China Travel Decisions · China Arrival Card
China Arrival Card Hotel Address: First Night, Airport Transit & Multiple Cities
The Arrival Card asks for truthful China stay information. Do not invent a hotel just to satisfy a form. The arrival-card address and the separate legal duty to register accommodation after arrival are different tasks.
Quick answer: NIA's published entry guidance says the “address in China or hotel name” must be filled in detail, and if you stay in a hotel, the specific address should be provided. That does not equal a published official rule saying “always enter the first hotel only.” Use truthful accommodation information, do not invent a hotel, and treat later accommodation registration as a separate legal step.
Choose your accommodation scenario
What does your first 24 hours actually look like?
Enter the hotel name/address accurately from your booking. Keep the booking accessible in case border inspection asks about your stay.
Do not fabricate a single “China address” that is not part of your trip.The reviewed NIA public guidance requires detailed address/hotel information but does not publish a universal “first hotel only” rule. Use the form's available itinerary/accommodation fields truthfully. If the live form offers cities intended to visit separately, keep those separate from the accommodation address.
Do not invent an airport hotel.If you are genuinely remaining at the airport before a domestic connection and the form does not clearly support that scenario, use the official/manual arrival-card channel and ask immigration staff how they want the truthful plan recorded. Public NIA guidance reviewed by CTD does not publish a special universal rule for “sleeping in the airport then flying to another city.”
Use the real residential address.This is not a hotel stay. After arrival, the nationwide non-hotel accommodation rule requires you or the host to register within 24 hours. Since 21 September 2026, NIA has rolled out online non-hotel registration nationwide.
Keep the information truthful at entry.If your accommodation changed materially before arrival, use the official form's correction/resubmission options if available in the live flow, or tell immigration staff at the port. Do not knowingly present an address you no longer plan to use just because it was on an earlier draft.
What the official rule actually confirms
| Question | Officially supported answer | CTD boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Must the China address/hotel field be detailed? | Yes. NIA guidance says the “address in China or hotel name” must be completed in detail; hotel stays should include the specific address. | Do not reduce this to a vague city name if the form asks for more. |
| Is the official online Arrival Card free? | Yes — use the NIA domain. | Do not pay a lookalike site merely to submit the mandatory card. |
| Does the Arrival Card replace hotel/police accommodation registration? | No. | They are separate processes. |
| Does NIA publicly say “always enter the first hotel only”? | Not in the public guidance reviewed for this page. | Do not present traveler convention as an official rule. |
Multiple cities: separate itinerary from accommodation
Travelers often have three different facts:
- Port of entry: where you enter mainland China.
- Accommodation address: where you will actually stay.
- Cities intended to visit: the broader itinerary, when the live form asks for it.
Those are not interchangeable. For example, landing at Urumqi does not make “Urumqi Airport” your hotel address if you are not staying in a hotel there. Likewise, a Chengdu hotel address does not describe a later Beijing hotel.
Airport overnight before a domestic connection
This is the scenario most likely to tempt travelers into making up a hotel. Do not.
- Open the official NIA Arrival Card, not a third-party copy.
- Enter your real arrival/flight information.
- For accommodation, use only truthful information the form can support.
- If you have no hotel because you will remain at the airport before a domestic connection, do not invent a hotel name/address.
- If the online form cannot represent the situation clearly, complete/correct the card with immigration assistance at the port. NIA continues to provide official port-side alternatives to the online form.
Show immigration staff
我今晚到达后会留在机场，明天早上乘国内航班去【城市】，第一家实际入住的酒店在【城市/酒店名称】。网上入境卡的住宿地址这一栏我应该怎么填写？
After arriving tonight I will remain at the airport, then take a domestic flight to [city] tomorrow morning. My first actual hotel stay is [city/hotel]. How should I complete the accommodation-address field on the Arrival Card?
Arrival Card ≠ accommodation registration after arrival
| Task | When | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival Card | Before/at immigration entry | Traveler through NIA online or official port channel |
| Hotel accommodation registration | When you stay at a hotel | The hotel reports the foreign guest information |
| Non-hotel accommodation registration | Within 24 hours of arrival at that residence | Traveler or host; nationwide online NIA channels now available |
Since 21 September 2026, NIA allows non-hotel accommodation registration nationwide through its government website, NIA 12367 app, NIA 12367 WeChat mini-program or Alipay mini-program; offline registration at local public-security organs remains available.
Frequently asked questions
I have five hotels. Do I list all five in one address field?
Use the structure of the live official form. Public NIA guidance requires detailed address/hotel information but does not provide a universal “list all hotels in one address field” instruction. Keep city-itinerary fields and accommodation-address fields distinct.
Can I put my friend's address?
If that is where you will genuinely stay, use the real address. Then complete the separate non-hotel accommodation registration within 24 hours.
Can I put the airport as my hotel?
Do not misstate an airport as a hotel. If you are genuinely staying airside/landside at the airport without a hotel and the online form is unclear, use official port assistance.
Official sources
- Official NIA Arrival Card
- NIA entry guide: detailed China address/hotel field
- NIA nationwide non-hotel accommodation registration, 21 Sep 2026
Related CTD: official free Arrival Card · land-border Arrival Card.
Rules, prices, operating routes and platform support can change. CTD is an independent travel resource. Recheck the linked official channel before paying or relying on a reservation.