Operations · 6 min read
Guest ID and passport records at check-in, good practice for hotels
Short answer: Hotels should check a valid photo ID for every guest at check-in, record the document details accurately, store copies securely with access limited to staff who need them, and be able to produce records of foreign guests quickly when lawfully asked. Scanning the passport’s machine-readable strip avoids typing errors.
By the Biodux teamUpdated
Every hotel collects guest ID. Fewer do it consistently, store it safely, or can find it quickly when it’s needed. Here’s what good practice looks like.
This guide describes good practice, not legal requirements. Rules change, so confirm what applies to your hotel with your lawyer and the relevant authorities.
Why it matters
- Security. You need to know who is in the building.
- Disputes. If a guest leaves without paying or damages a room, an accurate ID record matters.
- Requests from the authorities. Police and immigration officers sometimes ask hotels for details of particular guests or of foreign guests in house. Being able to answer promptly and accurately protects the hotel.
- Data protection. ID documents are personal data, and Nigeria’s data protection law expects you to handle them carefully.
At check-in
- Ask every adult guest for a valid photo ID. Passport, national ID card, driver’s licence or residence permit.
- Look at the document and the person. Does the photo match? Has it expired?
- Record the details accurately. Typing passport numbers by hand is where mistakes creep in.
- Keep a copy if your policy requires it, front and back.
- Note anything unusual for the duty manager.
Scanning instead of typing
Passports have a machine-readable zone (MRZ): the two lines of letters and chevrons at the bottom of the photo page. Software can read those lines and fill in the name, passport number, nationality, sex, date of birth and expiry, and check the built-in check digits to catch errors.
In Biodux PMS, the receptionist scans the passport, the details fill in automatically, and the image is attached to the guest. If a guest has no ID on file, or it has expired or is about to, the receptionist is told before handing over the key.
Storing ID safely
ID copies are among the most sensitive data a hotel holds. Good practice:
- Limit access to staff who need it, by user rights, not by trust.
- Log every view and change, so you can see who looked at what.
- Don’t keep loose photocopies in drawers or WhatsApp chats on staff phones.
- Back up the stored images, and keep backups secure.
- Set a retention period and delete what you no longer need.
- Tell guests in your privacy notice what you collect and why.
Biodux records every add, view, edit and delete of an ID document on the activity trail with the user and time.
When someone asks for records
Have a routine ready:
- Check the request is genuine and who is making it.
- Involve the duty manager.
- Produce only what is asked for.
- Keep a note of what was provided, to whom and when.
Biodux’s immigration report lists foreign guests in house and can be exported, and the ID expiry report shows which documents on file have run out.
A short policy you can adapt
| Topic | Our rule |
|---|---|
| Who must show ID | Every adult guest at check-in |
| Accepted documents | Passport, national ID, driver’s licence, residence permit |
| Recording | Scanned where possible, typed only as a fallback |
| Access | Front office supervisors and managers only |
| Retention | Set by management in line with the law |
| Requests from authorities | Through the duty manager, logged |
For more on how Biodux handles this, see guest ID and passport scanning.