Traveler registration in SES.HOSPEDAJES: complete guide

Since December 2024, reporting each guest's data to the Ministry of the Interior is mandatory, with no exceptions. We walk you through the complete process, the 18 required fields, and the mistakes most likely to result in fines.

Equipo Fee4MeSpain9 Jul 202610 min read

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If you rent out a vacation property in Spain, every guest who walks through your door creates a legal obligation. This is not a recommendation or a best practice: it is a mandatory report to the Ministry of the Interior that must be submitted within 24 hours, and failure to comply carries penalties. The obligation has existed for decades — the old paper traveler registration form — but Royal Decree 933/2021 transformed it completely: more data fields, a single digital channel, and strict deadlines.

The system is called SES.HOSPEDAJES and has been mandatory since December 2, 2024, following several postponements. It replaces the former platforms of the Guardia Civil (Hospederías) and the Policía Nacional (WebPol), and applies to all types of accommodation: hotels, hostels, campsites, rural houses, and, of course, vacation rental properties.

What it is exactly and who it applies to

The traveler registration system requires you to report each guest's identifying information to the State Security Forces. Its purpose is public safety — not tax collection: it has nothing to do with the tax authorities or tourist taxes, even though these are often confused.

It applies to any hospitality activity carried out for profit and for a purpose other than primary residence, regardless of format or duration. In other words: it doesn't matter whether you rent for one night or one month, whether it's your only property or you manage twenty. If there is accommodation and there is a price, there is an obligation.

Important: not every region uses SES.HOSPEDAJES

This is the point that leads to the most violations, especially among those who manage properties in multiple regions. Catalonia and the Basque Country maintain their own systems: properties in Catalonia report to the Mossos d'Esquadra, and those in the Basque Country to the Ertzaintza. Sending data for a Barcelona property to SES.HOSPEDAJES does not fulfill your obligation — you would still be in breach.

Each region has its own system. If you have properties in Madrid and Barcelona, you need two separate workflows.

The data you need to collect

Royal Decree 933/2021 expanded the required information from 14 to 18 fields, split between guest data and booking data. The guest fields are the ones you already know, plus two that are often overlooked:

Full name and surnames.
Type and number of identity document (national ID for Spanish citizens, identity card for EU nationals, passport for foreign nationals).
Document support number (the code on the back of the Spanish national ID; this is one of the new fields).
Nationality, sex, and date of birth.
Permanent place of residence, with full address and country (the other new field).
Phone number and email address.
Relationship to the lead traveler, in the case of minors.

And the booking data: check-in and check-out dates, number of guests, property details, and payment method. Regarding the latter, the Spanish Data Protection Agency has clarified that it is sufficient to record the cardholder's name, card type, expiry date, and the last four digits — do not store the full card number.

What about minors?

The requirement to identify guests by document applies to those aged 14 and over. For accompanied minors, you must record the relationship or the legal basis for the accompanying adult's responsibility (guardian, teacher, group leader). It's worth reviewing this carefully, as check-in platforms don't always handle it correctly.

The deadline: 24 hours, and they go fast

The report must be submitted immediately and, in any case, within a maximum of 24 hours from the start of the stay. If the stay is shorter than 24 hours, the data must be submitted before the guest checks out. A classic mistake: a guest checks in at 10:00 PM and the host leaves the submission for "tomorrow morning"; if it's done by 9:00 AM the next day, that's fine — but push it another day and you're already out of compliance.

In addition, you must retain the data for three years from the end of the stay, in a digital record that can be made available during an inspection. It's also advisable to save the confirmation receipt returned by the platform: it's your proof of compliance.

How to do it, step by step

Step 1 — Register your property on the Ministry of the Interior's electronic portal. You will need a digital certificate or Cl@ve. This is a prerequisite: without registration you cannot submit reports.
Step 2 — Collect the data from all guests before handing over the keys. The best approach is an online check-in form completed before arrival.
Step 3 — Submit the data to the platform within 24 hours of check-in. You can do this manually, by file upload (CSV or XML), or via automatic integration from your property management software.
Step 4 — Save the confirmation receipt and retain the record for three years.

What happens if you don't comply

The penalty framework is set out in Organic Law 4/2015 on the Protection of Public Safety, and distinguishes two levels:

Minor violations (€100 to €600): submitting data late, transmitting incomplete or incorrect information, or irregularities in completing the registration.
Serious violations (€601 to €30,000): not being registered as an accommodation provider, or failing to report guest data at all.

In practice, inspectors look for intent or repeated negligence, not one-off oversights. A late submission caused by a documented system outage rarely results in a penalty; a sustained pattern of submissions at 36 or 48 hours does. Enforcement proceedings are already underway.

The five mistakes that cost the most

Submitting to the wrong system: using SES.HOSPEDAJES for a property in Catalonia or the Basque Country.
Outdated check-in forms: ones that don't capture the document support number or the country of permanent residence — the two new fields.
Leaving it to the end of the day: during high season, with multiple check-ins, there's always one that slips through.
Forgetting accompanying guests: every traveler must be registered, not just the person who made the booking.
Not saving the confirmation receipt: without it, proving compliance during an inspection becomes very difficult.

Frequently asked questions

Can I refuse to accommodate someone who won't provide their details?

Yes. The obligation is a legal one, not merely contractual: without the required data you cannot legally accommodate that person. In practice, most guests comply once they understand it is a legal requirement.

Do canceled bookings need to be registered?

No. Only guests who actually stay need to be reported. That said, any changes to data already submitted require a new submission.

Do I need the guest's consent to process their data?

No. The processing is covered by a legal obligation (Article 6.1.c of the GDPR), so consent is not required. However, you must inform the guest of the purpose and the three-year retention period: review your privacy policy to make sure this is covered.

How long does it take to do it properly?

Manually, between fifteen and twenty minutes per guest — between collecting documents, transcribing the fields, and submitting. With an integrated check-in system that validates and submits the data automatically, it drops to under a minute. With one property, doing it by hand may be workable; with ten, it isn't.

In summary

Traveler registration is no longer a minor formality. It means 18 data fields, a 24-hour deadline, three years of record retention, and an active enforcement regime. The good news is that it can be automated effectively: a solid check-in process collects the right fields, validates them before submission, and stores the confirmation receipt automatically.

As always with regulatory matters, this guide is for informational purposes only: rules change, and it's worth checking against the official source — the Ministry of the Interior's electronic portal — and consulting a professional if in doubt. For further context, you may also find our vacation rental regulations guide or the article on the tourist license in Andalucía useful.