China now asking all hotels to accept foreigners
One of the most stubborn roadblocks for foreigners in China is, finally, being removed.
One of the most common complaints by foreigners in China is finally getting addressed. Yesterday (Friday, May 24) three ministries led by the key Ministry of Public Security vowed to ask all hotels across China to accept foreign guests. Judging by the statement, the work to have all Chinese hotels accept foreigners is ongoing.
It was never 100% clear what legal or administrative rules many Chinese hotels were citing when they were rejecting foreigners. They certainly wanted to accommodate foreigners, but - the best I could come up with - there are perhaps some regulations mandating 涉外资质 a license for accepting foreign guests, and many Chinese hotels do not have that license.
For whatever reason, it is a fact that many Chinese hotels, perhaps save the most expensive ones, were not accepting foreigners. I remember the disbelief and anger of a senior executive of the Chinese operations of a multi-billion dollar, Europe-headquartered multinational corporation recalling being refused accommodation in a hotel at a northern provincial capital, despite his company had brought good business by reserving rooms and conference halls for its Chinese employees.
The good news now is that the three ministries including - and especially - the Ministry of Public Security are now saying Chinese hotels cannot refuse foreign guests on the grounds of lacking licenses for receiving foreign guests. Sounds strange? That’s also how the Global Times framed the development
Chinese authorities ordered hotels across the country on Friday not to refuse foreign guests, based on the excuse of the hotels' lacking relevant qualifications.
公安部等部门答“境外旅客入住酒店不便利”的留言
Reply from the Ministry of Public Security and Other Government Departments to the Messages on “Inconvenience for Foreign Travelers Staying in Hotels”
Foreign netizens from Nigeria, the UK, Pakistan, and other countries have reported being refused accommodation at hotels due to reasons such as "lack of license for taking foreign guests" or "not knowing how to input information into the system." This issue is especially prevalent in small cities or budget hotels, causing considerable inconvenience.
Upon receiving these messages from netizens forwarded by the Website of the Chinese Government, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Commerce, and the National Immigration Administration studied the matter carefully and provided the following response:
Regarding the hotel accommodation difficulties faced by foreigners, the Ministry of Public Security and the National Immigration Administration are paying close attention. They are actively coordinating with the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and other relevant government departments to research and implement measures, and they are requiring that hotels cannot refuse foreign guests on the grounds of lacking licenses to receive foreigners. Hotels are being guided and supervised to improve their foreign guest reception capabilities and to enhance the services of their staff. The Ministry of Commerce has already guided the China Hotel Association to issue the "Initiative on Facilitating Accommodation Services for Foreign Nationals Coming to China," [CHN] [ENG] which promotes learning about legal and regulatory requirements, enhancing reception capacity, and strengthens staff training to improve services for foreigners and provide more convenience for foreign nationals in China. Efforts are being coordinated with online platforms to offer free, English-language training courses regarding registration, room booking, and other hotel-related English skills to accommodation providers on the platforms, thereby helping hospitality staff improve their foreign language skills and better serve foreign guests. The Ministry of Public Security is deploying measures nationwide to further optimize the accommodation registration management services for foreigners, making it easier for foreign guests to register their accommodations and creating a top-notch business environment.
According to Article 39 of the "Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China," "Where foreigners stay in hotels in China, the hotels shall register their accommodation by the regulations on the public security administration of the hotel industry, and submit foreigners’ accommodation registration information to the public security organs in the places where the hotels are located."
Article 6 of the "Measures for the Administration of Public Security in Hotels" stipulates, "A hotel shall register guests to whom accommodation is provided. When registering, the guest's identification card shall be examined and an accurate registration of all stipulated items shall be made. If accommodation is provided to a foreign guest, the accommodation registration form shall be submitted to the local public security organ within 24 hours of the guest's arrival."
Therefore, both Chinese and foreign guests must complete the accommodation registration according to legal requirements and fulfill their statutory obligations. Public security authorities guide hotels to submit accommodation registration information for both Chinese and foreign guests as per the regulations.
(A poster made by the Website of the Chinese Government relaying the text information, supposedly to spread the message more broadly.)