Most first-time hosts learn about guest-ID rules the uncomfortable way — from a police visit, or a panicked Google search after a foreign guest has already checked in. This is the one compliance rule every Indian host must know, so here it is in plain language.
The rule for Indian guests
Hosts and hoteliers across India are expected to verify and record the identity of every paying guest — typically a government photo ID (Aadhaar, DL, passport, voter ID), plus arrival/departure details, in a guest register. Local police can ask to see this register; in many cities lodging establishments also report guest data to police systems. A shoebox of ID photocopies does not count as a system.
The rule for foreign guests: Form C, within 24 hours
For any foreign national (including NRIs on foreign passports), you must submit Form C to the FRRO — online at indianfrro.gov.in — within 24 hours of check-in. You register once as an accommodation provider, then file per guest: passport, visa, photo, arrival details. This applies to a one-room homestay exactly as it does to a five-star hotel.
The 24-hour clock starts at check-in — not at checkout, not "when convenient". File it the same evening.
What you should actually store
- ID type and number (masked in anything you print or share).
- A photo of the ID and, ideally, of the guest.
- Arrival and departure dates, arrived-from and going-to.
- Purpose of visit — the fields Form C and most state registers expect.
Paper register vs digital
A paper register technically satisfies the rule, but it fails you when it matters: you can't search it when police call about a guest from last March, pages go missing, handwriting is illegible, and every entry takes five minutes at check-in while your guest waits.
This is step 2 of our full How to Start an Airbnb in India guide — read the rest if you're just getting started.