just say "don't bug us again" unless your passport or visa number or address changes. But if you are in a place that gets knocks on the door and dragnets....

trueblu

I phone the police station (or have my assistant do it ) whenever I return to the country. Registering there is still a major pain, and liable to take quite a while. As I mentioned in a different thread, the last time we had a guest, we had to drag our landlord to the station...which was a major hassle.

If I had to physically go to the police station every time I enter the country, that might be a game changer for me...I would certainly let my higher ups know, hoping that their guanxi may prevail...

tb

fimo

I got hit with the documentation requirement here in Beijing just last Friday. They claimed it's a new enforcement now since I said I'd been there before with lease/passport with no issue.

Who knows what when and how, just luck.

Taiwaned

I honestly think this has a lot to do with your relationship with the local PSB. The one we need to register with knows us so well now that they just tell us, "register whenever you can. We know you guys are busy. Within a couple of weeks OK? "

One of the ladies took us shopping, others ask us to get them stuff when we go to Japan. (they pay for it)

My wife never goes in anymore and I just give them both our passports and I sign for the both of us and its all fairly efficient.

minhaoxue

I lived in China for two years, back in the US now TG, and never had an issue registering when I returned from an International trip. The complex I lived, The Regal Court in Chaoyang, Beijing even had an office onsite.

I was told by the officer that those individuals who do not register, may be delayed renewing their visa in County.

jiejie

Aren't you in Central Park? When I lived there and the registration thing started in late 2007, I had to provide a copy of the lease, landlord ID, and a chopped letter from the Wuye saying the landlord did own the apartment and I was a tenant. It was no big deal--Savills routinely did them for everybody. Hujialou PSB was easy-going...not sure if they still are since I've been out of that jurisdiction for a few years. In fact, before that time, CP mgmt used to register all the foreigners just like a hotel did, so you never had to do anything. But in that pre-Olympics run-up, the govt decided we were all a bunch of potential troublemakers and had to show up at the station in person.

Was always glad I didn't live around Haidian/Wudaokou like trueblu; PSB there are bad-@rse and hard-@rse.