Obligation to register in hotels, guesthouses, holiday flats and campsites

If you are staying at a place of accommodation – that is, a facility providing accommodation to people on a commercial or business basis – you must sign a special registration form on the day of your arrival. In the case of groups of more than ten people, this obligation applies only to the tour leader; they must state the number of fellow travellers and specify their nationalities.

Alternatively, with the consent of the guest, this obligation may also be fulfilled by collecting the required data electronically and having the guest confirm its accuracy and completeness on the day of arrival by carrying out a specific payment transaction that allows for authentication or by using an electronic proof of identity (identity card or electronic residence permit with eID function).

The following data is required for both procedures:

• Date of arrival and estimated date of departure,
• Surnames,
• First names,
• Date of birth,
• Nationality,
• Address,
• Number of fellow travellers and their nationalities (in the case of accompanying family members/travel groups),
• Serial number of the recognised and valid passport or passport substitute document for foreign nationals.

If the electronic procedure is used in conjunction with a specific payment transaction, the dedicated reference number for the payment method used must also be recorded.
The number of family members travelling with you must be stated on the registration form.
As a foreign national staying in accommodation, you must, upon registration, prove your identity to the managers of the accommodation facility or their representatives by presenting a valid identity document (a recognised and valid passport or passport substitute).
The special registration form is not required for residential facilities serving the purposes of youth and adult education, vocational training or further education, company or club accommodation where only company or club members and their family members are accommodated, youth hostels and mountain huts, temporarily occupied facilities run by public or publicly recognised youth work organisations, and facilities run by religious societies under public law.
The managers of accommodation facilities or their authorised representatives must have the special registration forms to hand and ensure that the persons concerned fulfil their obligation to sign the special registration form. They may also provide technical facilities for the electronic fulfilment of the registration obligation. In the case of foreign guests staying at the accommodation (who must present a valid identity document), the details provided on the registration form must be compared with those on the identity document. If any discrepancies arise, this must be noted on the registration form. If foreign guests staying at your premises do not present any identity document, or do not present a valid one, this must be noted on the registration form.
Where necessary for the collection of the tourist tax or spa tax, regional law may stipulate that further data may be collected on the registration form.

The signed registration forms or the data collected electronically must be retained by the manager of the accommodation establishment for one year from the date of the guest’s arrival, made available for inspection by the registration authorities and other authorities specified by law, and handed over to them upon request, protected against unauthorised access and destroyed within three months of the expiry of the retention period.

As soon as your stay in accommodation exceeds six months, you are subject to the general registration requirement. If you are not registered as living at an address in Germany and your stay exceeds three months, you must register with the registration authority within two weeks.

The obligation to report applies regardless of whether a specific reporting form was required or not.

The provisions apply mutatis mutandis where persons spend the night in tents, motorhomes, caravans or watercraft on sites made available for commercial or business purposes.

Sections 17, 29 and 30 of the Federal Registration Act (BMG )

• Section 29 of the Federal Registration Act (BMG)

Registration form, available at the accommodation.

Completing and signing the registration form at the accommodation

As a foreign national, you must prove your identity to the managers of the accommodation facility or their representatives by presenting a valid identity document (a recognised and valid passport or passport substitute); you must also register with the registration authority if your stay at the accommodation facility exceeds 6 months.

Fill in the registration form or the electronic registration form.

Registration form or electronic registration form

• Registration requirements for hotels, guesthouses, holiday let properties and campsites in Brandenburg

  Display of performance in the source portal

local registration authorities