Reporting to Police

[alaskagypsy]

I am in Nanning on my second trip.

Thought my fiancee had taken care of notifying police.

Plus if she didn't I thought it a simple matter to call police.

But she did not understand my e-mail.

Now I find out the apartment she is renting is not her legal house listing.

She is not listed at this address. She is sub-renting from another person.

Now I am in a dilema on what to do.

I can't afford to stay in a hotel this trip.

We can't report the address to police.

What should I do?

Has anyone had trouble with police?

I hear they can fine a person pretty hefty if they want, kick a person out of the country, deny future visits, and worse if they want.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nooneufo]

Why do you need to report an address to the police?

When I was in China I did not report to the police. Explain?

[xulei601]

Alaskagypsy,

 

I'm not sure I see what your problem is, and wonder if you really have one. I assume you have a valid visa, and that should be enough. I've never heard of anybody coming to China and checking with the police. Just don't overstay your visa, stay out of trouble, and don't take any wooden nickels (or fake RMB) and you should have nothing to worry about.

[walyette]

You don't need to do anything. Just show your passport and visa if anyone asks , but don't offer it. The days of reporting to the police are long over. If you live in China a long time you might want a resident card. If you overstay your visa you will be fined upon leaving the country. Just go to Hong Kong and get a new visa if you need to.

 

Make sure that the address on your fiancee's visa application and the address on her ID and passport are all the same, her old hometown. Otherwise you have to get police reports.

[alaskagypsy]

Article 30

When an alien wishes to lodge at the home of a Chinese resident in urban areas,the host or the lodger shall,with in 24 hours of the lodger's arrival,report to the local public security organ with the lodger's passport and certificate as well as the host's residence booklet and fill in registration forms of temporary accommodation.In rural areas,the host or lodger shall report to the local police station or residence registration office within 72 hours of the lodger's arrival.

====================================

She does not live where her residence is listed. Sub-renting from friend. I heard of a man who was fined several hundred dollars for not reporting. When you stay at a hotel, they ask for passport and report your where-abouts to police.

[nooneufo]

Where is this article 30 from?

I would not look for difficulties, and I would count reporting myself to local police as one of those.

If anything impressed me the most while I was in China was the "hands off" policy impression I got.

If it were me, visting people in their homes is what you are doing, while traveling from hostel to hostel. If anyone should even ask. And my favorite......"Wo bu dong".

[david_dawei]

You are required to register your residency while in China (ie: where you are staying while in the country). If you do not, the fine, after they make you register, is 500 yuan.

 

That being said, there is virtually no way for you to get into trouble unless you must extend your visa while you are there.. in this case, you would be going to the police to extend it, and they will ask you first where you are living, etc...

 

if you are not going to extend your visit, then I would not put another thought to the matter. If you were stopped and asked where do you live, you could convey that you are just "a tourist visiting and traveling"...

 

BTW: Only certain chinese hotels are allowed to even take in foreigns, and then the hotel takes care of 'registering' you with the police in this sense.

[Mengxin]

Too much green tea can cause paranoia, possibly even scitzofrenia. If you were ever in a place that had laxidazicle cops, it would be china. No harm, no foul. Unless you are doing something you shouldn't be. If you are doing something you shouldn't be, then don't tell anybody. You have nothing to worry about. Chill, relax and enjoy your stay.

 

I was at an open market one time and a purse snatcher got busted. two cops had this guy by the arms while the ladies husband was taking head shots at the snatcher. That was cool. the way it should be. Everyone watched and then continued about there merry way after it was over.

[hypoclear]

Too much green tea can cause paranoia, possibly even scitzofrenia. If you were ever in a place that had laxidazicle cops, it would be china. No harm, no foul. Unless you are doing something you shouldn't be. If you are doing something you shouldn't be, then don't tell anybody. You have nothing to worry about. Chill, relax and enjoy your stay.

 

I was at an open market one time and a purse snatcher got busted. two cops had this guy by the arms while the ladies husband was taking head shots at the snatcher. That was cool. the way it should be. Everyone watched and then continued about there merry way after it was over.

hmmm and people say the police are not helpful.

 

I'd skip the registering bit also.. go about your way and enjoy.

 

I did but only after being here for some time.. 3 Plus months and than knowing I would be actually living here. I think I'm good for 6 months and each time I renew my visa I bring this blue slip along and each time.. I have to keep telling them.. give me back!! my blue slip if you want a copy go make one..

 

There is no charge for this registratoion of a foreigner residing in china and you will need to bring along passport sized photos for this and passport.

 

Again this is only if you plan to reside in China and will need a new visa. But as many have said they don't and just go to HK and get a new visa, just do this before your 's expires.

 

Also as others have sensed it is a pretty much hands off policy around her.. go about your business and everything should be fine. also remember if this is your first time here .. it ain't america and you will have ample opurtunities to see this.. forget about it and do as the locals do..

 

Which is slowly, with much confusion, always money aware and usually wrong more than half the time.

 

Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

[alaskagypsy]

Article 30:

http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Study/VEExit/t2...0816_158438.htm

 

Rules Governing the implementation of the law of the People's Republic Of China on the Entry and Exit of Aliens(Digest)

 

==========

One thing you all missed, my fiancee is not living in her registered quarters. I cannot report this as her residence or where I am staying.

[Martytb]

Article 30:

http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Study/VEExit/t2...0816_158438.htm

 

Rules Governing the implementation of the law of the People's Republic Of China on the Entry and Exit of Aliens(Digest)

 

==========

One thing you all missed, my fiancee is not living in her registered quarters. I cannot report this as her residence or where I am staying.

I did not register with the police and my wife did not live in her official residence either. I stayed a month both times with no problems.

[Dan R]

While the hotels would enter my visa number when I registered, they were unconcerned that I was a foreigner if my SO signed the registration. Relax, you are in China where laws are guidelines and open to interpretation. I have found no one seems to give more information than asked for. I went to some areas I was told to be careful as they were off limits to foreigners. Everyone was friendly and no one cared that I was there.

 

In China don't things an issue and then they are not. The police would not want every tourist passing through to come in to register so it is just the haphazard collection by hotels that satisfies the law. Now if you are staying long term I would say register.

 

Chill out you are in China where you don't worry about anything unless it starts worrying over you. It is a food chain thing

[frank1538]

I'm taking the 5th on this one.

[NY-Viking]

This comes up every once in a while on CFL, and is usually followed by lots of replies saying, "I never registered, relax, it's all good" and "What are you talking about? You don't need to register."

 

Yes, registration IS required by Chinese law, no matter if your stay is temporary or extended. I always go to the local PSB when I get to Shanghai to register and get the "yellow slip". It's quick, free, and it is the law. BUT I really do it as more of a precautionary measure than anything else. I have only heard of one time that the PSB actually contacted someone simply for not registering. As I understand it, that person put his SO's name, address and phone number on the Arrival Card at the airport, and they PSB decided to follow up. But that is a rather rare occurence. I usually list something rather vague on my Arrival Card (true but vague) to avoid such situations.

 

As a side note, the yellow registration form might be helpful as "proof or relationship" - it will show you stayed at your SO's address (provided she uses that address on her visa application forms). I had kept a few registration forms for myself and my family when they came last summer for this purpose, but after I left Shanghai, my fianc¨¦e threw them away as "we didn't need them anymore." Geez. Well, we got the visa anyway, so it's all good I guess.

 

As others have said, hotel registration counts as your registration as they maintain records. They generally don't give you a registration card, but if you need one, they can provide you with a slip.

 

Now, with that said, there are really only 3 situations that will give rise to a problem if you haven't registered upon arrival:

 

(1) You want to renew or change your PRC visa (without leaving China).

The entry/exit bureau will not issue you an extension without a temporary residence form (the yellow slip). If you didn't register upon arrival, you can go to the PSB and register later and get the slip. They are authorized to fine you RMB 50 per day, up to RMB 500 (I think that's the maximum, but don't quote me), but this fine is generally negotiable, provided you're not a complete idiot. A fine will be much higher if you overstay your visa, and in that case you won't be able to argue your way out of it, and they're likely to tack on as many fines as possible.

 

Lots of foreigners I know get around not having registered for a visa extension simply by staying in a cheap hotel for a night and then providing that registration form to the entry/exit bureau.

 

(2) You lose your passport.

If you lose your passport and apply to the US embassy/consulate for a new one, they'll want a police report. The police will want proof of your residence for the report.

 

(3) You're involved in some sort of illegal activity, either committing it or on the receiving end.

Hopefully, you're not doing anything illegal in China. But if you get involved in some altercation, say with a cab driver that is ripping you off, the police may want to see your passport and know where you're staying (either a hotel or they'll want to see the yellow registration slip). This happened to a friend of mine, but he was able to sweet talk his way out of it. (The police generally want to solve problems without too much fuss. It helps if you can speak Chinese.)

 

Another friend, however, wasn't so lucky. She was a Canadian living in Shanghai and had rented an apartment. Her apartment was broken into and some things were stolen. She called the police to make a report. When the police came, they asked for her yellow registration slip. She didn't have one as she had no idea she had to register. She was fined. Talk about a bad day.

------------------------

 

Like I said, the police generally don't make it a habit of tracking people down who haven't registered, but if something comes up, it could be a problem.

 

As far as hotels are concerned, yes some hotels are not open to foreigners. This is less so than it was a few years ago, but there still are some places not approved to receive foreign guests. When traveling with my SO, we have on occasion had her register instead of me, and this has never been a real problem. I remember one hotel that was not approved for foreigners really wanted us to stay, so instructed me to say, if the police came, that I was just stopping by, and that I was really staying elsewhere. Right. I doubt this would have worked if the police had really shown up, but it didn't end up being an issue.

 

I remember another time at a hotel approved for foreign guests that the hotel still told me not to register because it would be a problem for them (probably because we weren't married). That night as we were coming back to the hotel from walking around the city we passed the security guards without any question. The security guards were busy interrogating two red faced Chinese business men who were trying to escort two ladies they had picked up for the night back to their rooms. The security guards kept asking the men whether the women had been registered, and the men kept trying to avoid the question. It was pretty funny. After we got in the elevator my SO explained to me that the women were prostitutes. I said, "no, really?"

 

But some areas are far more strict than others. A friend of mine once visted the Ming dynasty towns near Huangshan (»Æɽ - incidentally, I highly recommend a trip if you've never been - absolutely beautiful!). You need a pass as a foreigner to even enter one of the towns (I can't remember which one off hand) and she didn't get one. Chinese citizens (and those with Chinese faces, generally) don't need a pass to enter. They were able to get into the town through a back entrance and decided to spend the night there. The next morning, after they had left the home they were staying in, they were stopped by the police. Evidentally a neighbor had noticed her and had alerted the cops. She was fined a few thousand RMB. When I visited the town a couple of years later I inquired within the city whether I needed a pass. I was told no and proceeded to take a bus to the town. When I got there the guards would not let me in without the pass. After arguing for a good half hour, someone with official capacity finally let me in, but made my SO promise that I would not spend the night there.

 

 

alaskagypsy in response to your original question - the fact that your SO never registered her residence, probably won't be a problem for you registering with the PSB. The form does ask for "Relationship to household owner" (or something to that effect), but I've always just filled in "fianc¨¦e". They've never asked for proof of her ownership of the building, but I guess potentially they could look into it. I think I remember the first time I registered she came with me and they asked if she was registered there. She owns the apartment, but her hukou is still in her parents house (about a mile away). She told them this and it didn't seem to be a problem.

[maiyademama]

It doesn't matter where your fiancee is staying. All the police need is the address of the place you are staying. They don't care whose place it is. Just go to the nearest 派出所 (pai chu suo) with your visa and passport. Give them the address and phone number of where you can be reached. It is simple and painless. Don't worry.