Online check-in is not just a more convenient arrival — it is the way to cover all record-keeping obligations at once with a single submission from the guest: the police report, the guest register and the documentation for the accommodation tax. Here is what it must contain for that to work legally and practically.
Why collect data before arrival
Three legal obligations of a Slovak host rest on the same guest data:
| Obligation | Data needed |
|---|---|
| Reporting foreigners (within 5 days) | name, date of birth, nationality, document number, dates of stay, purpose of stay, signature |
| Guest register | name, document data, arrival and departure dates |
| Accommodation tax | number of persons and nights, exemption entitlement |
Reservation platforms typically give you only a name and contact details out of that — the rest you must collect yourself. The only question is when and how: by manually transcribing from the document at arrival, or with an online form in advance. Legally, collecting in advance is fine — the law sets the latest reporting deadline, not the earliest moment of collection.
What an online check-in should contain
- Identification data — name, surname, date of birth, nationality, document number.
- Stay data — arrival and departure dates, number of persons.
- Purpose of stay — a mandatory report item for foreigners; selected from a code list that the Ministry of Interior does not publish publicly.
- Documentation for tax exemptions — children’s ages, ZŤP cards, per your municipality’s ordinance (VZN).
- Electronic signature — covers the foreigner’s signature on the report form as well as agreement to the house rules.
- Stay rules — house rules delivered before arrival are more enforceable than a noticeboard in the flat.
GDPR: data yes, copying documents carefully
Collect data, not documents: transcribed document data suffice to fulfil the obligations, and blanket copying of ID cards and passports is a risky practice from a data-minimisation perspective — in detail in the article on copying documents. Online check-in also includes informing the guest what the data will be used for (the host’s legal obligations) and how long they are retained.
Language decides completion
The most common reason guests do not complete the form is the language barrier. A foreign guest who receives a form in Slovak puts it off “for later” — a form in their own language gets filled in right away. With international clientele, a multilingual form is the difference between 90% and 30% completion before arrival.
How Best Guest handles this
This is exactly the core of Best Guest: after booking, the guest receives a link to the online check-in in their own language (the form is available in 43 languages), fills in their data including the purpose of stay from the correct code list, and signs electronically. From that single submission, the guest register keeps itself, the accommodation tax is calculated, and the police-report documents are prepared for filing via portal.minv.sk — no transcribing and no chasing guests at arrival.
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
Is online check-in legal in Slovakia — does it replace paper forms?
Yes. The law does not prescribe a paper form of guest records — the guest register can be digital as long as it is complete and producible at an inspection, and the data for reporting foreigners can be collected electronically. The guest's signature on the report form can be provided by electronic signature during online check-in.
What data must an online check-in collect?
At minimum, what the official obligations require: name and surname, date of birth, nationality, document number, dates of stay, purpose of stay (for foreigners) and a signature. Plus the data for the accommodation tax — the number of persons and nights and any entitlement to an exemption (for example age or a ZŤP card).
Can I ask the guest for a photocopy of their document?
Carefully — the data-minimisation principle under GDPR says: collect data, not documents, if the data suffice. Transcribed document data are enough to fulfil the report and the guest register; blanket copying of documents is the riskier practice. In detail in the article on copying documents.
When should the guest fill in the check-in?
Ideally before arrival. The report for a foreigner must be filed within 5 days of accommodation, and data filled in ahead of time mean your documents are ready on arrival day — instead of chasing guests during their stay. Collecting in advance is also legally fine: the law sets the latest reporting deadline, not the earliest moment of data collection.
What if a guest refuses to fill in the data online?
You need the data either way — the alternative is manual collection at arrival. It helps to communicate that this is a legal obligation (for foreigners, the police report), not marketing. In practice the vast majority of guests complete the online form, especially when it is in their language.
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.