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The registration card is still on paper

Every guest writes down at check-in what they already entered when booking.

Typical for: leisure hotels with mandatory registration and Saturday arrivals · houses that transfer the registration card into the PMS after check-in · operations with a guest card or local tax built on registration data

Documented by Hospis

Updated: 8 November 2026

How you recognize it

  • The registration card is printed, filled in by the guest and retyped by reception
  • On Saturdays between 3 and 5 pm reception is permanently at the printer
  • Addresses and birth dates in the PMS are illegible or wrong because they were handwritten
  • The report to the authorities or the tourism system is caught up on in the evening
  • Guest cards or ski passes can only be issued once the card is in the system
  • The signature is kept, but nobody knows for how long

Matching Hospi

Josef Walch

Josef Walch

Digitalisation · AI in operations · Systems · Lech am Arlberg
Works with protel · Mews · Mews POS · Smart Host
AdviseImplement

Knows registration cards, pre-arrival and the coordination with the guest registration system from operations at Rote Wand.

Mapped to root cause
Data from the bookingMoving it before arrivalLegal clarity
View profilePersonally vetted · independent match

Software that solved this problem

Tools appear here next to the problems they solved, marked as partners, with honest limits and the person who runs the rollout. No ranking.

B
PMSPartnerExample

Beispiel PMS

Implementation Hospi: Senior implementation consultant

The core system that finally puts arrivals, housekeeping and billing on one beat.

View partner profile

Which path fits your situation?

01

Diagnosis

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  • A legitimate outcome is also: no engagement needed.
  • If an engagement follows, the diagnosis fee is fully credited.
02

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Acute situation? Your case is reviewed with priority, with a response within 48 hours.

Cause fields and how to tell them apart

The paper registration card is not a law but a habit. Registration requirements can be met digitally; what is missing is usually just the step from the PMS to the guest.

These fields are complete, and many properties get there on their own. That is what this page is for. The cost simply does not appear on an invoice: internal hours, a few attempts, and a season that keeps running in the meantime.

01

The booking data never reaches the registration card

How you spot it

The guest entered name, address and companions when booking. At check-in they get a blank form. Booking system, PMS and registration are three worlds, although the data is the same.

The way out

Check whether the PMS can generate a pre-filled registration card, digitally signable before arrival or on a tablet. Most systems can; many houses never activated it. Use what is there first, then think about an extra tool.

02

Reception is the bottleneck on arrival day

How you spot it

Everyone arrives at once, each needs five minutes, and the registration card is half of that. More staff on Saturdays is expensive and unavailable; so the guest waits.

The way out

Move the registration before arrival: link in the pre-arrival email, check the data, sign digitally. On arrival day what remains is the key handover and the conversation. Those who don't do it beforehand sign on a tablet at reception instead of on paper.

03

Uncertainty about what the law requires

How you spot it

“The registration card must be signed” becomes “must be signed on paper”. State laws differ, as do the tourism systems (guest registration, local tax, guest card). When in doubt, the house sticks with paper.

The way out

Ask the responsible tourism board or municipality once what applies to digital registration in your state and which systems are connected. File the answer in writing. In most regions the digital signature has long been standard.

Frequently asked

Is the digital signature valid?
In most DACH regions yes, provided the system stores the data and the signature traceably. A confirmation from your own tourism board ends every discussion.
Do we need a separate check-in tool?
First check what the PMS already does. A separate tool is worth it if it combines pre-arrival, registration, payment and room assignment in one flow. For the registration card alone it is usually too much.
What about guests without a smartphone?
A tablet at reception with the pre-filled form. Still faster than paper plus retyping, and the data is in the system immediately.

Describe your situation

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Problem
The registration card is still on paper

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