An online check-in app lets your guest fill in their details and sign on their phone before they arrive. Then it sends the guest report to SES.Hospedajes, the Spanish Interior Ministry’s website, without you typing anything.
If you run an apartment or a holiday rental, check six things before you pick one. In this order: automatic guest reports, no ID copies, languages, signature, alerts and price per property. You can test all of them in a free trial with a real booking. Regi gives you 21 days free.
What an online check-in app does
The guest gets a link when they book. They open it in their phone’s browser, with nothing to install. They type in their document details, sign, and they’re done.
The app checks each field as they type. Then it builds the guest report and sends it to SES.Hospedajes. The law says it must go out within 24 hours of the guest’s arrival.
This article is about choosing the app. What data the law asks for, who must report and what the report looks like are in the traveler registration app guide and in the traveler registration pillar.
Six things it must do, in order
1. Send the report to SES.Hospedajes by itself
This is the feature that saves you work and risk. Some tools only collect the details and hand you a file to upload yourself. Others send it as soon as the guest finishes.
Ask where the receipt for each submission is kept. If you are ever asked for proof, you will need it.
2. Never ask for a copy of the ID or passport
Many apps ask for a photo of the document. The AEPD, Spain’s data protection agency, says asking for that copy to meet the registration rule breaks the law. The data the rule lists is enough. How to check the document without copying it is in copying a guest’s passport or ID: what the law says.
An app that skips the photo stores less data and causes you fewer problems. The guest also finishes sooner.
3. Speak the guest’s language
A foreign guest fills in a form badly if they can’t read it. And one wrong field can get the report rejected.
Check which languages the form comes in, and whether it picks up the phone’s language by itself.
4. Collect the signature
The guest report carries the traveler’s signature. The app should collect it on screen, with a finger, and keep it with the report. No paper needed.
5. Warn you when a check-in is missing
The usual failure isn’t a badly filled report. It’s a booking that arrives with nothing filled in at all.
A good app emails you if a booking for today or tomorrow still has no check-in. It also lets you resend the link to the guest, for example on WhatsApp.
6. Charge per property, with no lock-in
With one or two flats, a hotel plan doesn’t make sense. Look for a monthly price per property, published on the website, and a plan you can cancel any time.
What to check in each tool
Use this table during the free trial. Make a test booking and do the check-in yourself, as if you were the guest.
| What to check | How to check it in the trial |
|---|---|
| Report to SES | Do a test check-in and look for the submission receipt |
| No ID copy | See whether the form asks for a photo of the document |
| Languages | Open the link on a phone set to English or French |
| Signature | Check that the signature is saved with the report |
| Alerts | Leave a booking without check-in and see if an email arrives |
| Price | Find the per-property price and the cancellation terms |
| Fixing a report | Find how to change or cancel a report already sent |
| Data deletion | Ask how long it keeps reports and whether it deletes them |
The rule says registration data must be kept for three years after the guest leaves. A good app keeps it that long and then deletes it.
Three kinds of tool
Not every app is built for the same kind of property. There are three broad kinds:
- Check-in and registration app. It does online check-in and sends the report. It usually charges per property. It fits one or several apartments.
- Property management system (PMS) with check-in. It handles bookings, cleaning and invoices, and check-in is one more module. It makes sense if you manage many homes and already use it.
- Hotel system. Built for a front desk, rooms and lobby kiosks. For an apartment it is usually expensive and more than you need.
How it works, step by step
- Link after the booking. The guest gets it by email or WhatsApp. A good place is the booking confirmation email. You can also use a short link or QR code.
- Document details. The traveler types their document type and number and the other fields. The app checks them on the spot.
- Signature. The guest signs the report on screen.
- Report sent. The app sends it to SES.Hospedajes without you stepping in.
- Arrival. The guest gets your access instructions and arrives with no paperwork.
To speed up the guest’s part, see faster online check-in.
Extras that can wait
Some apps sell more: collecting the deposit, offering late check-out, opening smart locks or connecting to your management software. They can help, but they don’t replace the six things above.
Choose on the report and the guest first. Extras come later.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between an online check-in app and traveler registration? The app is the tool the guest uses to register. Traveler registration is the duty to send their details to the Interior Ministry. A good app does both in one step.
Does the guest need to download an app? No. Most run in the browser. The guest opens a link, types their details and signs.
Is online identity verification safe? It depends on how it’s done. The AEPD warns that receiving a photo of a passport doesn’t prove who sent it. The options it names are looking at the document when the guest arrives or, remotely, a digital certificate, matching the details against the payment method, or sending a code to the guest’s phone or email.
Does an online check-in app work for a hotel or hostel? Yes. The registration rule is the same. But with a front desk and many rooms, a hotel system may suit you better.
Is online check-in legal in Spain? Yes. It’s a valid way to meet traveler registration, as long as the data reaches SES.Hospedajes as Royal Decree 933/2021 requires.