Live in Suzhou | Suzhou Travel Guide | 苏州旅游

Police Registration
警局登记
Foreigners arriving in China need to register at their local police station within 24 hours of arrival. People staying in hotels do not need to worry as hotel staff will register for them after the check–in process has been completed. Everyone else needs to register at their local police station within 24 hours after arrival. Police registration is not a one-time thing -it is necessary to renew your registration each time you enter the country and also after every visa extension. Once you are registered, you will have a white 'temporary residence registration form' that you should keep on file at home. It doesn't happen often, but the police do have the right to knock on doors and ask foreigners to show their registration forms. Such 'house calls' are generally only made if your registration has expired because you left the country and then re-entered, or if you have extended your visa, and you have forgotten to go back to your local police station to renew it. A 'house call' means that a police officer will ring your doorbell, usually in the evening between 6 and 9 pm, and will show his/her credentials and ask you to show your passport and registration form. If you have forgotten to register, you will be given a warning and told to go and register. However, repeat offenders may be fined. Note that every foreigner has to register, regardless of working and/or visa status. This regulation in China-wide, not just in Suzhou.

What you need to register:
· your passport
· your rental contract signed by your landlord and with your landlord's contact details 
(the first time you register at a new address, it is recommended that you take your landlord
or estate agent with you)
· anywhere from one to three passport photos (each station has slightly different requirements)
· the registration form (they will give it to you there if you do not have one)

To find the police station responsible for your area you can call 114 (have a Chinese-speaking person call for you) to ask. They will give you the address for your area.

Check our What's ON taxi cards under 'Police Stations' for the addresses of some of the larger police stations in Suzhou.