Passport number requested via email for pre-check in

Your drivers license does not work, not a valid ID for their purposes.

Passport number is required many places in European countries, nearly always for hotels and rentals, but also for train tickets, sometimes museum tickets, lots of things.

Providing your passport number is of no risk to you. It does someone no good if they have it, they can not steal your identity using a passport number, which is probably one reason it has not been "compromised".

Even providing a picture of your passport page is not an issue.

Just chill, give them what they ask for. (I assume you already provided your credit card, that would be of bigger concern.)

In 2017, our hotel in Germany required us to show our passport upon check in. In previous visits in the "good ol' days" the hotels would hold your passport for the duration of your stay.

For Scotland, the UK requires passport details to be collected on checkin from anyone who is not a UK national or citizen of a Commonwealth country. But you won't be asked to supply in advance.

Send it. This is common and little risk involved. Paul is correct. The passport number has no meaning other than the tie to you passport record. And it is very secure. Most of Europe's hotels will make a copy of your passport and that includes the number. Don't worry about it. We have done it for forty years with no adverse effect.

Normally it is enough to provide this data at check-in because it can also happen that you do not show up or you will show up with a new passport.

If it is a mandatory field in an online form just switch four numbers / letters and correct this at check-in.

Just as info:
From next year, domestic guests staying in German hotels will no longer have to fill in a piece of paper when checking in. The obligation for German nationals to register when staying in a hotel will be abolished and the Federal Registration Act will be amended accordingly.

Thank you everyone. This is very helpful.

A few months ago when asked on a form for passport information in advance by our B&B host in England, I emailed the host and said I felt uncomfortable with providing that information on-line. No problem, he said, we'll note it when you check in. Worth asking your hotel.

In the near future, getting into the U.K. or E.U. will require a Visa ahead of time. If you've ever been there before, the chances are good that your facial image is already in Interpol's facial recognition I.D. system.

Big Daddy will be watching over you in case you're an undesirable individual. They may be checking our applicants for criminal records, etc. It's been known that some countries refuse to let in folks for DUI's and other relatively small legal issues.

Just provide your passport # and go about your day.

In the near future, getting into the U.K. or E.U. will require a Visa ahead of time.

First time I've heard of this, for travelers from the US. Can you provide a link?

In the near future, getting into the U.K. or E.U. will require a Visa ahead of time. If you've ever been there before, the chances are good that your facial image is already in Interpol's facial recognition I.D. system.

You seem confused. Travel to the EU will require an ETIAS which is travel authorization similar to ESTA in the USA. There is also a new Entry/Exit system (EES) that will hold your biometric data (fingerprints and facial image) also similar to what already exists in the USA. And yes, you will be asked about your criminal record just as travellers to the USA are, so I do not understand why so many Americans make such a drama out of it.

No visa needed for US passport holders traveling to any EU country for tourist purposes.

The documents mentioned are travel authorizations. You are being pre-screened and pre-registered. They will only be available to people who hold passports from visa waiver countries to the EU like the US and Canada.

It will mean a few minutes online to register and the paying of a small fee. As long as you don't have a criminal record, you should be fine.

As for supplying your passport number, don't worry about it. It's virtually impossible to forge a US passport.

Your passport is your only "legal" ID outside the US.

You have no idea how much information the goverment has about you. Every time you use your passport to check into any flight in the world, it's reported to Homeland Security. When I did my first Global Entry renewal years ago I had to have an interview. The officer asked me about a flight between London and Jersey in the Channel Islands. It's not even an international flight. He asked because he had never heard of the Channel Islands.

I wondered....How do they know?

In the near future, getting into the U.K. or E.U. will require a Visa ahead of time.

First time I've heard of this, for travelers from the US. Can you provide a link?

It is called an Electronic Travel Authorization and for US passport holders it starts on January 8, 2025. Here is the link: https://visa.immi-assist.online/destinations/uk/uk-eta-application-2/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsOq6BhDuARIsAGQ4-zhNwMjIQ5k3Bdj6X1_XfeqJJw7afLYPWagjlKLbYlrsT4pQzySGLgIaAjR3EALw_wcB

The Schengen version called EITAS is supposed to possibly roll out the Mid 2025 or at some other day, month, year or decade.

So ETIAS will (eventually) be required, but no visa. That's what I thought.

"While a Visa allows you to enter a country the ETIAS and ESTA only permit you to enter a country. Again, totally different . . . "

Thanks Mr É. Now that explanation makes sense.

Technically, a visa doesn't allow you to enter the country. A visa allows you to partake in what the visa covers--work study, etc.

If the immigration officer feels that there is a problem with the visa or that it may have been obtained fraudulently, he can refuse you entry.

Stan then you read the rest of the post before I deleted it .... It's just too far off topic, and I am trying to stay out of trouble .... it's not a visa in name for political reasons, but in practice, and by every published definition, of course, it's a visa. Further on the subject that these are not visas, google the meaning of illusory truth effect.

Back to the original question - yes. We were in Spain this past spring, and almost every hotel requested/required passport info online prior to check-in, as a time-saving step if nothing else. It's not a big deal. If I recall, some had it as part of the online reservation process, and some sent an email after reservations were made asking for the info.

It’s really not a visa. Talk to anyone who has to try travelling on a passport from South Africa, China, India etc and you’ll find out what getting a visa entails. It means going to an embassy, paying a large sum of money, often being refused for spurious reasons and if you’re approved it can take weeks to process. Nothing like the ETA system.

I never give my passport details ahead of time because I find filling in the forms really tedious and I can’t be bothered. They can take a copy when I check in which is far quicker.

Thanks for the insights and information. Just as a follow-up - Our hotel in Hamburg will not allow check-in without providing a scanned copy of the first page of the passport for all travelers. Entering the number was only the first step. It is not possible to wait until check-in to provide the copy. So we are forging ahead and looking forward to our time in Hamburg.

In regard to your passport being compromised via online transmission you may consider inquiring if the hotel has a fax portal and perhaps utilize it.

A fax is far riskier than using the internet to transmit information. But, at the end of the day, the greatest risk by any method is what happens to the copy that the hotel receives after they have recorded the information? Probably just in the wastepaper basket. The internet by design is very secure for transmitting information.

The Security Benefits of Using a Fax Machine

One of the biggest security benefits of using a fax machine is that it doesn’t require an internet connection. This means that hackers can’t intercept fax messages like they can with emails. Additionally, fax machines use the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to transmit messages, which is a highly secure network that’s difficult to hack.

Fax machines are much less susceptible to hacking or interception than traditional email or messaging services. This is because all data sent via a fax machine is encrypted and can only be decrypted with the proper access codes. This makes it much more difficult for any unauthorized third-party to gain access to sensitive data.

Fax machines are much more reliable than other methods of communication. The transmission of faxes is often done over dedicated phone lines, which are less prone to disruptions or interference. Fax machines can also be used to send documents with signatures, which adds an extra layer of authentication and security.

But as FrankII said, you cant control what happens with the data at the hotel end.

It’s really not a visa. Talk to anyone who has to try travelling on a
passport from South Africa, China, India etc and you’ll find out what
getting a visa entails. It means going to an embassy, paying a large
sum of money, often being refused for spurious reasons and if you’re
approved it can take weeks to process. Nothing like the ETA system.

Over the years I have applied for visas to Egypt, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Uzbekistan, Turkey. I have never gone to an embassy to get a visa, I have never been rejected. At the time that I applied the visa applications for South Africa, Australia, Uzbekistan and Turkey asked almost identical questions as do the ETIAS and ESTA. The process was identical as well .... on-line .... similar costs .... and the time to receive it was about the same as people say the ESTA takes. The visas were electronically linked to the passport as is the ETIAS and ESTA. The purpose for applying for those Visas was identical as the reason for applying for the ESTA and ETIAS.