That State Council canceling everything once again, canceling the TAR decision that last spring had canceled the mandatory face-to-face identification for guests of B&Bs and houses with short-term rentals that was reaffirmed by the Ministry of the Interior exactly one year ago: therefore, stop the practice of self-check-in and lockboxes, which must give way to a new in-person verification by the managers of these structures.
Therefore, the latter party once again has the obligation not only to receive the identity document from the customer’s hands and hand it over to the competent public security authority, but also to be the first party to carry it out.identification similarly, verifying that there is correspondence between the owner of the document and the actual guest of the building.
This question arose after a circular dated 18 November 2024 signed by National Police Chief Vittorio Pisani contained: Ministry of Internal Affairs calls for tightening identification procedures due to potential security hazards. “In view of the increasing intensity of the phenomenon of the so-called ‘short lease’ throughout the national territory, related to the various political, cultural and religious events scheduled in the country, also in view of the celebration of the Jubilee of the Catholic Church scheduled in the city of Rome from 24 December 2024 and taking into account the development of the difficult international situation, the need arises to implement strict measures aimed at preventing risks to order and public safety in connection with the possible housing of dangerous persons and/or persons associated with the organization”we read in the docs.
The ministry has placed the issue of remote identification at the center of attention, with automatic opening codes and lock boxes, as well as reception methods “it bypasses the phase of personal identification of the guests at the time of accessing the structure and does not guarantee verification of document correspondence with the owner”: this does not meet the requirements established by article 109 of the Public Security Consolidation Act, which instead requires the manager to receive documents from the guest, to certify his identity and to send his personal details to the territorially competent police headquarters.
However, the reaffirmation of this obligation was hindered by the decree TAR from Latium dated May 25, 2025, which has effectively annulled the Ministry of Home Affairs circular confirming the validity of remote check-in. At that time the ministry had filed an appeal, considering the incident on September 3, when two Turkish nationals who were guests of a B&B were arrested in Viterbo after they were found in possession of firearms. The manager’s contribution then became very important, as he became suspicious because the identity cards sent via WhatsApp did not correspond to those of the customers hosted on the structure.
The State Council then decided, canceling the TAR decision and reestablishing the principle of presence identification. “The decision confirming the mandatory face-to-face identification of residents strengthens safety and definitely clarifies the rules for all buildings, including short-term rentals”explain Matteo Piantedosi.
“In-person identity verification protects those traveling and those living in the most exposed environments and supports the daily work of police forces, this is a decision that confirms the line supported by the Ministry of Home Affairs from the start”concluded the minister.
