You do not have to copy documents, and without the guest’s consent you should not. A host’s obligation in Slovakia is: verify the guest’s identity and transcribe the legally specified data into the guest register — and for foreigners, additionally into the report for the Foreigners Police. And one thing is prohibited expressly: you must not keep an identity card as a deposit (§15 of Act No. 395/2019 Coll.).
What may I, must I, and must I not do?
| Action | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Ask for the document and verify the guest’s identity | Yes — it is the precondition for the register entry |
| Transcribe the legally specified data into the guest register | Yes, mandatory |
| Make a copy/scan of the document without the guest’s consent | No — no legal basis, breach of the minimisation principle |
| Make a copy with genuinely voluntary consent | Only with a clear purpose and retention period |
| Keep the document as a deposit during the stay | No — an express statutory prohibition (§15 of Act No. 395/2019 Coll.) |
Why is blanket copying a problem?
An identity document contains considerably more data than the host needs for their legal obligations: a facial photograph, birth number, signature, dates of issue and validity. With a copy or scan you process all of that data at once — without a legal basis and contrary to the data-minimisation principle under GDPR. Practitioner sources identify handling of guests’ documents as the single riskiest GDPR area for Slovak hosts.
An honest answer to whether Slovak law expressly prohibits copying documents: no, you will not find an express copying ban in the Identity Cards Act (unlike the Czech legislation, which has one). In practice, the prohibition follows from GDPR — a copy requires a legal basis, and in ordinary accommodation that basis is missing, unless it is the guest’s genuinely voluntary consent.
What the Identity Cards Act expressly prohibits
Act No. 395/2019 Coll. provides in §15 that an identity card must not be handed over or accepted as a pledge, and must not be handed over or taken in connection with the provision of services. The practice of some receptions of keeping a guest’s document during the stay — whether as a key deposit or for transcribing the data later — is therefore directly contrary to the law. Ask for the document, transcribe the data, and hand the document straight back.
How much data do you actually need?
- A Slovak guest: name and surname, identity card or travel document number, permanent address, duration of accommodation — entered into the guest register. You do not need the birth number.
- A foreigner: additionally the data for the police report — date of birth, nationality, travel document number, purpose of stay — with a reporting deadline of 5 days from accommodation. It is still a transcription of data, not a copy of the passport.
For an overview of which obligation applies to which guest, see Do I have to report Slovak guests?
How Best Guest handles this
At online check-in the guest fills in their own data before arrival — only the fields needed for the guest register and, for foreigners, for the police-report documents enter the system, not an image of the whole document. Reception therefore neither copies nor transcribes documents, and the data sit in structured records from which you can precisely demonstrate, in an inspection or on a guest’s erasure request, what you process about them.
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to make a copy of a guest's ID card?
No. No law requires a copy of the document from the host — the obligation is to verify identity and enter the legally specified data into the guest register, and for foreigners also into the police report. Transcribing the data fulfils this obligation exactly as well as a copy would, but without needlessly processing the photograph, birth number and other data you do not need for accommodation.
May I make a copy or scan of the document if the guest consents?
With the guest's genuinely voluntary, informed consent it is possible — but the consent must not be a condition of accommodation, you must be able to prove it was given, and you must have a clearly defined purpose and retention period for the copy. Without consent or another legal basis, blanket copying of documents conflicts with the data-minimisation principle under GDPR.
May reception keep a guest's ID card as a deposit?
No. Act No. 395/2019 Coll. on Identity Cards, in §15, expressly prohibits handing over or accepting an identity card as a pledge, and handing it over or taking it in connection with the provision of services. The practice of keeping a guest's document at reception during the stay is therefore directly contrary to the law, not just to GDPR.
Do I need a Slovak guest's birth number?
No. The guest register takes the name and surname, document number, address and duration of accommodation — the birth number is not among the legally required data, and collecting it across the board is an unnecessary extra risk from a GDPR perspective.
What about foreigners — surely I need more data there?
Yes, for foreigners you record the data needed for the report to the Foreigners Police (name, travel document number, date of birth, nationality, duration and purpose of stay). It is still a transcription of specific data, though, not a duty to make a copy of the passport — and the reporting deadline is 5 days from accommodation.
Sources
Verified against
Informational only
This page is provided for general information and is not legal or tax advice. Rates, deadlines and exemptions are set by law and municipal ordinances and can change — always verify current requirements with your municipality or a qualified advisor.