Entry and traveler registration parts

Today, we tell you what entry forms and guest logbooks are. Keeping these two documents up to date in each tourist accommodation you manage is essential to be in compliance with the legislation.

Can the traveler arrival form 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 registry book? How long does the host have to keep the documents?

Today we'll talk about what the traveler's entry form is and how it's related to the logbook of your tourist accommodation or Airbnb in 2023. Additionally, we discuss the legal requirements requested by different administrations. Specifically, the Security Forces and Corps (Police, Civil Guard, Ertzaintza, Foral Police, or Mossos d'Esquadra). Finally, we'll tell you what methods exist to complete these documents for traveler check-in.

Traveler entry forms

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

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

Data of the leasing company:

• 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 ad

Establishment data:

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

Traveler data on the entry form:

• Name or business name
• First surname
• Second surname
• Sex
• Identity document number
• Type of document (DNI, passport, TIE, NIF)
• Nationality
• Date of birth
• Usual place of residence
  – Full address
  – Locality
  – Country

• Landline phone
• Mobile phone
• Email address
• Number of travelers
• Relationship of kinship among travelers (in case any of them is a minor)

Transaction data:

• Contract details
  – Reference number
  – Date
  – Signatures

• Contract execution data
  – Check-in date and time
  – Check-out date and time

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

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

Tourist apartment register

On the other hand, the tourist apartment registration book is a compilation of the arrival forms in a correlative order in packages of between 100 and 500. In other words, a collection of between 100 and 500 arrival forms is the registration book. Easy, right?

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

How to make the arrival form and tourist register

In this section, we get into the matter to tell you how to make the traveler's entry form –and complete the registry book, of course–. Before, let's see what the regulations say about traveler registration:

1. The guest arrival forms will conform to the model of the Annex and will be prepared by the establishments.
2. The establishments may complete the entry forms by manual or computer procedures, but the traveler must sign the form inexcusably.

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

Traveler entry report model in PDF

The classic way to make the traveler's entry form is by hand. You print the entry form, complete it with the relevant data, and give it to your guest to sign. 

Once you have completed the entry form, you must communicate it to the National Police or Civil Guard (or regional ones –who are the ones with competence in this matter) within a period of 24 hours after the guest's arrival. There are 4 ways to deliver the traveler's entry forms to the police:

1. Submit directly or send by post two copies of the registration sheet. One copy will be for the police and the other will be returned stamped to the establishment.
2. Send the guest registration by fax
3. Deliver the physical devices (CDs, USB sticks, etc.) containing those stamped documents to police stations.
4. Transmit entry reports through the Internet.

Webpol or E-Hotel

Webpol or E-Hotel is a platform of the General Directorate of Police that allows registering travelers, a mandatory process that vacation apartment managers must comply with. They are required to identify and report to the authorities on the entry of guests over 16 years old.

To do this, a Guest Registration Book is prepared, and the guest's arrival must be reported within 24 hours after check-in. This registration must be reported to the Civil Guard, Local Police, or National Police.

And why is it so important to do it? If the identification process is not complied with, vacation rental managers are exposed to significant penalties ranging from $660 to $33,000, 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 traveler registration be done in Webpol?

As we have already mentioned, the apartment manager is required to prepare a traveler registry that will be made up of guests over 16 years old –in some autonomous communities, minors must also be included–.

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

The data obtained in the registry must be stored by the manager, but they must also be transmitted to the police. Before that, you must register with the police station that corresponds depending on the location of the accommodation.

What is needed for the manager to register with Webpol?

It should be borne in mind that this request can only be processed in person, and that the following documents must be provided:

• Identification document: ID or equivalent, or if applicable, a representation authorization will suffice.
• Responsible declaration of activity: it will be the same copy that has been presented to Tourism.
• Deeds, simple notes or contracts.

How is the tourist arrival form delivered?

There are 4 ways to deliver the forms:

• 👮 In person: it will be done at the police station, and 2 copies of the registration must be taken.
• ✉️ By post: it can only be delivered by post if we reside in a municipality with no police station.
• 📠 By fax: Does anyone still use fax apart from Paquita Salas?
• 💻 Via telematics: through the Webpol platform, which allows sending data online.

How long should the Traveler's Registry Book be kept?

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

The owner or management company will have to keep the forms physically, not just digitally.

Apps for tourist arrival forms

For the fourth way to deliver the traveler's form –online–, you must use the police websites (e-Hotel) or the Civil Guard (Hospederías). Is it a nightmare to use them? Indeed! The interface and user experience are horrible.

That is why apps for making the traveler's entry form and the logbook have become so popular. We'll tell you all about them in the next section!

These applications enable the delivery of guest arrival forms to be expedited, as well as the collection of data (using reservation data) and cloud storage of the registration book.

Most of these apps work in a very similar way:

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

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

Arrival form and tourist register, in summary

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

• The signature of the guests' entry forms is mandatory, in addition to other information about them.
• The arrival form must be completed within 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 logbook.

Did you like this post about entry reports and traveler records? You can subscribe to the newsletter by completing the form below. Also, if you want to save time when handing over keys to your guests, take a look at Raixer's smart locks.