Asking for personal passport info without explaination -- unsafe and uncomfortable experience

[Ahmed25]

Hello Airbnb community, I have been a member since ~2 years ago and I took a few trips with your services and always recommend them to my friends.

My mother was visiting me from Egypt and part of our trip we decided to go to Prague. It's not my first time to take Airbnb in Prague and I had a good experience so I decided to do it again. I looked and found someone who has a lot of good reviews and the place looks good and a full apartment. He had this instant booking and accepted my request and the money was all paid in full by paypal. He sent me a very long message about tours and links to Prague. I was asking for our check out day if we can leave our suitcases till the evening but he said that check out is at 11 but we can leave it at his office where here works.

The important part is when we arrived to Prague and met him late in the evening at ~20:30 and he greeted us and showed us around.

One of the very last things he showed us before leaving was this strange form which I attached to this thread (crossed out his name and the accommodation address), it says "foreign police form" and it looks like it's made with Microsoft Word. He didn't mention this at all on his profile or at all in our correspondence or anytime prior our arrival. It was not on the listing and it was not on the rules either. I asked him what it is and he gave me a very vague answer, that it is for their records. Then he was telling us about other things like WiFi etc.. and I asked him again and he gave me a vague answer again "for our records". I had to ask him a third time where he is telling me that he is doing it legally not like other hosts and he has to get this information but again in a vague way without proper information. Then he just asked us to fill this form and leave it at the table before we leave.

Of course during my whole stay I wasn't comfortable about this form and I thought if it was so important he would have said at any time to write and sign it before our arrival or inform us about it also before our arrival. And I was really uncomfortable by the way he was vaguely explaining why after asking 3 times. The next day I asked some tourists while we were out and they all had the same response; they wouldn't give such information for an Airbnb host normally.

The first thing that comes to my head is some sort of fraud or identity theft and I decided not to write anything since he didn't ask us to do it prior our stay thus not as important. I'm sure it might not be the case and 99% of such things isn't but I'm so uncomfortable and feeling unsafe that it just made me think a lot and simply not having trust with this host anymore despite all the positive reviews this host has. 

On the day we were checking out he was sending me another reminder to fill the forms but I only checked it after we left and I told him so. I also decided to put our suitcase in the train station locker rather than his office building so he doesn't hold it ransom. I told him I didn't do it and thanked him for letting us stay. He then just asked me to give our passport numbers, names and nationalities via whatsapp (which is how we communicate after Airbnb inbox) otherwise without the form he would get penalised. And even without a signature according to said form.

Now I'm writing about this, I'm very highly uncomfortable and for me, it really feels like intimidation tactics to give him such information. I stayed in hotels and they even ask for this information prior giving the key otherwise if you don't sign you simply don't get the room and again- it's all very clear. I was never asked for such documents during my other stays including another one in Prague last year. I even looked in the community and it doesn't happen often but when it is a country with such conditions, the host (especially an experiecned one) asks prior arrival and is clear and transparent about it. Especially if you get so many guests and are experienced. If it was so important and he could get penalised, why didn't he say so in the beginning and why he didn't bring it up when I even asked him for an explanation? I don't have trust anymore about giving such info to an individual who did not clarify that the country rules dictates this and having it as a precondition ( I didn't know till I started reading about it after my stay) to our stay and not informing us about this prior, without even showing supporting documents and only sending short texts about being pinalised or that it is important without any specification. I'm sure it might not be for using my personal information on something else but I simply don't want to give it. 

I already sent Airbnb about this and waiting for a response but I wanted to ask the community: What do you think about this and what could be done?

[Blagoje0]

I also ask my guests that information because I have to register my guests to tourist board. It is a legally required procedure for every host in my country (Croatia). I think you should not worry. On the contrary it means that the host legally renting his place.

[Razvan6]

i tried to book a flat , and AFTER i provided my passport picture and also my SELFIE pic and AFTER airbnb said is all good ( i still think is absurd ) i still got refused by the host beacuse i did not want to upload a profile pic. A PROFILE PIC. seriously?? the host should care more about the guests and make life easier for them , it is privacy that most people want went booking a flat. and airbnb provides the exact opposite of that. is a nightmare of a website to use to be honest.

[David126]

I have a flat but would never list it on ABB because you have so little information on Guests and no security deposit. Well there are a few other things as well but those are the main two.

[Scenn-and-Sea0]

If there's no profile photo how do you know if the guest arriving is the same person who has booked; Airb&b share only some information with the host and photo-card ID is not one of them.  The host provides a profile photo too.

[Annette33]

Hi @Ahmed25 : are you a German citizen or a citizen of any of the Schengen countries? If yes, they  shouldn't ask you for any extra info.

But if you are a citizen of a third country, i.e. a country that is not covered by the Schengen agreement,  it seems to me that all is okay with that request. Google foreign police in Prague, and you will find all the extra info and what that is all about.  ( I cannot post a link here because Airbnb will block it out.) But here is something from that page, saying that if your host collects the info from you that is all that is needed - and that is probably what your host is trying to collect from you:

PS : I just checked: this new requirement is dated March 2016, so that is why you haven't had to deal with it before. It all probably has to do with all the extra influx of people, refugees, etc.. into Europe, so they are tightening the rules.... sorry it caused you worries....

[Christian65]

@Annette33 That's not entirely true. Schengen has nothing to do with it.

I'm from Denmark and I went to Milan, Italy the other week and the host also asked for my passport or drivers license for him to provide to the local authorities. 

In the this situation @Ahmed25 you can just fill out the form without hesitating. It's legit and the host simply follows the local laws regarding rentals.

It merely depends on the country's law and regulations. We don't ask for such infomation in Denmark but some countries do.

Schengen has to do with EU citizents being able to move across borders without being treated differently than the country's citizents. If you are an EU citizen you can cross borders within the EU without restrictions and travel completely freely without a passport. But you will need ID so many of us travel with passports anyway - and airlines usually always require a passport but not all.

Although many countries have temporarily suspended the agreement due to the refugee crisis but it has nothing to do with rental houses nor Airbnb listings inside or outside EU.

[Aimee42]

Is this information still accurate?  I’m staying in Denmark in a few weeks and was asked for all of this information for all guests just yesterday. It was out of the blue and seemingly random to me so I haven’t sent it yet (also still waiting for the information for one of the guests). 

[Andrea9]

@Ahmed25

It's mandatory for hosts properly registered with the city of Amsterdam to have to keep a hotel register for guests just like any hotel or guest house. This includes ID information. Of course all of the 'illegally' operating hosts who are not registered won't be doing this, but happily the city has started to crack down on this in a larger way.

Personally, I also like to know if the guest in my home is actually who they say they are. But then the ID check precedure is announced in my house rules.

In some countries hosts even have to provide such information ahead of time before the guest has checked in.

But I do agree that they should announce this beforehand in their listing and/or house rules.

[Ahmed25]

@Andrea9

You are aboslutley correct and really, had this been explained clearly like you said and show the requirements and most importantly having it as a precondition via rules, profile, in correspondance prior arrival etc.. then it would have been all fine and I wouldn't have reacted this way. But if you're being dodgy and suddenly show us a form that you had never mentioned before that says police and looks manually written and unofficial you would not trust it.

I ended up calling Airbnb and informed them about this and they agreed with me that I'm right, he didn't state it in his profile or in the rules and I have no obligation to give information or sign anything as it was not stated by the host. To be honest I feel much more comfortable about this as it felt it was lack of information and in general it was very uncomfortable for me.

[Christian65]

@Ahmed25 I had the exact same reaction as you did when the Italian host asked for my passport and wanted to take a picture of it. I thought too that he could be ending up abusing my passport information until he explained that it was a requirement and all hosts are required to obtain this information.

I wished he had told me beforehand but I wasn't worried after he told me about Italy's rules but hosts in those countries should indeed inform guests about this beforehand about what to expect so you don't get worried.

[Ahmed25]

@Christian65

Exactly. I was surprised by it and I would have understood if he explained that it's the country's law to inform of any guests staying at their place and he is reuiqred to do so. For me he said nothing and explained nothing even that I asked which made me uncomfortable and not tursting him anymore. 

[Christian65]

I feel ya @Ahmed25 and I was surprised as well and thought; no no, not my passport until he explained.

You can say that a host with hundreds of reviews behind him and using ABB as his business most unlikely would abuse his guests' information but you never know - especially if you're new to ABB.

On the other hand I really think ABB should require of their hosts in these cases to inform all guests so misunderstandings like this can be avoided.

[Helen3]

@Ahmed0 what did BNB say when you raised the issue with them

Many countries in Europe have requirements that you need to collect details of guests who are visiting.

[Ahmed25]

@Helen3

They told me that I was correct, he didn't speficy anything in his description or rules and didn't clarify it with me prior my arrival. Therefore I am not obligated to sign such forms or give these information. I think it's the host's responsibility to take care about it and be transparent, especially if you have a guest who tried to inquire from you several times but have not recieved a clear answer. 

I would have understood if the host asks me for this information before I arrive and clarifying why like most others who replied to this thread, I wouldn't have reacted that way. He didn't care too much about answering and responding when I addressed it thus didn't make me trust him especially being surprised by such a document wihtout prior knowledge.