Instead of typing a new guest's details, photograph their passport, national ID card, NIN slip, driver's licence or voter's card. The system reads the name, sex, date of birth, nationality, ID type and number, issue details and expiry date, then fills them into the check-in form for you to check.
It also spots returning guests: if the same ID number is already on file, you can reuse that guest instead of creating a duplicate.
Before you start
- You need permission to check guests in.
- The 🪪 Scan ID button only appears when ID scanning is switched on for your business. If you don't see it, ask your administrator.
- To use a desk webcam, the browser must be allowed to use the camera. A phone or tablet can use its own camera.
Steps
- Open the Check-In wizard as usual (from the Room Board or the Booking Calendar).
- Click 🪪 Scan ID at the top of the guest step.
- Choose how to take the picture:
- Take or choose a photo opens the camera on a phone or tablet, or a file picker on a computer (for example, a scanned copy).
- Use webcam shows a live picture from the desk camera. Hold the ID inside the dotted frame and click Capture.
- Wait a few seconds while the document is read.
- Check what was read against the document:
- A green note means the machine-readable lines at the bottom of a passport were verified, so the number, dates and nationality are correct.
- An amber note means something needs your attention, for example the ID has expired or a line could not be verified.
- Optional: click Crop guest photo from ID, drag and zoom so the face fills the frame, then click Crop & save. The photo is saved with the guest.
- Click Fill in guest details. The wizard switches to New guest with the fields filled in.
- Add the guest's phone number (it is never on an ID), check the other fields, and continue the check-in as normal.
When the guest has stayed before
If the ID number is already on file, a blue Returning guest box lists the match. Click Use this guest to check in that existing guest (the wizard switches to Pick existing guest) instead of registering them again.
"Guest already registered"
Whenever you register a new guest, scanned or typed, the system checks
the ID number and Passport / ID against every guest on file. Spaces,
hyphens, slashes, dots and capital letters don't matter: A1234 567 and
a1234567 are the same number.
If it finds a match, a Guest already registered window appears when you click Next on the guest step (or when you click Create Guest on the guest page):
- Click Use this guest (in check-in) or Open guest (on the guest page). This is almost always the right choice: the guest keeps one record, and their bills stay on one account.
- Click It's a different person — register as new only when it really is someone else, for example a family member whose number was typed by mistake.
Adding a guest photo
On the Guest tab of check-in, and under Guest Picture on the guest page, click 📷 Take / upload photo. On a phone or tablet you can take the picture with the camera; on a computer, choose an image file. Drag and zoom so the face fills the frame, then click Crop & save. Change photo replaces it and Remove deletes it. You can also crop the photo straight from the ID during Scan ID (step 6 above).
From the guest record
The same 🪪 Scan ID button is on the guest registration page (Front Office → Guests). Scan, check the values, then click Create Guest or Save Changes.
Tips
- Lay the ID flat, fill the frame, and avoid glare from lights or the window.
For a passport, include the two lines of letters and
<signs at the bottom. They are what lets the system verify the reading. - The ID expiry date and ID issuing country are on the More details tab under Credentials. An expired ID shows a warning, but it does not stop check-in. Follow your hotel's policy.
- Anything the scan could not read is left as you typed it, never blanked.
- The photo of the document is not stored. Only the guest photo you crop is kept.
- Always fill in ID number when you have it, even without scanning. It's how the system recognises the guest next time.
Common problems
- There is no Scan ID button → ID scanning isn't switched on for your business. Ask your administrator. You can still type the details by hand.
- "Use webcam" is missing → the browser only allows the camera on a secure (https) connection, or there is no camera. Use Take or choose a photo.
- "Could not open the camera" → the browser blocked the camera. Allow camera access in the browser's address bar, then try again.
- "The document could not be read" → the photo was blurry, dark or cut off. Click Rescan and take a sharper picture.
- Amber "machine-readable lines did not verify" → one character was probably misread. Compare the number and dates with the passport and correct them on the form.
- "Guest already registered" for a different person → check the number you typed. If it's right and it really is someone else, click It's a different person — register as new.
- The returning guest wasn't found → their earlier record has no ID number, or a different one. Pick them with Pick existing guest instead, and add their ID number to their record.
- Wrong country or name spelling → every field can still be edited after filling. Correct it before you confirm the check-in.