Meldeschein (guest registration)
A Meldeschein is the guest registration form that obliges guests to declare their name, address and nationality at check-in (a statutory requirement across Germany, Austria and the Swiss cantons).
A Meldeschein is the official guest registration form that accommodation providers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland must have guests complete on arrival. It captures the information each jurisdiction requires: full name, home address, date of birth, nationality and, in many states or cantons, the type and number of the identity document. The legal basis varies: in Germany it flows from the Bundesmeldegesetz and state Beherbergungsgesetze, in Austria from state accommodation ordinances, and in Switzerland from each canton’s own regulation. In all three countries the accommodation must retain the completed forms for the legally prescribed period and produce them on request by police or local authorities. For campgrounds, processing Meldescheine accurately is demanding because guest numbers are high and stays are short and varied. Software that captures the required data at booking or online check-in and generates the correct canton- or state-specific form automatically removes manual transcription, ensures the right fields are collected, and enforces the retention period without any extra step from reception.