Online residence registration for foreigners

From Friday, foreigners arriving in Shanghai can register their residence online instead of going to the police in person.

The law requires people from overseas to register their residence on the Chinese mainland within 24 hours of arrival. Previously, apart from those staying in hotels, everyone had to go to a police station to register their temporary address.

Shanghai is the first city in China to introduce online residence registration. The system could benefit about 500,000 people a year, according to official estimates.

People can scan the following QR code with their mobile phone or log onto https://crjzndg.gaj.sh.gov.cn/24hr to register. So far, the only language options are English and Chinese.

To register, people need to sign up with their e-mail address, upload a picture of their passport page with personal data and picture, and give their address in Shanghai and their entry and exit dates.

An SMS message will confirm receipt of the digital registration form.

Jiang Lili, a French citizen who lives with her husband’s parents in the city, said online registration made the process much more convenient.

“While the police stations have working hours, the online registration doesn’t,” she said. “Also, previously I had to present proof of the authenticity and legality of my residence to the police, but this system doesn’t require that.”

Ye Jun, director of the foreigner administration division of the public security bureau’s exit-entry administration bureau, said online registration exempts foreigners from providing certain materials to make the process easier.

“We will have community police officers to come up to them at the registered address, and if any cheating in this regard is discovered, legal action will be taken,” he said.

More convenience at CIIE

Police said this was one of the exit-entry measures to help foreigners attending the second China International Import Expo.

“Last year, we found that a number of foreigners lived in residential communities during the expo because hotel rooms were not available, and some of them didn’t have enough time to register at police stations which are not always on their doorstep,” Ye said.

Last year, exit-entry police had a stand inside the venue which offered consultation and emergency services to foreigners attending the event. An office at the venue this year will allow foreigners to apply for or extend visas.

There is a photo booth and a visa application form printing machine. By scanning their passport and the bar code generated on their picture, applicants don’t need to fill out basic information about themselves by hand.

The office is on the first floor of the B0 office building, opposite Gate 13.

Cai Baodi, director of the foreigners’ exit-entry document administration division of the exit-entry administration bureau, said the office will likely be open during other large-scale events at the National Exhibition and Convention Center.

Shanghai police

A foreigner applies for a visa at the exit-entry police office at the expo venue, the National Exhibition and Convention Center, on Friday.

Our Wechat：pdjwryfwz

You may use your cellphone to recognize the two-dimension code to join us.

原文始发于微信公众号（浦东境外人员服务站）：Online residence registration for foreigners