Yes. If you stay in a hotel, guesthouse, bed and breakfast or holiday rental in Spain, you must identify yourself and the property must register your details. This is not the accommodation's choice or a receptionist's whim: it comes from Royal Decree 933/2021, which governs the documentary registration of guests and its reporting to the Ministry of the Interior through SES.Hospedajes. This guide summarises which documents are valid in 2026 (including the MiDNI digital ID), what data is requested, the 24-hour deadline and what happens if a guest refuses.
What the law says: RD 933/2021 and Annex I
Royal Decree 933/2021 sets out the documentary registration and information obligations for anyone carrying out accommodation activities. It applies to hotels, guesthouses, pensions, campsites, tourist apartments and holiday rentals, whether the activity is professional or not, and also to intermediaries. It has been in full enforcement since 2 December 2024.
Annex I details the data to be collected. The entry form must include the details of every guest, minors included: guests over 14 sign their own form, and the data of minors is provided by the accompanying adult, indicating the relationship. The record is digital, kept for three years from the end of the service if the activity is professional, and non-professional hosts are exempt from that retention but not from reporting.
ID, passport or MiDNI: valid documents (MiDNI since April 2026)
The document requested depends on the traveller's nationality, and since April 2026 there is an important new development: the digital ID on the phone.
| Guest | Valid document | Practical detail |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish (over 14) | Physical DNI or MiDNI | Both are valid. MiDNI needs a connection and is verified via QR |
| Spanish under 14 | DNI or family record book | Data provided by the accompanying adult |
| EU citizen | National ID or passport | Document type and number are recorded |
| Non-EU national | Passport or TIE residence card | The document's support number is recorded |
MiDNI is the official app from the Spanish National Police that puts the DNI on your phone. It generates a signed QR code with a limited validity period that guarantees the data is authentic at the moment of verification, and it does not store the information on the device. It is valid for in-person identification, including registering at a hotel, and it should be accepted as normal: it is legal identification, not a photo of an ID card. It only works with a Spanish DNI, requires an internet connection and does not replace the physical DNI, which is still worth carrying. The regulation provides for a twelve-month adaptation period for providers to adjust their systems, so the practical recommendation is to have the QR scanning process ready as soon as possible.
Hotels vs holiday rentals: who files the report and the 24-hour deadline
The underlying obligation is the same for hotels and holiday rentals: collect guest data and report it to SES.Hospedajes. What changes is how you do it.
- Hotels and guesthouses: the form is completed at reception, with an in-person signature, and is usually integrated with the PMS or management software. Daily volume demands a stable process so reports do not pile up.
- Holiday rentals: with no physical reception, registration happens before arrival through an online check-in. The guest fills in their details and those of the other occupants, and the host reviews and submits.
The reporting deadline is the same in both cases: immediate and, at most, 24 hours from the booking or its cancellation and from the start of the contracted service. In other words, the check-in clock does not wait until the stay ends. In a property with several units, that deadline is why manual registration breaks down in high season.
What data is requested and why you should NOT keep a copy of the document
Annex I of RD 933/2021 requests, among other fields, first and last names, sex, document type and number, document support number, nationality, date of birth, usual place of residence, phone, email, number of guests and relationship in the case of minors. Around twenty fields that the old guest book did not collect.
The regulation requires data, not images of the document. Keeping a photocopy or a photo of every guest's ID adds unnecessary risk: if that folder leaks or a device is lost, the breach includes full identity documents, and the data minimisation principle argues against keeping what is not essential. The recommended practice is to collect the data, verify the document visually and not store the image.
Digital check-in systems make exactly that possible: OCR reads the document at the time to extract the fields, and the image is not stored on the server. That is how BnCheck works: the reader processes the ID or passport and discards the image, so registration meets the required data fields without accumulating unnecessary copies.
Digitalise registration without complicating reception
BnCheck collects guest data, prepares the report and submits it to SES.Hospedajes with the 24-hour deadline under control.
Create accountIf a guest refuses to register
It happens, especially with guests who mistake registration for an intrusion. The answer is not to argue, it is to explain:
- Explain the legal obligation and what it is for: registration is mandatory for all accommodation, regardless of nationality.
- Offer identification alternatives: physical ID, MiDNI, passport or residence card depending on the case. Sometimes the only problem is that they do not have the document to hand.
- Remember that you cannot retain their document. Verifying identity is one thing; keeping someone's passport is quite another.
- If they still refuse and the booking terms allow it, consider declining the stay. Without data there is no report, and accommodating guests without registering is the most serious infringement.
- Document what happened: messages, time and response. If the booking came through a platform, it may help to report the situation.
Fines for failing to register
The sanctioning regime of Organic Law 4/2015, to which RD 933/2021 refers, distinguishes two scales:
| Type | Example | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Incomplete data, filling errors, reporting after the deadline | €100 to €600 |
| Serious | Not reporting the data, not being registered, false data | €601 to €30,000 |
This is not a theoretical risk: the first proceedings against hotels and operators have been under way since late 2024. For a hotel, an isolated minor fine is manageable, but a pattern of errors does put the business at risk. How to correct a report that has already been filed is explained in the guide on fixing a guest registration report.
How to digitalise registration
The standard digital process has four steps: generate the check-in link for the booking, collect each guest's data (with OCR or MiDNI), review anything the system flags as doubtful and submit the report to SES.Hospedajes, keeping a record of the submission. In hotels, the process runs through reception and the PMS; in holiday rentals, through the pre-arrival link.
Three controls make the difference between complying and taking risks: reviewing the data before submitting (OCR does not replace the visual check), leaving no booking without a report, and keeping a clear status of what is pending and what has been reported. You can see the full process on the guest registration automation page or in the solution for online check-in. If your case is a holiday rental, the starting point is understanding what SES Hospedajes requires for every booking.
Plain-language summary of RD 933/2021 and RD 255/2025 on the digital ID. For cases with particular circumstances (groups, minors, long stays or sanctions), check the official text in the BOE or consult an adviser.