Advice on Checking into Hotels Without ID Card: What Can Be Used as an Alternative? PHRI's Explanation

Director General of the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil), Teguh Setyabudi, has advised the public to use identities other than the Resident Identity Card (KTP) when checking into hotels. “On several occasions, if I am at a hotel, say checking into a hotel, or at a hospital, I do not always submit my e-KTP; in fact, I more often submit other identity cards and they accept them,” said Teguh, as quoted by Kompas.com on Friday (8/5/2026). He explained that the electronic ID card (e-KTP) has an electronic chip that stores population data, so it should not be photocopied or handed over carelessly, including for hotel check-in verification before staying. So, are there options for identity cards other than KTP that can be used for hotel check-ins? General Secretary of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Maulana Yusran, explained that currently there are no options for identity cards for hotel check-ins other than KTP. “Actually, the ID commonly used in hotels is the KTP, but sometimes passports are accepted if the guest is a foreigner,” said Yusran when contacted by Kompas.com on Friday (8/5/2026). Meanwhile, Yusran continued, it is difficult for Indonesian people to carry passports when staying at domestic hotels as a replacement for KTP. Passports are also not necessarily owned by all Indonesians, so they are not an appropriate option. “The KTP is needed as an identity for Indonesian citizens. In the accommodation sector, what is asked for is the KTP so it is clear who they are and where they live,” Yusran explained. The practice of checking KTP has been commonly used for a long time, even for access to office buildings, not just hotels. As for other card options like the Driving Licence (SIM), it is considered less valid as a KTP replacement for hotel check-ins because it is issued by a different agency.