Living off campus as a graduate student in China: the registration you must not skip

Whether you may rent accommodation off campus is decided by your university, not by the national rules cited here. If you do live outside university housing, you must register with the public security authority where you live. For foreigners staying in a home other than a hotel, the Exit and Entry Administration Law sets a 24-hour limit, and the National Immigration Administration (NIA) now offers online registration nationwide.

This page is an unofficial summary. The Chinese texts of Order No. 42 and the Quality Standards are rendered into English here; the English wording is this site's own translation of the Chinese.

The rules that apply

Source	Provision	What it requires
Order No. 42 (Ministry of Education, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security)	Article 24	Universities provide living facilities for international students. An international student who lives outside the university dormitories shall promptly complete registration with the public security department at the place of residence.
Exit and Entry Administration Law	Article 39	Foreigners staying in hotels are registered by the hotel. Foreigners living in other domiciles, or the persons who host them, shall complete registration with the public security organs at the place of residence within 24 hours after the foreigner arrives.
NIA policy interpretation (21 September 2026)	Online accommodation registration	Foreigners living in domiciles other than hotels may register online without going to the public security organs in person. Online registration has the same legal effect as on-site registration.
Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), section 13.3	Dormitories and apartments	Dormitories or apartments used by international students shall meet the legal requirements for foreigners' residence and must be places that local public security authorities have approved for accommodation registration.

Order No. 42 uses "promptly" (及时) and does not set a number of hours. The 24-hour limit comes from Article 39 of the Law.

Whether you may live off campus

Article 24 of Order No. 42 does not say whether a university allows its graduate students to live off campus. It only requires registration for students who do so. Section 13.3 of the Quality Standards does not say that either. It covers the dormitories or apartments the university provides and, where a university uses an outside provider, requires the university to supervise that provider and to give students accurate information.

Your university's own rules decide whether you may rent outside. Check those rules before you sign a lease.

Registration timing

The Law gives a fixed period: within 24 hours after the foreigner's arrival. Article 39 applies to foreigners in domiciles other than hotels, and it covers the persons who host them as well as the foreigner. Order No. 42 requires prompt registration for international students who live outside the dormitories. Plan to register as soon as you move in, so that you meet the shorter of the two standards.

How to register online

The NIA policy interpretation describes the online route. It lists these channels:

• the NIA Government Service Platform, through its official website;
• the "NIA 12367" App;
• the "NIA 12367" WeChat mini program;
• the Alipay mini program.

The steps are:

1. Open one of the channels above.
2. Complete user registration.
3. Complete identity verification.
4. Open the Accommodation Registration module under Foreigner Service.
5. Follow the step-by-step prompts.
6. Click "Registration Record Inquiry" to view your record.

Who may register

The interpretation says that registration may be completed by the foreigner or by the person who hosts them. Its wording is that the initial registration should be completed with the host's help, because hosts usually know the residence details better. The foreigner may register alone in two cases: when the foreigner has already registered through the platform and is registering again at the same residence, and when the foreigner lives in a self-owned residence. The host may be a Chinese citizen or a foreigner.

What is not covered here

This page does not describe penalties for failing to register. For the legal consequences, read the Law and the notice of the public security authority that handles your case.

Sources

• Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42), Ministry of Education of the PRC
• Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China, National Immigration Administration
• Policy Interpretation of the Nationwide Implementation of the Online Accommodation Registration Service, National Immigration Administration
• Quality Standards for the Higher Education of International Students in China (Trial), Ministry of Education of the PRC

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary. It is not published by or affiliated with the Ministry of Education, the China Scholarship Council, CHSI or any university, and it is not legal advice. If the official text or the current notice of the university or authority handling your case differs from this page, the official text and that notice prevail.