Is it safe to send photos of my ID to a private host?
Most private accommodation hosts require identity verification, but emailing photos of sensitive documents creates significant security and privacy risks. Travelers forced to transmit these images online struggle to verify secure handling, which stops many from completing direct bookings or leaves them vulnerable to identity theft.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1carrying a xerox copy in personDid this help you?
- 2ignoring the message until arrivalDid this help you?
- 3providing only the number and series instead of a photoDid this help you?
- 4Looking for alternative websites and platforms to sell goods that do not use the same verification serviceDid this help you?
- 5Asking for input on whether the third-party verification service is trustworthy or worthwhile to useDid this help you?
- 6Involving a parent or relative to help set up billing and identity verification info.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Is it normal thing in Italy and is it safe to share my ID?”source ↗
“I finally turned 18 so I was going through the process and it now says I have to verify my identity through Persona.”source ↗
“This company has gone through so many data breaches that I do not trust it at all in the slightest.”source ↗
“Where i'm from online ID verification is only done for some government stuff, so the site asking for my ID kinda put me (and my dad, who was helping me set up some billing info) off.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 6How to stop wedding vendors from posting your photos online
- 2How to automatically deliver digital files to buyers on Amazon and eBay