Host asking for ID driver's license for my entire party

[Jennifer2827]

My host is asking for the driver's license of everyone in my party (4 people). It is unusual and makes me concerned, as I have never had this request before. Is this legit?

[Emiel1]

@Jennifer2827 

You mean provide a copy upfront or just show some ID on arrival ?

In  my country i am obliged by the muncipality to ask guests to show some ID on arrival.

(Related to Tourist Tax charge system)

[Jennifer2827]

@Emiel1 they are asking for it to be provided in advance before confirming the booking.

[Matthew1775]

In my county we are required to get a copy of a photo if and keep it for 2 years. We do self check in so the id must be provided in advance. 

[Sarah977]

@Jennifer2827  Many hosts require guests to show ID on arrival. Especially if its an entire place listing with an off-site host. There's nothing nefarious about that. 

It just reassures the host that the person who booked is among the guests (that it's not a third party booking), that they know who is staying in their home, and can be a deterrent to guests who have the intent to party.

Most guests don't realize that the ID verification you have registered with Airbnb isn't visible to hosts. And hosts have had thefts and house trashings and even guests who had warrants out for their arrest- if they report it to the police, just saying it was some guy named John (which may or may not even be his real name), doesn't help.

Don't take it personally- it's just a security measure taken as a deterrent to bad behavior, and some hosts may have had bad scenes in the past.

[Jennifer2827]

@Sarah977 Thank you for helping me with this information. 

[Aaron1227]

What are you using to be compliant in protecting their PII? If you collect PII you are now in charge of protecting that information from bad actors.

[Dale711]

Hi
Welcome to the community😊
I see your point, and it makes a lot of sense.
The host was of lack of communication with you.

The host should clearly describe the listing and house rules, requiring every guest to register with a copy of I’d / passport or driving license upon check-in or before arrival.
Nevertheless, the host may need to verify a group for security justifications, also prevent having the extra guest.

[Lisa723]

@Jennifer2827 @Sarah977 @Emiel1 

Asking for copies of ID before arrival is a violation of Airbnb terms of service. (This host probably does not know that.)

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2799/airbnbs-offplatform-policy

[Sarah977]

@Lisa723  Yes, I knew that, I should have mentioned it. I did say "on arrival", though. I didn't know if the host was asking her to send copies now or said they would have to produce them when they arrived. The OP responded to Emiel "in advance" while I was writing my post, so I didn't see it.

Having copies of someone's ID is quite different than asking to see it and just making note of the names.

But there are countries where hosts are required to present ID info of guests to the govt. so in those cases, I guess the "not in advance" doesn't apply?

[Jennifer2827]

The host asked for a picture of each ID to be sent before arrival and wanted to know the profession of each person in the reservation. She started getting weird and told me she didn't want us touching her "upscale luxury items" in the house we booked so I cancelled the reservation and booked somewhere else. (Rental was for the entire house). 

[Sarah977]

@Jennifer2827  Good call. I can understand her wanting ID of guests- maybe she's had big trash-out the house parties before. But thinking she can take bookings and then tell guests not to touch things in the house that you've paid to stay in is decidely bizarre and definitely not acceptable.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Lisa723  violation or not asking a photo of ID before arrival is necessary for self-check-in units.

@Sarah977  just taking notes of names is not enough. We have to fill a form and register all of our guests with the following data;

1.  name and surname
2.  number of ID or passport
3. the type of passport / ID/driving licence ( foreign or domestic, private or official etc...)
4.  country of residence
5. country and town of birth
6.  date of birth
7. nationality
8. gender
9. child or adult

we usually take a photo of the IDs of every guest bc writing on paper or signing in and typing directly on the police platform using a mobile phone would take too long especially for groups. I do that later at home on my laptop

[Sarah977]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  Yes, I'm aware that in many countries hosts are required to collect all this info from guests. So do you collect this when they book, or when they arrive? I assume when they book, because you have self-check-in?

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Sarah977 @Jennifer2827 

I don't have self-check-in so I take it when they arrive, but other hosts with the self-check-in option ask for it in advance, before giving a smart lock code, and usually, the photo of ID is sent on WhatsApp.

GDPR doesn't mean people can live incognito without ever showing their personal info to anyone. It doesn't mean hosts are not allowed to know who has a key to their home.

It just means the one who collects it is allowed to use it for the exact purpose only and should not share it around.

There are some new phone apps where we can scan the document and send it directly to the police platform so we don't have to fill the form manually. But these apps are not free so not many hosts use them