Trust and safety are the foundation of Airbnb. To better protect hosts and guests on the platform, Airbnb introduced ID verification in 2013. Airbnb ID verification has revolutionized the platform and allowed Airbnb to become one of the most successful vacation rental platforms on the market.

If you’re considering becoming an Airbnb host, this blog post breaks down what Airbnb ID verification is and how it protects you from shady characters booking your home (especially if you utilize Instant Book!). Plus, you’ll learn how to get your own ID verified and start getting more bookings on Airbnb.

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today! 

What is Airbnb ID Verification?

To establish trust and safety in the Airbnb community, Airbnb requires hosts and guests to verify their identity. Airbnb ID verification is a quick and straightforward process but vital to being a successful Airbnb host. Guests prefer to stay with verified hosts to ensure a smooth rental process and accountability.

On the other side, many hosts require guests’ IDs to be verified to book a home or Airbnb Experience. Staying in a stranger’s house or renting to strangers is naturally anxiety-inducing. Airbnb’s ID verification provides peace of mind in knowing that who you are communicating with, is who they say they are. That they passed a background check, and have a verified payment method. 

Here are the basic requirements for Airbnb ID Verification:

• A government-issued ID

• Confirm your legal name and address

• Confirm you are over 18 years old

How to Confirm Identity with Airbnb ID Verification

Confirming your identity on Airbnb only takes a few moments. Upon retrieval of the correct documents, Airbnb will review your submission within 24-hours. However, this is usually complete in just a few hours!

Valid forms of ID

• Driver’s License

• Passport

• National Identity Card

Gym and library cards are not accepted

How to Submit Your ID

Adding your ID to your Airbnb profile is simple. All you need is a smartphone or camera. Then, follow these easy steps to submit your ID:

• Take a photo of your government-issued ID with your smartphone or webcam.

• Upload the photo

• You’ll be prompted to take a clear photo of yourself with your smartphone or webcam.

• Upload the photo

• Depending on the quality of the photo you submitted, you may be asked to submit an additional picture. Or if you look significantly different from your government-issued ID. 

• Type in your legal first and last name when prompted

• Type in the address you use for banking documents or bills

• Submit!

These submissions are manually reviewed. If needed, you may be contacted by Airbnb to provide additional information. While completing these tasks, it is recommended not to use public WiFi to protect yourself from identity theft. Within the Airbnb platform, your information is stored with secure encryption.

 

What Guest ID Information Do Hosts Receive?

You’ve done your due diligence verifying your hosting profile and are ready to receive guests. Just as Airbnb protects guests, Airbnb’s ID verification of guests is meant to serve hosts. Here is what information you will have about your guests:

• The legal first and last names of your guests

• If the guest is over or under the age of 25

• If their ID and payment information have been successfully verified

• Their profile picture and profile name

You will not receive the tools used to verify the guest’s identity, such as the photo of their ID, the image taken to verify their ID or their home address. Instead, Airbnb uses a complex AI algorithm to prevent identity fraud. If your guest’s ID is confirmed, you can rest easy knowing that they are who they say they are. 

Benefits of Airbnb ID Verification

Airbnb ID verification offers peace of mind to both hosts and guests. For both hosts and guests In the United States, the verification process will check for a criminal background or if the person in question is a registered sex offender.

Globally, the process will find out if a host or guest is on the international terrorism watchlist. As a result, both host and guests will know they are working with a person who has not had significant issues with the law.

Benefits of Airbnb ID Verification for Hosts

For hosts, having a verified profile will attract more guests. Guests prefer to stay with a host who the process has vetted. For a host, Airbnb ID verification ensures that guests have a verified payment method on file. This means that you know your guest can pay for their stay. 

If you want to build a business around being a short-term rental host it is imperative that you verify your identity with Airbnb. This is an easy way to add credibility to your account, as you add more listings to it. The more listings you add, the more hosting duties you will have, but luckily Host Tools can help with that. 

Host Tools will save countless hours automating your short-term rental across platforms. With Host Tools you can automate messaging, reviews, availability syncing, cleaner management, smart locks, and more. Host Tools helps give your guests a 5-star experience which helps you receive more 5-star reviews.

With Host Tool’s intuitive and easy to use interface, you won’t spend weeks trying to learn a new tool. Simply connect your account, set up a few automation rules using built in templates and sit back while Host Tools takes over much of the day to day management of your short-term rentals. 

Benefits of Airbnb ID Verification for Guests

As a guest, knowing the home you are staying in is part of a legitimate operation lessens anxiety. In addition, a guest will know that the host is trustworthy and not a scam artist. 

Airbnb ID Verification establishes a sense of trust from the initial booking through check-out between both parties. 

Receiving Airbnb ID verification is a vital element of becoming a superhost. You’ll both secure more bookings and do your part as a member of the community to promote trust and safety between hosts and guests. Follow the easy steps above to verify your identity, and start accepting verified guests today!

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!