MiDNI in hotels and accommodation
A guide to preparing for in-person identification with MiDNI and distinguishing it from collecting, signing and reporting guest data.
In this guide
MiDNI lets people prove their identity in person using a digital Spanish identity card on their phone. For an accommodation business, the change affects checks at reception: staff should be prepared and distinguish identification from the other tasks involved in guest registration. Showing an identity document, completing a form and reporting a stay are separate steps.
In person
Identification at reception
Temporary QR code
Verification at the time of presentation
Separate registration
Data, signature and reporting
What changed on 2 April 2026
The Ministry of the Interior confirmed that, after the adaptation period under Royal Decree 255/2025, public and private organisations must accept MiDNI from 2 April 2026. Its announcement explicitly includes hotel check-in and describes in-person identification of Spanish citizens.
The legal framework is Royal Decree 255/2025, published and effective from 2 April 2025. Its third transitional provision gave organisations twelve months to take the measures needed for the digital version to work.
Preparing checks at reception
The app offers different levels of information and generates a temporary QR code. The Ministry explains that it can be checked using the MiDNI app or the verifier on its official website. Once the code expires, a new one must be generated; a saved image is not equivalent to checking it at the time.
Before guests arrive, prepare a short routine:
Prepare the device
Check access to the official verifier from the device reception staff will use.
Brief your team
Explain to staff how to check that the person, the displayed details and the record they are preparing correspond.
Check the information required
Identify the level of information needed for the task. Showing only proof of adulthood does not, by itself, complete guest registration.
Handle problems
Prepare a way to get help if scanning fails, without marking the check as complete or inventing details to finish the form.
What is still needed for guest registration
After checking identity, review what information is still missing from the guest form, who needs to sign it and how the relevant report will be submitted. Do not treat reading the document as confirmation that the whole process is finished: a booking may include other people and details that cannot be obtained from an identity card.
A useful check is to document a bookingās journey from reception through to checking the submission status. To practise without real data, use a local simulation or an expressly authorised test environment, without reporting fictitious data to the authorities. This helps identify which tasks staff must perform and which are carried out by the system you use.
Verifying identity without keeping a copy
On 17 June 2025, the Spanish Data Protection Agency stated that requesting a copy of an identity card or passport to comply with Royal Decree 933/2021 amounts to excessive data collection. It distinguishes collecting details through a form from authenticating that information.
Review your guest messages
Review whether your instructions or messages still ask for photographs of identity documents. Prepare a simple explanation for guests about the information they need to provide and the checks that will be made, rather than accumulating images as a precaution.
MiDNI and remote check-in
This guide covers the in-person use described by the Ministry. It does not establish that sending a QR code through a messaging service completes remote verification, or that a guest registration program integrates MiDNI. Before advertising that feature, check its scope and the providerās documentation.
If you are organising reception, explore the in-person check-in service and separately review the journey for guests who provide their details before arrival.
Explore in-person check-in with iButlers
