Guest registration record

What you need to know

The plain-English guidance that comes with this document.

• This is a genuine legal duty, and most hosts don't know it exists. The Immigration (Hotel Records) Order 1972 requires anyone who provides accommodation for reward — hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, inns, and it's widely read to cover holiday lets and short-term lets too — to keep a record of every guest aged 16 or over. You must record at least their full name and nationality. It applies even to a single spare room let out for money.
• Overseas guests: more detail, and you must keep it longer. For guests who aren't British or Irish nationals you must also record their passport or other identity document number and place of issue, and — on or before departure — their next destination (a full address if they have one). This is the part people forget.
• Keep the records for at least 12 months. The Order requires you to retain the register for a minimum of twelve months and to produce it to a police officer or immigration officer on request. Store it securely — it's personal data (see your guest privacy notice) — but keep it accessible.
• You only need the lead guest's full details, plus names of the rest. In practice you register the person making the booking in full; for others in the party aged 16+ a name is the core requirement, with the overseas details applying to any who aren't UK/Irish nationals. When in doubt, record more rather than less.
• This is separate from, and as well as, right-to-rent. Right-to-rent checks apply to residential tenancies, not short holiday stays, so they don't normally bite here — but the guest register duty is its own thing and does apply. Don't confuse the two.
• A physical book or a printed sheet both work. There's no prescribed format — a bound register, a printed sheet per arrival, or a secure digital record are all fine, as long as it captures the required information and you can produce it on request. Many hosts prefer a sheet per booking so guest details aren't visible to the next arrival.
• Adapt it, and check your position. This is a solid, current template, but you should confirm how the duty applies to your specific setup — check the current guidance for your nation and keep it under review.