Guest register for holiday lets: UK rules and a free template
Do UK holiday lets need a guest register? The Hotel Records Order 1972 explained: what to record, extra details for overseas guests, 12 months' storage, free template.
Yes, a UK holiday let needs a guest register. A law from 1972 that most hosts have never heard of applies to any place that provides sleeping accommodation for payment, your Airbnb included. You record the name and nationality of every guest aged 16 or over, a few extra details for most overseas guests, and keep the record for 12 months. Here is a free guest register template in Word, landscape, ready to print.
Download the guest register template (Word, free)
What are the guest registration rules in the UK?
They are in the Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972. Despite the name, it is not only for hotels: it covers any premises "where lodging or sleeping accommodation is provided for reward". A cottage on Airbnb, a flat on Booking.com and a B&B room all count.
| Guest | What you record |
|---|---|
| Everyone aged 16 or over | Full name and nationality, on arrival |
| Guests who are not British, Irish or Commonwealth citizens | Also passport number and place of issue, on arrival |
| The same overseas guests | Their next address, if known, before they leave |
You keep each entry, in writing, for at least 12 months, and show it to the police if they ask. You do not send it anywhere: unlike Spain or Italy, the UK has no portal and no deadline for reporting guests.
Who counts as an overseas guest?
The law says "alien": someone who is not a Commonwealth citizen, not a British protected person and not an Irish citizen. In practice:
- Name and nationality only: British, Irish, Australian, Canadian, Indian or South African guests.
- Plus passport details and next address: guests from the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, China and the rest of the world outside the Commonwealth.
So a couple from Lyon gives you their passport numbers, and a couple from Melbourne does not.
How to keep a guest register without meeting guests
- At booking, ask for the full name and nationality of every adult. For overseas guests, ask for passport number and place of issue too.
- Before arrival, fill in the register from the booking.
- On arrival, ask guests to check their line. With self check-in, leave the page on the table, or ask them to confirm by message.
- Before departure, ask overseas guests where they go next, and write it down if they know.
- After 12 months, delete or shred the entry. You do not need it longer.
A spreadsheet can replace the paper, as long as you can show the record when asked. Our article on Airbnb self check-in covers lockboxes, smart locks and messages.
What not to collect
The Order lists what you need, and UK GDPR says you should not collect more than you need. So:
- no passport details for British, Irish or Commonwealth guests;
- no photocopies or photos of passports;
- no dates of birth or home addresses: the Order does not ask for them.
Less data on file means less to protect and less to lose.
The guest register has nothing to do with registering the property itself: England's planned national register, Wales's register of visitor accommodation and Scotland's short-term let licences are separate rules. We cover them in holiday let registration and licences in the UK.
Message to send after booking
"Thanks for your booking! UK law asks us to keep a simple guest register. Could you send the full name and nationality of each guest aged 16 or over? If you are not a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen, please add your passport number and where it was issued. That's all we need."
The register on the table, the guide on their phone
GuestQR does not keep your guest register or store passport details: that stays with you. What it does is take over the questions around arrival. Paste your Airbnb or Booking.com link, and in the arrival section of your digital guidebook write "Please check your line in the guest register on the table". Guests read it before they arrive, in their own language, one of 8, and inside the property a QR poster on the wall opens the same guide, with the Wi-Fi, house rules and check-out. No house rules yet? Start with our Airbnb house rules template.
