Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer today announced a new ordinance on registration data in the hotel industry known as the Beherbergungsmeldedatenverordnung, which defines the technical specifications for contactless hotel check-in, in particular the data formats to be used. Hotel guests may use an electronic identification procedure instead of signing a hotel registration form on paper. The legal basis for the procedure was created in the Third Bureaucracy Reduction Act under the leadership of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Federal Minister Seehofer: "My aim is to make daily life simpler with this new digital technology. Digital solutions help not only consumers like us, but also businesses and the public administration too. With the digital hotel registration form, hotel guests can now choose contactless check-in, which saves time and money. That is why it is a step in the right direction."

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier: "This solution offers advantages for everyone: it makes check-in more practical for guests and more efficient for hotels. And what is especially important right now: digital hotel registration does away with unnecessary contact between hotel staff and guests, making it easier for hotels to reopen."

The Third Bureaucracy Reduction Act, which entered into force on 1 January 2020, enables digital solutions for the special registration requirement for commercial accommodations. The new legislation introduced an optional digital registration procedure which allows registration data to be collected and saved securely in electronic form, in place of a handwritten signature. The Federal Statistical Office estimates that the new procedure will speed up the check-in process by three to four minutes and save the hotel industry more than €50 million each year.

When guests reserve or pay for accommodation with a credit or debit card, they no longer need to complete a paper registration form. Alternatively, guests may use the electronic identification function of their national ID card, electronic residence permit or eID card to verify their identity.

Paper registration forms will continue to be available as a further option.