The PUI Law for hotel managers: operate compliant every day
An operational guide for hotel managers on the Single Identity Platform (PUI). What the front desk must capture at every arrival, how to train the team, how to avoid the Article 43 Bis fine and what to delegate to a specialized provider so daily operations stay compliant without overloading the staff.
What a manager needs to know, jargon-free
The PUI (Single Identity Platform) is a federal obligation arising from the General Law on the Forced Disappearance of Persons. Its purpose is to help locate missing persons, not to collect taxes or regulate tourism. For your hotel’s operation it translates into something concrete: properly registering each guest’s identity and being able to respond when the government asks about a person.
It applies to every lodging, regardless of size. A large hotel and a small inn with a few rooms share the same obligation. So this is not only a chain issue: as a manager, the responsibility for the front desk capturing properly rests directly on your daily operation.
The hard part is not understanding the law, it is executing it every day at the desk, at peak hour, with rotating staff. This guide focuses on that: what to capture, how to train the team, how not to fall into the fine and what to delegate so compliance does not depend on each receptionist’s memory.
What the front desk must capture at every arrival
The identity data requested at check-in. No card, no spending.
CURP
The Mexican guest’s Unique Population Registry Code, where applicable.
Full name
Exactly as it appears on their official identity document.
Date of birth
To identify the person unambiguously.
Document
National ID for nationals; passport or migratory form (FMM) and nationality for foreigners.
Document photo
Capturing the document by photo speeds up the form and leaves a backup of the record.
What is NOT asked
No credit card, no amount paid, no record of what they consumed. It is identity, not billing.
How to train the front desk to comply without thinking
The routine that turns compliance into a desk habit.
- Explain the whyIf the team understands it serves to locate missing persons, they take it seriously and do not feel it as an empty formality.
- Define an arrival scriptA clear phrase to ask the guest for their document, the same in every shift, avoids improvising and lengthening arrival.
- Always capture in the systemNever in a notebook or a loose sheet. The record must be structured and exportable to serve as evidence.
- Review the registry regularlyA periodic review of the record catches incomplete entries in time and keeps the operation compliant without surprises.
How to avoid the Article 43 Bis fine
The fine for non-compliance ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 UMA, which with the 2026 UMA at $117.31 amounts to between $1,173,100 and $2,346,200 MXN per infraction. For most hotels, a single fine at the low end of the range far exceeds what it costs to comply properly for years. Seen this way, compliance is not an expense, it is protection.
The most common mistake that leads to a fine is not refusing to comply, it is half-complying: capturing identity in a notebook, leaving incomplete entries at peak hour, or being unable to export the registry when required. As a manager, your job is to close those gaps with process and tooling, not with the goodwill of the shift.
The penalty applies per infraction, not as a single annual fine, so the risk accumulates with each poorly registered arrival. The way to neutralize it is to make capture mandatory, structured and the same for all receptionists, so that compliance does not depend on who is at the desk.
What to delegate to a specialized provider
The technical part is delegated; your team keeps what it does best: welcoming guests.
The interconnection
The technical connection with the government (query URL, JWT, TLS) is handled by the provider; your front desk does not touch it.
e.firma and LlaveMX
Obtaining the electronic signature and configuring the digital identity are steps worth delegating so they do not distract the operation.
The exportable registry
Keeping the record current and audit-ready is something the tool does on its own, with no manual work by the team.
Answering queries
When the government asks about a person, the provider responds on the hotel’s behalf; your staff does not have to watch for it.
Guided capture
Capture with photo and pre-fill guides the receptionist, reduces errors and shortens arrival at peak hour.
What stays with you
Welcoming the guest well and asking for their document. Your team does that; the rest you delegate.