Published on: 18/05/2026
If you manage a holiday apartment, hotel, rural house or any other type of accommodation in Spain, you already know that the traveller registration form is not optional. Every arriving guest must be registered and reported to the Spanish security forces within a maximum of 24 hours. A process that, when handled on paper or manually, wastes time and breeds mistakes.
The good news is: mobile apps to create traveller registration forms easily do exist, and some of them fully automate the registration and submission process. In this article we explain how they work, what to look for and why Check-in Scan has become one of the most widely used solutions by accommodation managers across Spain.
Contenido
The traveller registration form — also known as the police record or guest registration form — is the document that all accommodation establishments in Spain are required to complete with the identifying details of each guest. Its legal basis is found in Orden INT/1922/2003 and in Royal Decree 933/2021, which modernised and expanded the information requirements.
Since Royal Decree 933/2021 came into force, the required data was significantly expanded to include information such as the document support number, payment method and guest contact details. This change has prompted many accommodation providers to look for digital solutions and mobile apps that simplify the process.
The obligation applies to any establishment offering paid accommodation, including:
Important: Even if you only manage one apartment and rent it out occasionally, you are legally required to register your guests and report their details to the relevant authority.
Yes, and their use has grown sharply in recent years. The market offers different types of solutions, from generic hotel management applications to tools specifically designed for guest registration and automatic submission to the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil.
Generally speaking, these applications fall into three categories:
These are the most complete solutions. They allow the guest to enter their details from their own device — before or during check-in — and the app automatically generates the traveller registration form and submits it to the authorities. Check-in Scan belongs to this category.
Some Property Management Systems (PMS) include a guest registration module. These are useful for high-volume establishments, although their setup can be more complex and their cost considerably higher.
Both the Policía Nacional (through the SES — Sistema de Entrada al Sistema) and the Guardia Civil (via the HOSPEDAJES system) provide web platforms for submitting registration forms. However, these are not mobile applications as such and require manual data entry with no automation.
Check-in Scan is a mobile application developed specifically so that tourist accommodation providers in Spain can create and submit traveller registration forms quickly, simply and in full legal compliance. Its design is aimed at property owners and managers who need to meet all current legal obligations without technical headaches.
The process is as straightforward as these steps:
The entire process takes place from a mobile phone in a matter of seconds, with no need for a computer or paper forms.
Manual registration — whether on paper or by logging directly into the police portal — remains legal, but it presents clear disadvantages compared to mobile solutions:
Key fact: Failure to comply with the guest registration obligation can result in fines of up to 30,000 euros under Organic Law 4/2015 on the Protection of Public Safety.
If you are evaluating which application to use, these are the criteria that should not be missing:
One of the most valued aspects of Check-in Scan is its full adaptation to Royal Decree 933/2021, which was introduced progressively and brought significant changes to the data that must be collected from each guest. The newly mandatory fields include:
The application automatically populates all these fields upon scanning the document, minimising the need for manual input from the property manager.
Yes, provided the application is officially integrated with the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil systems. Check-in Scan operates within this legal framework and submissions made through the app carry full legal validity.
An internet connection is required to submit the form to the authorities. However, scanning and completing the form can be done offline, with the data submitted automatically as soon as the device reconnects to the network.
Yes. The application allows you to manage multiple properties from a single account, with separate profiles per establishment and independent access to each property’s submission history.
Submitted forms can be corrected or cancelled through the official systems. Check-in Scan makes this process straightforward from within the app itself, without having to access the police portal manually.
Yes. The application is compatible with both the Policía Nacional’s SES system and the Guardia Civil’s HOSPEDAJES system, meaning it can be used in any municipality in Spain regardless of which security force has territorial jurisdiction.
The answer is clear: mobile apps to create traveller registration forms easily do exist, and the most complete solution for the Spanish market is Check-in Scan. Scanning a guest’s document, generating the form and submitting it to the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil in under a minute is not just possible — it is already what thousands of accommodation providers across Spain are doing every day.
If you are still handling guest registration manually, now is the time to make the digital shift. Your time has value, and so does your peace of mind.
