Guest Entry Forms and Register Book

In today's post, we explain what guest entry forms and the guest register book are. Keeping these two documents updated for each tourist accommodation you manage is essential to comply with legislation.

Can guest entry forms be signed electronically? What documents do I need to request from the guest during check-in? What are the deadlines for obtaining the signature? Are my international guests also required to be part of the register book? How long must the host keep the documents?

Today we will discuss what a guest entry form is and how it relates to your tourist accommodation or Airbnb's register book in 2023. Additionally, we will cover the legal requirements requested by different administrations, specifically the Security Forces and Bodies (Police, Guardia Civil, Ertzaintza, Policía Foral, or Mossos d'Esquadra). Finally, we will tell you what methods exist to complete these documents for guest check-in.

Guest Entry Forms

Royal Decree 933/2021 has established new obligations in 2023 for guest registration, including the request for certain guest data.

The guest entry form is a document that collects information about both the tourist accommodation and the guest or traveler. Responsible parties subject to this obligation must maintain an electronic record containing the data specified in Annex I of Royal Decree 933/2021. Specifically, it must contain:

Lessor Company Data:

• Name or corporate name of the owner
• CIF or NIF
• Municipality
• Province
• Landline and/or mobile phone
• Email address
• Company website
• URL to identify the advertisement

Establishment Data:

• Type of establishment
• Name
• Full address
• Postal code
• Locality and province

Guest Data on the Entry Form:

• Name or corporate name
• First surname
• Second surname
• Sex
• Identity document number
• Document type (DNI, passport, TIE, NIF)
• Nationality
• Date of birth
• Place of habitual residence
  – Full address
  – Locality
  – Country

• Landline phone
• Mobile phone
• Email
• Number of guests
• Relationship between guests (if any are minors)

Transaction Data:

• Contract data
  – Reference number
  – Date
  – Signatures

• Contract execution data
  – Date and time of entry
  – Date and time of departure

• Property data
  – Full address
  – Number of rooms
  – Internet connection (yes/no)

• Payment data
  – Type (cash, credit card, payment platform, transfer...)
  – Identification of payment method: card type and number, bank account IBAN, mobile payment solution, others
  – Holder of the payment method
  – Card expiry date
  – Payment date

Tourist Apartment Register Book

For its part, the tourist apartment register book is the compilation of the entry forms ordered consecutively in batches of between 100 and 500. In other words, a collection of between 100 and 500 entry forms is the register book. Easy, right?

The register book must be kept for at least three years from the date of the last entry form in the book. The Security Forces and Bodies can request it from you as a host at any time.

How to complete the guest entry form and register book

In this section, we delve into how to complete the guest entry form – and the register book, of course –. First, let's see what the guest registration regulations say:

1. Guest entry forms must conform to the model in the Annex and will be prepared by the establishments.
2. Establishments may complete entry forms manually or by computer procedures, but the guest must sign the form without exception.

In short: the host is responsible for requesting the information for the entry form from the guest (including the signature) either in person or remotely.

Guest Entry Form Template in PDF

The classic way to complete a guest entry form is by hand. You print the form template, fill in the relevant data, and have your guest sign it. 

Once the entry form is completed, it must be submitted to the National Police or Guardia Civil (or regional police – who have jurisdiction in this matter) within 24 hours of the guest's arrival. There are 4 ways to submit guest entry forms to the police:

1. Present directly or send by mail two copies of the registration sheet. One copy will go to the police and the other will be returned stamped to the establishment.
2. Send the guest registration by fax.
3. Submit physical devices (CDs, USB drives, etc.) containing these sealed documents at police stations.
4. Transmit files with the entry forms via the Internet.

Webpol or E-Hotel

Webpol or E-Hotel is a platform of the Directorate-General of the Police that allows guest registration, an obligatory process that managers of holiday apartments must comply with. They are obliged to identify and report to the authorities the entry of guests older than 16 years.

For this purpose, a Guest Register Book is created and the guest's entry must be reported within 24 hours after check-in. This registration must be communicated to the Guardia Civil, Local Police, or National Police.

And why is it so important to do this? If the identification process is not complied with, holiday accommodation managers face significant fines ranging from €600 to €30,000, as stipulated in Organic Law 4/2015. The fine amount will vary depending on whether it is considered a minor or serious offense.

How should guest registration be done in Webpol?

As we have already mentioned, the apartment manager is obliged to prepare a guest register that will include guests over 16 years old – in some autonomous communities, minors under this age must also be included.

This registration will be carried out using an official form with reference INT/1922/2003. It can be downloaded online, filled out, and printed, via this link from the Ministry.

The data obtained in the registration must be stored by the manager, but also transmitted to the police. Before that, it will be necessary to register at the corresponding police station depending on the location of the accommodation.

What is needed for the manager to register with Webpol?

It must be noted that this application can only be made in person, and the following documents must be provided:

• Identification document: DNI or equivalent, or, if applicable, an authorization of representation will suffice.
• Responsible declaration of activity: this will be the same copy that has been submitted to Tourism.
• Deeds, simple notes, or contracts.

How is the guest form submitted?

There are 4 ways to submit the forms:

• 👮 In person: this will be done at the police station, and two copies of the registration must be brought.
• ✉️ By Mail: this can only be submitted by Post if we reside in a municipality that does not have any police delegation.
• 📠 By fax: Seriously, does anyone still use fax besides Paquita Salas?
• 💻 Electronically: through the Webpol platform, which allows data to be sent online.

How long must the Guest Register Book be kept?

Each Register book can have a minimum of 100 pages and a maximum of 500 before starting the next one. They must be kept for 3 years, counting from the issue date of the last form.

The owner or managing company must keep the forms physically, not just digitally.

Apps for guest entry forms

For the fourth way of submitting guest forms – online – you should use the police websites (e-Hotel) or the Guardia Civil (Hospederías). Is it a nightmare to use them? Absolutely! The interface and user experience are terrible.

That's why apps for guest entry forms and the register book have become so popular. We'll tell you all about them in the next section!

These applications streamline the submission of guest forms as well as the collection of data (using reservation data) and the cloud storage of the register book.

Most of these apps work in a very similar way:

1. A link is sent to the guest to use their mobile camera to scan their identification document and have them sign on the screen.
2. The app processes that data and converts the images into text. This information is automatically populated to complete the entry form.
3. Once the entry form is completed, it is stored in the cloud, creating a register book.

For example, the Raixer smart lock allows you to open doors remotely and also automate Check-in management by offering the guest registration service (prior to arrival) and the subsequent automatic submission to the Police (on the day of arrival).

Guest entry form and registration, in summary

Completing the entry form and keeping the guest register up to date is a somewhat time-consuming task. However, there are apps and technological solutions that will help you with the bureaucratic part. In summary:

• The signature of guest entry forms is mandatory, as is other information about them.
• The entry form must be completed within a maximum of 24 hours after the guest's check-in.
• The host must keep the entry forms in batches of 100 or 500. This document is known as the register book.

Did you like this post about guest entry forms and registration? You can subscribe to the newsletter by completing the form below. Additionally, if you want to save time with key handovers to your guests, check out Raixer's smart locks.