The libro registro de viajeros: from the paper book to the computerised register
Royal Decree 933/2021 changed how guests are registered in Spain: the libro-registro (the register book) described by Orden INT/1922/2003 gave way to a computerised register and a telematic report within 24 hours. Here is what still stands, what does not, and what to do today.
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The duty to register travellers still exists, but it no longer takes the form of a book. Royal Decree 933/2021 requires a computerised register (registro informático) holding the data in annex I, to be kept for three years (arts. 5.1 and 5.3), and moves the reporting to a telematic submission within a maximum of 24 hours (art. 6.3 and 6.4) which, in most of Spain, is made to SES Hospedajes. Orden INT/1922/2003, the rule on libros-registro and hojas-registro (the register sheets), has not been expressly repealed: the decree’s single repealing provision keeps that order in force «en lo que no contravenga» the decree (that is, in so far as it does not contradict it) and for as long as the decree’s implementing rules have not been issued.
What was the libro registro de viajeros?
The libro registro de viajeros (the guest register) was, literally, a book. Orden INT/1922/2003 described it as the set of the partes de entrada (entry reports) already completed and signed: once the form is filled in and signed, it «quedará en el establecimiento a efectos de confección de un libro-registro en formato impreso o digital», in other words it stays at the establishment to be compiled into a register book, on paper or in digital form. Paper books were arranged in consecutive order, with a minimum of 100 sheets and a maximum of 500.
That book was not sent anywhere: it stayed at the accommodation, at the disposal of the security forces (Fuerzas y Cuerpos de Seguridad), who could ask to see it at any time. What did leave the establishment was the information on the hojas-registro, which had to be reported to the police station (comisaría de Policía) or, failing that, to the Guardia Civil post within the twenty-four hours following the start of each traveller’s stay.
- ✓The partes de entrada followed the model in the annex to the order and were generated by the establishment itself.
- ✓They could be completed by hand or by computer, but the traveller had to sign them «de manera inexcusable» (without fail), on paper or in digital form.
- ✓Libros-registro were kept for three years from the last sheet they contained, or from the date of recording when they were held by digital means.
- ✓There were four reporting channels: hand delivery or post to the police office, fax, magnetic media, and transmission of files over the internet.
- ✓Reporting the information did not exempt from «la obligación de cumplimentar el parte, de su firma por el alojado y de la confección del libro-registro correspondiente» (the duty to complete the report, have the guest sign it and compile the corresponding libro-registro).
Official sources
- BOE-A-2003-13865 — Orden INT/1922/2003, of 3 July— Consolidated text: libros-registro and partes de entrada de viajeros
Does the libro registro still exist after RD 933/2021?
The obligation continues; the book does not. Royal Decree 933/2021 does not mention any «libro» (book): its article 5.1 requires those under the duty to keep a computerised register with the data in annexes I and II, and its article 5.3 provides that this data must be kept for three years from the end of the contracted service.
Orden INT/1922/2003 was not expressly repealed either. The decree’s single repealing provision says that, «en tanto no se produzca el desarrollo de este real decreto» (until this royal decree is implemented), that order «mantendrá su vigencia en lo que no contravenga su contenido» (will remain in force in so far as it does not contradict the decree), and the single transitional provision repeats the idea for the other rules concerned. The consolidated text of the order on the BOE itself has carried that notice since 27 October 2021.
Put differently: registering has not stopped being mandatory, it has been computerised. What has been left behind is the paper book as the normal way of complying — the order itself already admitted the digital format after its 2021 reform — and, above all, the circuit of taking the information to the police station.
| Orden INT/1922/2003 | RD 933/2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is called | Libro-registro, made up of hojas-registro | Computerised register (art. 5.1) |
| Format | Printed or digital (apartado segundo.3) | Computerised (art. 5.1) |
| Traveller’s signature | Mandatory, on paper or in digital form | Parte de entrada signed by every person over fourteen (art. 4.2) |
| Who it is reported to | Police station or Guardia Civil post | The competent authorities, by telematic procedures (art. 6.4) |
| When it is reported | Within 24 hours of the start of the stay | Immediately and within 24 hours at most, on making or cancelling the booking or contract and at the start of the services (art. 6.3) |
| How long it is kept | Three years from the last sheet or from the recording | Three years from the end of the contracted service (art. 5.3) |
The 2003 order has not been expressly repealed: it stays in force in so far as it does not contradict the royal decree («en lo que no contravenga») and for as long as its implementing rules have not been issued.
Official sources
- BOE-A-2021-17461 — Royal Decree 933/2021, of 26 October— Consolidated text: articles 4 to 8 and the single repealing provision
What does an accommodation have to do today?
It helps to separate three obligations that are constantly confused with one another: reporting who you are before you start, recording the data of each stay, and reporting that data on time.
- ✓Before starting the activity, report the landlord’s and the establishment’s details (items 1 and 2 of annex I). If either changes, it must be reported again (art. 6.1 and 6.2).
- ✓Collect from each traveller the data in item 3 of annex I and the entry report (parte de entrada), which every person over fourteen signs; for children under fourteen, the data is supplied by the adult accompanying them (art. 4.2).
- ✓Keep the computerised register with that data and the transaction data, and keep it for three years (arts. 5.1 and 5.3).
- ✓Transmit the travellers’ and the transaction data immediately and within 24 hours at most, by telematic means (art. 6.3 and 6.4). In most of Spain that submission is made to SES Hospedajes.
- ✓Accommodation carried out on a non-professional basis is exempt from the register and retention obligations of article 5, but not from the reporting ones, and may report by non-telematic means (arts. 5.4 and 6.4).
Official sources
- hospedajes.ses.mir.es— Official SES Hospedajes portal (Ministerio del Interior)
Libro registro, hoja de registro, parte de entrada, parte de viajeros: is it all the same thing?
They are four names for three different things, and the confusion comes from the rules having changed vocabulary without the sector changing its habits.
| Term | What it is | Where the name comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Parte de entrada (entry report) | The document holding a traveller’s data, which the traveller signs if over fourteen | It is the term of RD 933/2021 (art. 4) and heads the model in the annex to Orden INT/1922/2003 |
| Hoja-registro (or «hoja de registro»; the register sheet) | That same document once completed | The annex to the 2003 order titles its model «parte de entrada de viajeros — hoja-registro», and its apartado tercero speaks of reporting «la información contenida en las hojas-registro» |
| Libro registro de viajeros (the guest register) | The ordered set of those sheets, printed or digital, which stays at the accommodation | Apartado segundo of the 2003 order; RD 933/2021 replaces it with the computerised register of art. 5.1 |
| Parte de viajeros (traveller report) | The everyday name for reporting the traveller’s data to the authorities | It is how it is known in the sector; in the Ministry’s technical interface that type of communication is identified as «PV» |
Neither rule writes «hoja de registro» as such: the legal text says «hoja-registro», with a hyphen. And the «hojas de servicios» of article 4 of RD 933/2021 are not about accommodation but about vehicle rental.
Related resources
- What the traveller report is and how to file it— The guide to the report itself, step by step
- Royal Decree 933/2021 explained— Who it affects, what obligations it imposes and what penalties it provides for
Is an Excel file valid as a libro registro de viajeros?
RD 933/2021 requires a computerised register with the data in annex I and names no program or specific file format; its article 5.2 refers to «los términos que se determinen» (the terms to be determined). Orden INT/1922/2003, in force in so far as it does not contradict the royal decree, does set two conditions for a libro-registro in digital format: that it be compatible with the electronic means of the security forces (Fuerzas y Cuerpos de Seguridad) and that it allow «un tratamiento seguro a fin de garantizar la fiabilidad de los datos» (secure processing so as to guarantee the reliability of the data).
With all that on the table, a spreadsheet is neither prohibited nor expressly permitted. What is certain is what an Excel file does not do: it communicates nothing. Registering (art. 5) and reporting (art. 6) are two separate obligations, and the 2003 order already said so in the opposite direction — using any of the reporting systems did not exempt from compiling the libro-registro. Today the sentence reads the other way round: keeping the spreadsheet does not replace the telematic submission.
And there is a third consideration, which is one of data protection rather than public safety: that sheet holds identity document numbers, dates of birth and home addresses. Where the file is stored and who can open it is a decision in its own right.
- ✓If what you were looking for is a «formato de registro de huéspedes» (a guest-register format), what is usually missing is not the sheet but the fields: the complete inventory is in annex I of RD 933/2021.
- ✓From the BookCheckin dashboard you can export the complete register as CSV or Excel and download each stay’s traveller report as a PDF.
Related resources
- Traveller report template (PDF and Word)— Free model with the annex I fields, with a free account
- What GDPR requires for your guests’ data— Where to store the documents and for how long
And in Catalonia and the Basque Country?
The obligation to register and to report exists all the same, but the destination of the submission changes: in Catalonia the report goes to the Mossos d’Esquadra registry and in the Basque Country to the Ertzaintza’s, not to SES Hospedajes. Orden INT/1922/2003 itself already reserved, in its single additional provision, the powers that the autonomous communities have been recognised in this matter.
BookCheckin covers SES Hospedajes, the Mossos registry and the Ertzaintza’s Registro Hostelero, differently in each case: it files the report to SES Hospedajes automatically, while in Catalonia — where the Mossos publish no automatic filing channel — it prepares the guest file in the official Mossos format, once you have saved your establishment identifier on the property, and you upload it to the Mossos portal yourself. For the Basque Country, with the Ertzaintza, it works as in Catalonia: once you have saved the establishment code the Ertzaintza issued you on the property, BookCheckin prepares the XML file for its Registro Hostelero and you upload it to their portal yourself. BookCheckin never signs in to that portal and holds no Ertzaintza credential.
Related resources
- What changes in Catalonia— The Mossos d’Esquadra Registre de viatgers
- What changes in the Basque Country— The Ertzaintza’s Registro Hostelero
- How to prepare the file for the Mossos— Step-by-step manual for Mossos mode
How to keep the traveller register today, step by step
The five steps with which accommodation in Spain meets today the register and reporting obligations that replaced the libro registro de viajeros.
- 1
Report the pre-activity details
Before starting, report the landlord’s and the establishment’s details, which are items 1 and 2 of annex I of RD 933/2021. If either changes, a new report must be made (art. 6.1 and 6.2).
- 2
Collect each traveller’s data
Identification, date of birth, nationality, habitual residence, contact details and, when a minor travels, the family relationship. The entry report (parte de entrada) is signed by every person over fourteen; for children under fourteen, the data is supplied by the adult accompanying them (art. 4.2).
- 3
Keep the computerised register
Keep a computerised register with that data and the transaction data. It does not have to take the form of a book or of anything in particular: article 5.1 only requires that it be computerised and that it contain the annex data.
- 4
Report in under 24 hours
Transmit the travellers’ and the transaction data immediately and within 24 hours at most, by telematic means (art. 6.3 and 6.4). In most of Spain, to SES Hospedajes; in Catalonia and the Basque Country, to the corresponding regional registry.
- 5
Keep it for three years
The data in the computerised register is kept for three years from the end of the contracted service or provision (art. 5.3).
Frequently asked questions
Is the libro registro de viajeros still mandatory?+
The duty to register still exists; what has changed is its form. Article 5.1 of RD 933/2021 requires a computerised register with the data in annexes I and II, and 5.3 requires keeping it for three years from the end of the contracted service. Orden INT/1922/2003, which regulated the libro-registro, has not been expressly repealed: it remains in force «en lo que no contravenga» the royal decree (in so far as it does not contradict it) and for as long as its implementing rules have not been issued.
Do I have to buy a libro de registro de viajeros?+
Neither rule obliges you to buy anything. Orden INT/1922/2003 describes a libro-registro that the establishment itself compiles from its completed and signed entry reports, and expressly admits the digital format as well as the printed one. RD 933/2021 goes further and speaks directly of a computerised register. If a book is offered to you as a legal requirement, it is worth asking for the specific legal reference.
What is the hoja de registro de viajeros?+
It is the name Orden INT/1922/2003 gives to each entry report once completed: its annex titles the model «parte de entrada de viajeros — hoja-registro», and its apartado tercero speaks of reporting «la información contenida en las hojas-registro». The libro-registro was nothing more than the ordered set of those sheets. RD 933/2021 no longer uses that word: it speaks of partes de entrada (art. 4) and of a computerised register (art. 5).
Can the libro registro de viajeros be kept digitally?+
Yes. Orden INT/1922/2003 admits the libro-registro «en formato impreso o digital» and requires the digital one to be compatible with the electronic means of the security forces and to allow «un tratamiento seguro a fin de garantizar la fiabilidad de los datos» (secure processing that guarantees the reliability of the data). RD 933/2021 goes so far as to require the register to be computerised (art. 5.1).
Is an Excel file valid as a hotel guest register?+
The rule names no program or file format: article 5.1 of RD 933/2021 requires a computerised register with the annex I data and 5.2 refers to «los términos que se determinen» (the terms to be determined). So a spreadsheet is neither prohibited nor expressly permitted. What is certain is that it communicates nothing: registering (art. 5) and reporting (art. 6) are separate obligations, and the telematic submission still has to be made.
How long must the traveller register be kept?+
Three years. Article 5.3 of RD 933/2021 counts them from the end of the contracted service or provision. The 2003 order set the same period for libros-registro, counted from the last sheet they contained or from the date of recording when they were kept by digital means.
What happens if I do not keep the register?+
Article 8.2.a) of RD 933/2021 classes the lack of the documentary registers as a serious infringement in relation to article 36.20 of Organic Law 4/2015, and 8.3.a) treats irregularities or deficiencies in completing them as a minor infringement. The amounts are set by that organic law: €100 to €600 for minor ones and €601 to €30,000 for serious ones. Omitting the mandatory reports is also a serious infringement (art. 8.2.b) and making them late, a minor one (art. 8.3.b). The specific classification is decided by the sanctioning authority.
Does the traveller register go to the Police or the Guardia Civil?+
That was the old circuit. Orden INT/1922/2003 required the information on the hojas-registro to be reported to the police station or, failing that, to the Guardia Civil post, through four possible channels: hand delivery or post, fax, magnetic media and transmission of files over the internet. RD 933/2021 replaces all that with a telematic report to the competent authorities (art. 6.4) which, in most of Spain, is made through SES Hospedajes.
Do non-professional accommodations also have to keep the register?+
No. Article 5.4 of RD 933/2021 exempts those who carry out accommodation on a non-professional basis from the documentary register and retention obligations, but leaves them subject to the reporting obligations of article 6. In addition, article 6.4 lets them make those reports by non-telematic means, through the procedure to be determined.
Does keeping the register replace filing the traveller report?+
No, and it never did. The 2003 order said so in so many words in the opposite direction: using any of the reporting systems «no exime de la obligación de cumplimentar el parte, de su firma por el alojado y de la confección del libro-registro correspondiente» (does not exempt from completing the report, having the guest sign it and compiling the corresponding libro-registro). Today they are still two separate obligations: registering (art. 5) and reporting (art. 6).
And the «libro registro» mentioned in the context of the LOTT?+
That is something else. The LOTT is Ley 16/1987, of 30 July, on the Regulation of Land Transport (Ordenación de los Transportes Terrestres), and it regulates land transport, not accommodation. The register of travellers of an accommodation is in RD 933/2021 and, in so far as it does not contradict it, in Orden INT/1922/2003.
Keep the register without keeping a book
BookCheckin stores each stay’s data, exports it when you need it and files the traveller report for you.
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