How do I check that a hotel can check me in with a foreign passport?

At a glance

• On the Trip.com English property page, scroll to Property Policies and then Guests Accepted. The acceptance wording to look for is “Guests from all countries/regions are welcome at this property”. [3]
• In the same Property Policies section, read the check-in time and front-desk hours before booking a late arrival. These fields are separate from the guest-acceptance field. [3]
• Hotels must register foreign guests and submit their accommodation information to local public-security authorities. [1]
• China’s July2024 accommodation measures prohibit local qualification or licensing barriers to receiving overseas guests and call for better registration support. [2]

What to do next

1. Before booking, open the property on Trip.com, scroll to Property Policies → Guests Accepted, and read the nationality/region wording. If it excludes your document or is missing, ask the hotel for a written answer before paying a non-refundable rate. Contact the property through its official booking channel before the cancellation deadline. State your passport nationality, arrival date and approximate arrival time, and ask reception to confirm the room booking and its foreign-passport registration process.
2. Obtain the response in writing and keep it with the reservation. Ask who will be on duty if you arrive late, and save the front desk’s direct contact number. This gives the night staff a clear booking to find if the earlier conversation was with another employee.
3. On arrival, present the original passport and booking reference. Let reception record the required identity and entry details, then confirm your room and payment arrangement. Keep your own passport once the check-in process has finished.
4. If a staff member says they do not know how to register the passport, ask for the manager or a colleague familiar with the system. Show the saved confirmation and ask them to resolve the process with their local public-security contact.
5. If the property still refuses the stay, contact the booking platform from the lobby; for immigration-policy or registration help, use the 12367 hotline. Request a practical resolution: acceptance of the confirmed booking, or a suitable replacement and the original payment/refund arrangements in writing.
6. Secure tonight’s accommodation before spending the evening arguing about the policy. Keep the refusal message and the alternative booking for any later complaint or reimbursement request, and update your travel companion or transfer driver with the new address.

If your situation is different

You are booking a small hotel directly: ask the actual property rather than relying on a generic answer about the chain. Confirm the exact branch, dates, guest names and front-desk availability before paying a non-refundable amount.

The online listing has a restrictive guest label: contact the property and platform for a current written answer. Decide from that response and the cancellation conditions. Avoid arriving late at night with an unresolved acceptance dispute.

You use a residence permit or another recognised travel document: tell the property the exact document type when confirming the reservation. Bring the original documents relevant to that check-in rather than assuming a passport photograph will be enough.

You are staying with a friend after cancelling the hotel: switch to the non-hotel registration process. Agree who will register the actual private address within the required time, and keep its confirmation.

Common mistakes

• Treating an old foreigner-licence label as the whole answer: ask the property to confirm its current registration arrangements for the actual booking.
• Arriving after midnight without a contact or written response: secure both while you can still choose another hotel.
• Leaving the lobby before the platform records the refusal: keep enough evidence to connect the unresolved stay and payment to the booking.
• Accepting an unsuitable replacement just to end the call: compare location, accessibility, room capacity and the total price before agreeing.

Quick questions