EXPAT community volunteers are helping to spread the word among foreigners that they must register their accommodation details at a police station when not staying overnight at a hotel.

Their work has added emphasis with many foreigners expected in the city for the first China International Import Expo.

Daniel Zimmerman, a US teacher at the Shanghai Community International School in Changning District, is one of the volunteers.

Zimmerman said many newcomers are not aware of the rule as it doesn’t exist in many other countries.

He said he was fined a few hundred yuan by police in 2002, the year he first came to Shanghai, because he registered three days after moving house.

“Some foreigners who don’t speak Chinese are also afraid that they can’t effectively communicate with Chinese police due to the language barrier,” he said. “But the police have assured us that they needn’t worry about that at all because they can always find English-speaking officers.”

Yesterday at the school, Lu Yun, a police officer with the district exit-entry administration office, gave a talk about the rule and covered most frequently asked questions about visas.

“Not only will foreigners who are found to have failed to register their accommodation in time be fined, this could affect their future visa and residence permit applications in China,” she said.

Expats in Changning District joined local community volunteers in August 2016, and as they come and go, the number of constant foreign volunteers is about 12.

Habib Ur Rehman, a carpet businessman from Pakistan who has been living in Shanghai since 2009, is another volunteer in the district.

Rehman said many foreign businessmen like to holiday in the city after attending exhibitions. “They also often ask me how to start a business here and what kind of visa to apply for,” he said. “As a volunteer I’m often informed of the latest information so I can pass it to them.”