Travelers at a railway station  File photo:Xinhua

The Shanghai government has denied implementing mandatory registration for travelers to the city who will stay over 24 hours, after a newly released regulation stipulated inbound travelers should report their stay in an effort to better serve temporary residents, but was misinterpreted as "mandatory registration."

"The registration is completely voluntary and based on the travelers' own will," the Shanghai Municipal government explained on its website on Thursday, saying, "The policy aims to improve services for people in Shanghai."

The response came after the public questioned the newly revised regulation on Shanghai population service and management, which took effect on Thursday.

According to the provisions in the regulation, individuals who come to Shanghai for medical treatment, education, tourism, official activities, visiting relatives and friends, and stay over 24 hours, are included in the actual population services management, and their identity, address and career information will be collected.

People whose households are registered in Shanghai, hold a residence permit, and those who have already checked in at a Shanghai hotel, are exempted from the registration.

Travelers can complete their registration through a government-run WeChat account, or wait for community workers to collect their information in person.

The necessity for collecting the information was questioned by many Chinese netizens on Sina Weibo after media reports revealed the revised regulation. 

"Is Shanghai requiring a 'visa upon arrival' for people from other cities?" read one comment under the post.

Some netizens expressed understanding, with one Weibo user saying, "It's no big deal to fill in such a form unless one is on the wanted list."

Global Times