Quick answer
Do hotels require ID?
Yes, in most countries. As of October 12, 2026, 11 of the 13 countries in our table have a standing law that makes hotels record foreign guests. Japan copies the passport of visitors who live abroad. Paying in crypto changes none of this: StaySats asks for no ID upload, and the hotel checks your ID at the desk.
Hotel ID rules at a glance (October 12, 2026)
| Countries in the table | 13, each with an official or legal source |
|---|---|
| Standing rule for foreign guests | 11: Japan, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, United Kingdom |
| Rule only during an alert | South Korea: passport check when a health or terror alert is at "caution" or higher |
| No national rule found | United States: rules come from cities, states and each hotel |
| Shortest reporting deadline | Vietnam: 12 hours (24 hours in remote areas) |
| Passport copy named in the rule | Japan, for foreign guests with no address in Japan |
| Rule that covers every guest, not only foreigners | Spain, Italy, United Kingdom |
| Not in the table yet | Greece and the United Arab Emirates: no official source we could read |
| What StaySats asks | The lead guest's name and an email address; no ID upload, no selfie |
Guest registration rules by country (checked October 12, 2026)
The rule each hotel must apply by law, in plain words. Hotels may ask for more under their own policy, such as a card in the same name.
| Country | What the guest must show or give | What the hotel does with it | Legal basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Foreign guests with no address in Japan: nationality, passport number and the passport itself | Writes them in the guest register and keeps a copy of the passport (since April 1, 2005) | Hotel Business Act and its enforcement rules | Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare |
| Spain | Every guest: ID document type and number, nationality, date of birth, address, phone and email | Sends them, with the payment data, to the Ministry of the Interior within 24 hours; keeps them 3 years | Royal Decree 933/2021 | BOE |
| Italy | Every guest: an identity card or another valid document | Reports the guests to the police (Questura) within 24 hours, or on arrival for stays under 24 hours, through Alloggiati Web | Article 109, TULPS (Royal Decree 773/1931) | Polizia di Stato, Alloggiati Web |
| France | Foreign guests, EU citizens included: a signed individual police form | Keeps the form and hands it to the police only on request | Articles R814-1 to R814-3, CESEDA | Service-Public |
| Germany | Foreign guests: a signed registration form and a valid passport or passport substitute | Checks the document at check-in and keeps the form | Section 29, Federal Registration Act (BMG) | gesetze-im-internet.de |
| Portugal | Each foreign guest, EU citizens included: a signed accommodation form (boletim de alojamento) | Sends it to the immigration authorities through the SIBA system within 3 working days | Articles 15 and 16, Law 23/2007; Ordinance 415/2008 | Diário da República |
| Thailand | Foreign guests: passport details | Notifies immigration within 24 hours of arrival | Section 38, Immigration Act of 1979 | Thailand Board of Investment |
| Indonesia | Foreign guests: passport | Registers them in the immigration app APOA at check-in and check-out | Article 72, Law 6/2011, amended by Law 63/2024 | ANTARA (2025-03-27) |
| Vietnam | Foreign guests: passport details | Declares their temporary residence to the local police within 12 hours (24 hours in remote areas) | Article 33, Law 47/2014 on foreigners | Law 47/2014 (LuatVietnam) |
| China | Foreign guests: passport | Registers them and sends the data to the local public security office | Article 39, Exit and Entry Administration Law | National Immigration Administration |
| South Korea | Only during a "caution" or higher health or terror alert: short-term foreign visitors show their passport | Reports them to the Ministry of Justice within 12 hours; no duty in normal times | Article 81-3, Immigration Act | Korea Immigration Service Q&A (2020-12-09) |
| United States | No national rule found; each hotel sets its ID and minimum age policy | Some cities require a guest register, such as Los Angeles (kept 90 days) | Local codes; City of Los Angeles v. Patel (2015) | Supreme Court opinion (LII) |
| United Kingdom | Every guest aged 16 or over: full name and nationality; guests the law calls "aliens" also give a passport number | Keeps a written record for at least 12 months, open to the police | Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972 | legislation.gov.uk |
What does StaySats send to the hotel?
The lead guest's name, sent with the booking we make for you on request. At checkout we ask for the lead guest's name and an email address; no ID upload and no selfie at checkout. We never ask for a passport scan, an ID upload or a selfie, and we keep no copy of your documents.
This is a private checkout, not anonymity. The hotel still applies the law of its country at the front desk, and blockchain payments are public. More on this: is it safe to book hotels with crypto?
Does the name on the booking have to match my passport?
Yes, book in the exact name on the ID you will show. Hotel groups check that names match:
- Choice Hotels asks for a government-issued ID and a credit card whose names match the reservation.
- Minor Hotels asks for a passport or government ID card, and the booking card must match it.
- Hilton says the card used to pay must match the name on the reservation.
A spelling error can delay your check-in. Copy your name from the passport, including middle names, when you book with StaySats.
Which countries ask for a passport copy or police report?
Japan names a passport copy in its rule; the others name a register or a report. In Japan, foreign guests with no address in the country show their passport, and the hotel copies it. A Japanese resident address on the register removes that step.
Italy, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and China send foreign guest data to the police or to immigration within a set time. France and the United Kingdom keep records that the police can inspect. Germany checks the passport of foreign guests against a signed form.
Why can't StaySats sell hotels in Spain yet?
Because Spain's rule also covers us. Royal Decree 933/2021 applies to companies that run or intermediate accommodation, including online platforms. They must send booking, guest and payment data to the Ministry of the Interior within 24 hours.
We have not finished that registration. Until then, hotels in Spain are not available yet, until our registration with Spain's guest register (SES.HOSPEDAJES) is done. The full list of places we can't sell is on our where we can't sell hotels page.
What about the United States?
We found no federal law that tells hotels to register guests. Rules come from cities and from each hotel. Los Angeles requires hotels to keep guest records for 90 days. In 2015, the Supreme Court struck down the part that let police inspect them without a chance of review (City of Los Angeles v. Patel).
Minimum check-in age is a hotel policy:
- Marriott: set by each hotel; some accept guests from 18.
- Choice Hotels: most hotels want a lone guest to be at least 19; some ask for 21.
- Radisson: most hotels set 21 to reserve a room.
- Hilton: varies by hotel, listed in each hotel's policies.
How did we check these rules?
On October 12, 2026, we read the law or an official page for each country. Our sources are ministries, the police, immigration services and official journals. For Indonesia, the rule is quoted from the national news agency ANTARA. For Vietnam, we read an English translation of the 2014 law, which has been amended since.
Limits: we summarize; we do not give legal advice. Rules change, and a hotel can ask for more than the law requires. We left out Greece and the United Arab Emirates because we could not read an official source today. We sell hotel bookings paid in crypto; this page is general information. Written by the StaySats research desk (TravelGoat LLC); named reviewers will be listed here when appointed.
Hotel ID rules: questions
Do you need ID to check into a hotel?
Yes. In 11 of the 13 countries in our table, a law makes hotels record foreign guests. Elsewhere, as in the United States, ID is a hotel policy. Choice Hotels, for example, asks for a government-issued ID that matches the reservation. Paying in crypto changes none of this.
Do I need a passport to check in at a hotel abroad?
Usually yes. In 11 of the 13 countries in our table, the law makes hotels record foreign guests, and a passport is the normal document for that. Inside your own country, a national ID card often works. Always carry the document you used for the booking name.
Will a Japanese hotel copy my passport?
Yes, if you have no address in Japan. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare says lodgings must record the nationality and passport number of these guests. The presentation and photocopying of the passport are also required. Japanese residents give their address instead.
Does paying with crypto mean the hotel will not check my ID?
No. ID checks depend on the country's law and the hotel's policy, not on how you paid. StaySats asks for no ID upload and no selfie at checkout, but the hotel checks your ID at check-in where the law requires it. Bring the document that matches your booking name.
Can I check in with a driver's license instead of a passport?
Sometimes, in your own country. Foreign guests usually need a passport: Germany asks for a passport or passport substitute, and Japan asks foreign non-residents for the passport itself. Hotels in the United States set their own ID policy. Ask the hotel before you travel.
Does StaySats keep a copy of my passport?
No. We ask only for the lead guest's name and an email address. We never ask for a passport scan, an ID upload or a selfie. The hotel collects your ID details at the front desk, under its country's law.
Is the UK hotel register still a legal rule?
Yes. The Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972 makes every guest aged 16 or over give a full name and nationality. Guests the order calls "aliens" also give a passport number and place of issue. The hotel keeps the record for at least 12 months, open to the police.
Why does a Thai or Vietnamese hotel need my passport?
To report you to the authorities. Thailand's Immigration Act makes hotel managers notify immigration within 24 hours of a foreign guest's arrival. Vietnam's law on foreigners makes accommodation declare foreign guests to the police within 12 hours, or 24 hours in remote areas.
Can I book a hotel in Spain with StaySats?
Not yet. Spain's Royal Decree 933/2021 makes booking intermediaries send guest and payment data to the Ministry of the Interior within 24 hours. Our registration is not done, so we do not sell hotels in Spain for now. Other countries in this table are open.
Sources (checked October 12, 2026) (18)
- Guidance on passport presentation and copies for foreign guests without an address in Japan — Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Notice on hotel guest registers from April 1, 2005 — Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Real Decreto 933/2021 — BOE (Spain) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Alloggiati Web — Polizia di Stato (Italy) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Who has to get a foreign tourist to fill out an individual police form? — Service-Public (France) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Fiche individuelle de police pour les clients étrangers — CNIL (France) (checked 2026-10-12)
- § 29 Bundesmeldegesetz — gesetze-im-internet.de (Germany) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Portaria n.º 415/2008 — Diário da República (Portugal) (checked 2026-10-12)
- The notification of residence of foreign nationals within 24 hours — Thailand Board of Investment (checked 2026-10-12)
- Ditjen Imigrasi minta pengelola penginapan wajib laporkan keberadaan tamu asing lewat APOA — ANTARA (Indonesia) (2025-03-27)
- Kanim Dabo Singkep sosialisasikan APOA — Directorate General of Immigration (Indonesia) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Law No. 47/2014/QH13 on entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners in Vietnam — LuatVietnam (English translation) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Regulations on Filing Accommodation Registration for Foreigners — National Immigration Administration (China) (checked 2026-10-12)
- Q&A on the short-term foreign guest lodging report system — Korea Immigration Service (2020-12-09)
- City of Los Angeles v. Patel, 576 U.S. 409 (2015) — Legal Information Institute (checked 2026-10-12)
- The Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972 — legislation.gov.uk (checked 2026-10-12)
- What Is the Minimum Age Required to Check In? — Marriott Help (checked 2026-10-12)
- FAQ's and Help — Choice Hotels (checked 2026-10-12)
Book in the name on your passport, pay in crypto
No ID upload at checkout. Top up from $25; the total is held, not charged, until the hotel confirms.