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Hotel guest registration in Germany: the Meldeschein

In Germany, foreign guests fill in and sign a special registration form, the Meldeschein, on the day they arrive, as § 29 of the Federal Registration Act (BMG) sets out. The hotel keeps the forms for one year from the guest's departure and shows them to the authorities when they ask. The law also lets the Meldeschein be completed electronically, with the guest's consent.

The Meldeschein is the form German hotels keep for their foreign guests. Here is what the law asks, how it can be done without paper, and how long the forms stay at the hotel.

Who fills it in

Every foreign guest, EU citizens included, signs the Meldeschein on the day of arrival (§ 29(2) BMG). A foreign spouse or registered partner and minor children travelling with them appear on the same form, counted by number. In groups of more than ten, the tour leader signs for the group and states how many foreign travellers there are and their nationalities.

Each foreign guest listed by name shows a valid passport, or a recognised substitute, at check-in (§ 29(3)). Youth hostels, mountain huts, company or club homes, education residences and the facilities of religious communities follow their own rule (§ 29(6)).

What the form records

The date of arrival and the expected departure, surname, first names, date of birth, nationalities and address; the number of people travelling together and their nationalities; and, for foreign guests, the serial number of their passport or substitute document (§ 30(2) BMG).

The Meldeschein without paper

§ 29(5) BMG lets the hotel collect the data electronically, with the guest's consent. The guest then confirms the data on the day of arrival in one of three ways:

  • A card payment with strong customer authentication.
  • An electronic proof of identity with the German eID card or the electronic residence permit.
  • Reading the eID card or residence permit at the hotel.

How long it is kept

The hotel keeps the forms, on paper or electronic, for one year from the guest's departure, and destroys them within the following three months (§ 30(4) BMG). The Meldeschein stays at the hotel and is handed to the authorities when they ask for it.

What Vesia does

  • The guest fills in the online check-in from their phone, with the fields their hotel's authority asks for.
  • Vesia keeps the registration for the time the law sets and deletes it when that time is up.
  • For an inspection, the hotel's administrator exports a period of up to one year, with foreign guests only, and the export stays in the activity log.
  • Vesia keeps the fields of the identity document, as the law asks, and leaves the image of the document out.
  • The confirmation on the day of arrival, by signature or by one of the electronic ways of § 29(5), is done with the hotel's own means.

Frequently asked questions

Who must fill in a Meldeschein in Germany? Every foreign guest, EU citizens included, on the day of arrival (§ 29(2) BMG).

How long does the hotel keep the Meldeschein? One year from departure; then it destroys it within three months (§ 30(4) BMG).

Can the Meldeschein be electronic? Yes, with the guest's consent (§ 29(5) BMG). The guest confirms the data on the day of arrival with a card payment with strong customer authentication, with the German eID, or by having their ID card read at the hotel.

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