Visitor photo and ID proof
Decide per visitor type whether the gate must take a photo and note an ID proof. The gate cannot let the visitor in without them. The full ID number and the ID image are seen only by guards, reception and administrators; everyone else sees the number masked.
PLANSEvery plan
The problem it solves
- The guard writes "ID seen" in the register, and nobody can show which ID it was.
- A contractor is let in without any ID because the gate was busy.
- Copies of visitors' Aadhaar cards sit in a folder anyone in the office can open.
- Photos and ID scans pile up for years with no rule on when they go.
How it works
- Under Visitors > Configuration > Gates and Visitors > Visitor Types, switch on Photo Required and ID Proof Required for each kind of visitor that needs them.
- Keep the list of ID Proof Types your site accepts, such as passport or driving licence, under Configuration > ID Proof Types.
- At a walk-in, the guard takes the photo with the screen's or the phone's camera. They note the ID proof type with its number or a photo of the ID.
- If something the type asks for is missing, the walk-in stops with a plain message, such as Take the visitor's photo.
- A returning visitor's photo and ID on file count, so they are not asked again.
- Hosts and other staff see the visitor's photo and the ID number masked to the last four characters.
Everything it does
Rules per visitor type
- Photo Required: on for a new type, and on for every ready-made type except Delivery
- ID Proof Required: off for a new type; on for Contractor / Maintenance as it comes
- ID proof means the type plus the number or an image of the ID
- Pass holders are asked for the photo or ID only if the type needs it and none is on file
ID proof types
- Ready: Aadhaar, Driving Licence, Voter ID, Passport, PAN, Company ID
- Add, rename, reorder or archive them in your own country's terms
Who sees what
- The ID number and the ID image: guards, reception and VMS administrators only
- Everyone else, including hosts: the number masked, for example xxxxxxxx1234
- An Aadhaar number already stored masked stays masked for everyone
- Changes to the ID number are tracked, and the history follows the same access
Images and keeping them
- Visitor photo kept at up to 512 x 512 pixels; ID image at up to 1024 x 1024
- Delete Photos / ID Images After (days): photos and ID images of visitors not seen for that many days are removed by a daily job
- 0, the default, never deletes them
At the kiosk
- The kiosk takes the visitor's photo when the type asks for one
- A visitor type that needs an ID proof is never offered on the kiosk; those visitors see the guard
- Visitors accept your Visitor Terms and Consent before sending, and see your Visitor Privacy Policy link
Who uses it
GuardTakes the photo and notes the ID proof at the gate; sees the full ID number.
Reception / ManagerSees and corrects the photo and ID on a visitor's record.
AdministratorSets which types need a photo or an ID, the ID proof types and the retention days.
HostSees the visitor's photo and the masked ID number.
Where you use it
- Web: Visitors > Configuration > Gates and Visitors > Visitor Types and ID Proof Types
- Web: the gate screen walk-in (Start camera, Take photo, Upload / phone camera) and the guard page at /guard
- The SmartMy VMS Guard app: Take photo, Choose, Photo of the ID (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- The kiosk in a browser or the Kiosk app: the visitor's photo (the camera works in a browser only on an https address)
- Not read from the ID: the number is typed or photographed; it is not checked against any government database
What you control
Settings
- Photo Required: on for new visitor types
- ID Proof Required: off for new visitor types
- Delete Photos / ID Images After (days): 0 (never)
- Visitor Terms and Consent and Visitor Privacy Policy (URL): empty to start with
Questions
Can the host see the visitor's full Aadhaar or passport number?
No. Hosts and other staff see the number masked to the last four characters. Only guards, reception and VMS administrators see the full number and the ID image.Is the ID verified against a government database?
No. The guard notes the ID type and its number, or takes a photo of the ID. Nothing is looked up online.Can a visitor skip the photo at the kiosk?
Only if their visitor type does not require one. A type that needs an ID proof is never offered on the kiosk; those visitors see the guard.How do we delete old visitor photos?
Set Delete Photos / ID Images After (days) on the Visitors tab of the entity. A daily job removes the photos and ID images of visitors not seen for that long. The visits themselves stay.Related features
VISITORS AND CHECK-INVisitor types with their own rulesEach kind of visitor, such as a guest, a vendor, a contractor or an interview candidate, has its own rules. They cover photo and ID, how long they may stay, which gates they may use and whether they may register at the kiosk. Whether a walk-in of that type waits for the host is set in the approval chain.VISITORS AND CHECK-INReturning visitors found by mobile numberEach visitor is kept once per entity, by mobile number. When they come again, the guard types the number and the name, company, photo and ID on file come back. So do the number of visits and whom they saw last time.VISITORS AND CHECK-INWalk-in registration with check-in and check-outThe guard or reception registers a visitor without a pass on one form. It has mobile, name, photo, whom they see, the kind of visit and what they brought. Every visit keeps its gate, its arrival, check-in and check-out times, and a four-digit gate pass number the visitor uses to leave.GATE, KIOSK AND GUARD TOOLSSelf check-in kioskA tablet at the gate or at reception where visitors check themselves in and out. They scan a pass or type its code. Without a pass, they register with a photo and accept your terms, while the guard deals with the next person.RECORDS AND REPORTSChange history and photo retentionEvery change to a visit, visitor, pass, gate, parcel, alert or exit pass is recorded with who made it and when. Once a visitor has left, only an administrator can correct the visit, with a reason. Visitor photos and ID images are deleted by themselves after the number of days you set.
See it on your own gate.
Tell us how many gates you have, who comes through them and how visitors are approved today. We will show you SmartMy VMS set up that way.