Airbnb complies with China law to hand over guest details as listings double
Airbnb’s compliance with Chinese regulations requiring foreigners to register their accommodation with local police within 24 hours brings it in line with hotels and guest houses.
Airbnb, the sharing portal that connects homeowners with renters for short-term leases, will begin to submit guest details to Chinese authorities from Friday, bringing it in compliance with local regulations requiring foreigners to register their accommodation with the police.
In a notice sent to homeowners, or hosts in Airbnb parlance, the San Francisco-based company said it will hand over the details of people who stay at its properties to the Chinese government from March 30. The company provided a click-through button for hosts to remove their listings from Airbnb.
“Like all businesses operating in China, Airbnb China must comply with local laws and regulations,” Airbnb said in a statement. “We’re committed to doing all we can to keep our hosts and guests informed about our work in China and we recently updated our hosts about our requirements under the law. The information we collect is similar to information hotels in China have collected for decades.”
Foreigners staying at the homes of Chinese residents, in cities and towns, must submit the temporary residence registration form to the local Public Security Bureau together with their passport or identification information within 24 hours of arrival. In rural areas, this must be done within 72 hours, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
At hotels and registered guest houses, this submission is handled by the reception, which will require registration details and scan or photocopy the guests’ passports. Chinese citizens also have to register when they stay in hotels.
This move takes place as Airbnb steps up its expansion in China, its fastest-growing domestic market. The company’s listings in China have almost doubled in the last year, with more than 3.3 million guest arrivals by local travellers alone. Airbnb competes with local apartment-sharing portals such as Xiaozhu, which began testing smart locks that can be opened by scanning tenants’ faces and satisfy laws requiring identify verification.