What every foreigner must do within 24 hrs of arriving in Suzhou and living in a place other than a hotel is register with their local Police station and get form that is needed for renewing your visa, if you need to do so in China.
If you don’t do this you can occur a fine every day you don’t register. People staying in hotels do not need to worry as hotel staff will register for them after the check–in process has been completed. Once you are registered, you will have a white ‘temporary residence registration form’ that you should keep on file at home. It doesn’t happen often, but the police do have the right to knock on doors and ask foreigners to show their registration forms. Such ‘house calls’ are generally only made if your registration has expired because you left the country and then re-entered, or if you have extended your visa, and you have forgotten to go back to your local police station to renew it.
A ‘house call’ means that a police officer will ring your doorbell, usually in the evening between 6 and 9 pm, and will show his/her credentials and ask you to show your passport and registration form. If you have forgotten to register, you will be given a warning and told to go and register. However, repeat offenders may be fined. Note that every foreigner has to register, regardless of working and/or visa status. If you move house or apartment then you need to re-register at your new area’s police station.