For any owner of a tourist-use home (VUT) or accommodation manager, the Travelers’ Register Book is not just an administrative procedure; it is a citizen security document. One of the most common questions is: How long should I keep the travelers’ check-in records once the client has left?
From the Traveler Part Registry, we explain the legal deadlines, the method of preservation, and the consequences of not complying with this obligation.
What is the legal term?
According to current state regulations (Orden INT/1922/2003 and Real Decreto 933/2021), lodging establishments are required to keep the check-in forms (or the Register Book) for a period of 3 years.
This period starts counting from the day the entry report was generated.
In what format should they be stored?
The law allows flexibility in the format but requires order and immediate availability:
- Physical Register Book: If you use paper forms, they must be bound in volumes of between 100 and 500 sheets. They must be numbered and ready to be presented if an authority agent requests them during an inspection.
- Digital Register Book: More and more hosts are opting for digitalization. If you use a registration platform, make sure it allows you to download the complete Register Book. Digital files have the same legal validity, provided they guarantee the integrity of the data.
How should I save this data?
For any owner of a tourist-use home (VUT) or accommodation manager, the Travelers’ Register Book is not just an administrative procedure; it is a citizen security document. One of the most common questions is: How long should I keep the travelers’ check-in records once the client has left?
| Document Type | Retention Period | Reason |
| Input Section (Physical/Digital) | 3 years | Citizen Security (Organic Law 4/2015) |
| Invoices for the stay | 4 years | Tax Obligations (Treasury) |
| Contact information (Marketing) | Until the user revokes | GDPR (Data Protection) |
What happens after 3 years?
Once the legal period of three years has elapsed, the recommendation is the secure destruction of the documents.
Since the input forms contain sensitive personal data (ID numbers, signatures, addresses), you cannot simply throw them into the paper container. You must use a paper shredder (security level P-3 or higher) or hire a certified destruction service to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Penalties for non-compliance
Failing to keep the reports for the stipulated time or losing the Register Book may result in considerable financial penalties under the Citizen Security Law:
- Minor infractions: From €100 to €600.
- Serious infractions: From €601 to €30,000.
Conclusion
Keeping an organized file is the best defense against an inspection. Whether on a shelf or on your devices, make sure each traveler card is located and dated.
From the Travelers’ Registration Department, we recommend saving the Register Book Data in digital format, since saving them in physical files makes it more difficult for the authorities to consult them. These obligations to keep travelers’ entry records are usually made to ensure public safety and the protection of people who use tourist accommodations. Therefore, it is more convenient for you and for the authorities to have them in electronic format.
We recommend that you keep them on your devices and not upload them to cloud storage services, given the risks involved in storing any type of data, with it being especially common in recent years for large companies to have security breaches that could affect their customers. At Registro Parte Viajeros, we encrypt the data sent to us and send it immediately, keeping it only for the essential time so that there are no legal problems and errors can be corrected, greatly reducing the risk of data theft.
