Online check-in is not just a more convenient arrival — it is a way to cover all your record-keeping duties with a single submission from the guest: the UbyPort report for foreign guests, the house book, the evidence book and the basis for the accommodation fee. Here is what it must contain to work both legally and practically.
Why collect the data before arrival?
The legal obligations of a Czech host rest on the same guest data:
| Obligation | Data needed |
|---|---|
| Foreign-guest report — UbyPort (usually within 3 working days) | name, date of birth, nationality, document number, dates of stay, purpose of stay |
| House book | name, document data, arrival and departure dates — all guests |
| Evidence book | name, document, dates of stay — basis for the fee |
| Accommodation fee | number of persons and nights, exemption claims |
Booking platforms typically give you only a name and contact details — the rest you have to collect yourself. The only question is when and how: by transcribing from the document manually at arrival, or with an online form in advance. Collecting in advance is legally fine — the law sets the latest deadline for the report, not the earliest moment of collection.
What should an online check-in contain?
- Identification data — first name, last name, date of birth, nationality, document number.
- Stay data — arrival and departure dates, number of persons.
- Purpose of stay — a mandatory report field for foreign guests; selected from a code list otherwise buried in UbyPort’s technical documentation.
- Basis for fee exemptions — children’s ages, ZTP/P cards, per your municipality’s decree.
- Electronic signature — covers the guest’s signature and consent to the house rules.
- Rules of the stay — house rules delivered before arrival are more enforceable than a notice board in the flat.
What about GDPR?
Collect data, not documents: transcribed document data is enough to fulfil the obligations, and blanket copying of ID cards and passports is a risky practice from a data-minimisation standpoint. Online check-in also means informing the guest what the data will be used for (the host’s legal obligations) and how long it is retained — in detail in our GDPR overview for accommodation providers.
Why does the form’s language decide everything?
The most common reason guests do not complete a form is the language barrier. A foreign guest who receives a form in Czech puts it off for later — a form in their own language gets filled in right away. With international guests, a multilingual form is the difference between 90% and 30% completion before arrival.
How Best Guest helps
This is exactly the core of Best Guest: after booking, the guest receives a link to online check-in in their own language (the form is available in 43 languages), fills in the data including the purpose of stay from the correct code list, and signs electronically. From that single submission, the house book and evidence book are kept automatically, the accommodation fee is computed — and reports for foreign guests are submitted to UbyPort automatically via the official API, with no manual filing. The 3-working-day deadline no longer depends on someone remembering: the guest’s check-in directly means a filed report.
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Frequently asked questions
Is online check-in legal in Czechia — does it replace paper books?
Yes. The law does not prescribe a paper form for guest records — both the house book and the evidence book may be digital as long as they are complete and presentable at an inspection, and the data for reporting foreign guests may be collected electronically. The guest's signature can be captured as an electronic signature during online check-in.
What data must an online check-in collect?
At minimum what the official obligations require: first and last name, date of birth, nationality, document number, dates of stay, purpose of stay (for foreign guests) and a signature. On top of that, the data for the accommodation fee — the number of persons and nights and any exemption claim (for example age or a ZTP/P card).
Can I ask the guest for a photocopy of their ID?
Carefully — the GDPR data-minimisation principle says: collect data, not documents, if the data suffices. Transcribed document data is enough to fulfil the report and both books; blanket copying of IDs and passports is the riskier practice.
When should the guest fill in the check-in?
Ideally before arrival. A foreign guest must be reported usually within 3 working days of the start of the stay, and data filled in ahead of time means the report can go out on arrival day — instead of chasing guests during their stay. Collecting in advance is also legally fine: the law sets the latest deadline for the report, not the earliest moment of data collection.
What if a guest refuses to fill in the data online?
You need the data either way — the alternative is collecting it manually at arrival. It helps to communicate that this is a legal obligation (for foreign guests, a police report), not marketing. In practice the vast majority of guests complete the online form, especially when it is in their language.
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This page is provided for general information and is not legal or tax advice. Rates, deadlines and exemptions are set by law and municipal ordinances and can change — always verify current requirements with your municipality or a qualified advisor.