Submit an ID for verification

At Airbnb, trust is the cornerstone of our community  – where millions of people across the world place trust in each other as they travel or host stays.

A key part of building this trust is verifying the identity of our users. Our identity verification process is a series of steps to help ensure users within our community are genuine so that everyone can feel more confident using Airbnb. Every Host, Co-Host and booking guest must be identity verified to use our platform. While no process is perfect, this aims to minimise fraudulent behaviour, promote safety and enable meaningful, real-world interactions within our community.

As part of the identity verification process, we may ask you to provide us with personal information, such as a government ID. Government-issued IDs, such as passports or driving licences, are official records that contain standardised information, such as legal name, date of birth and a photograph, which help us confirm you are who you say you are. We may also ask you for a selfie to compare and match to your government ID photo. Don’t worry – your government ID and selfie won’t be shared with other users on Airbnb. All information we collect is handled according to our Privacy Policy.

Types of IDs we accept

Depending on where you live, we accept the following types of IDs during verification:

• National identity card
• Driving licence
• Passport
• Residence card

Don’t use your IDs for uni, college, the library, a gym or similar. These aren’t government-issued – we can’t use them to verify your identity. We’re also unable to accept military IDs for the identity verification process.

How to submit your ID

When you are verifying your identity, we’ll guide you through an easy, step-by-step process. If you’re asked to submit a government ID, you’ll first take a photo of the front of your ID. Make sure that the photo is well lit and that you fit your ID within the frames we provide. You may be asked to turn your ID over and take a picture of the back as well. In some cases, we may next ask you for a selfie to match to your ID photo. Once you’ve finished, hold tight – we’ll let you know when we’ve completed verifying your identity.

We recognise that sometimes you might not be able to give a matching selfie or that you don’t currently have a valid government ID listed above. In limited circumstances, you may be eligible to provide other proof of who you are, such as a marriage licence or court order, to complete this process. You can contact us to arrange an alternative verification method. For other troubleshooting, take a look at our troubleshooting guide.

Country/region-specific guidelines for IDs

For most countries and regions, you can give us a standard, unedited photograph or copy of your ID. However, there are certain guidelines if you live in Hong Kong, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Japan, Singapore and South Korea – where we ask that you cover specific numbers on your ID, as described below. For these cases, we recommend that you use a Desktop computer to add a black bar over required hidden info with a photo editing program so that other information on your ID is still unobscured and clear.

Germany

If you’re using an ID issued in Germany, make sure you cover the 9-digit document number (Serienummer) and the 6-digit card access number (Zugangsnummer) on your national identity card, passport or residence card. You can find out more information on where to find your document and access number on the German government website.

Hong Kong

If you’re using an identity card issued in Hong Kong, make sure you cover the 7- or 8-digit HKID number when verifying your identity. You can find out more information on where to find your HKID number on the website of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

India

If you’re using an ID issued in India, make sure you don’t submit your Aadhaar or your UIDAI ID card or number when verifying your identity.

Japan

If you’re using an ID issued in Japan, you can submit a driving licence, passport and identity My Number card. When submitting a driving licence or passport, don’t cover any information. However, if you decide to submit an identity card, make sure you cover the 12 digits of My Number on the back of your card – located under the magnetic strip. You can find out more information on the Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems website.

The Netherlands

If you’re using an ID issued in the Netherlands, make sure you cover your 9-digit BSN number (burgerservicenummer) when verifying your identity. You can find out more information on where to find your BSN number on the Netherlands government website.

Singapore

If you’re using an ID issued in Singapore, we ask that you cover your National Registration Identity Card number (NRIC number)/other national identification number. You can find out more information by checking the website of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore.

South Korea

If you’re using an ID issued in South Korea, you can verify your identity with an identity card, driving licence or passport. We ask that you cover the following info when submitting your ID:

• Identity card: Cover the last 7 digits of the 13-digit Resident Registration Number (RRN).
• Driving licence: Cover the last 7 digits of the 13-digit Resident Registration Number (RRN).
• Passport: Cover the 7-digit Resident Registration Number (marked as ‘Personal No.’) and the matching set of 7 digits in the machine-readable zone. For passports issued after 21 December 2020, no redaction is required, as these do not include the RRN. You can find out more information on the passport guide web page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for South Korea.