There has been a lot of buzz in the past week and a half about Shenzhen law enforcement’s drive to get foreigners registered and police posting notices, so we've spoken with the police, the entry and exit bureau, the foreign affairs office and the U.S. consulate to clear some things up.









Police in Futian have confirmed they will conduct a citywide door-to-door search for unregistered foreigners who have been in China more than a week without registering following this Friday, June 17th. However, the citywide registration program has experienced issues since the influx of people registering, so don't be suprised if you're asked to come back the next day.







“As long as you don’t change your visa or passport, you don’t need to register again after leaving the mainland," said Officer John of the Division of Exit-Entry Administration of Shenzhen Public Security Bureau.





This comes in contrast to some media reports, blogs and message boards indicating foreigners need to register every time they exit the mainland. The American Citizen Services department of the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhoualso confirmed it’s a rumor that you need to re-register every time you leave the country. The only time you need to re-register is when you change addresses, visas, or your passport, they said.





When you come to China, you have to register somewhere within the first 24 hours. If you're staying in a hotel that's done automatically, otherwise you need to do it yourself. If you've been on the wrong side of this law, the police ensure there will be no reprecussions until after Friday. According to police in Futian District, if you have not registered by Friday and you’re last date of entry is more than a week old, you’ll be subject to a 2,000 RMB penalty, and the possibility of deportation. So, get on it.





Below is what you need to register, including information about what to do if you don’t have a proper rental agreement (living with a friend, for instance).





How to Register





When you go to get registered, you just need to go to your local police station, not even any special precinct - though you can be sure there won’t be fluent English speakers at every one. They’re typically open from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Bring a co-worker if you can't speak any Chinese. If you’re earning money on a businessvisa, you likely already know it’s illegal. The least you can do is register.





Items to bring:





1. Passport

2. Copy of photo page and visa page

3. Copy of the stamp from your last entry to China

4. Original rental agreement and a copy*

5. Passport photo (not always necessary but better to bring one)





*If you’re living somewhere informally without a rental agreement, you need to go to your residential area’s head office (管理区), where you’ll be directed to the area’s community work station (社区工作站). There you can obtain a certificate (居住证明) saying the work station has verified you live where you say you do. This will require them to visit you at your place of residence.





They might ask for other documents, but this is the basic list. We also contacted the Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Office for more information but they pretty much just referred us back to the police. By the way, their website has three dead numbers, so in case you're looking for the real one it's 8812 5982. Moreover, the site, which is presumably meant at least in part to communicate information to foreigners, has no English on it. Might want to rethink that one, gang.









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