Guest and member registers

By law, some licensees must keep a record of guests, members or residents that attend their venue.

This is called keeping a register.

You might need to maintain one or more of these:

Member register that records members of your club or association
Guest register that records guests of your club or association
Gaming visitors register that records guests at a venue with gaming machines
Residents register that records guests at a hotel, motel or other accommodation.

Who must keep a register

Member register and guest register

Clubs and associations that have one of these licence types must keep a member register and guest register:

full club licence
restricted club licence
renewable limited licence with club conditions.

Gaming visitors register

You must keep a gaming visitors register if you have a venue operator’s licence (a gaming licence for gaming machines).

If you have questions about it, contact the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.

Residents register

You must keep a residents register if you have a general or on-premises licence (including late night versions) and you are a hotel, motel and or other accommodation provider.

How to keep a register

A members register is a list of all club members.
You are required to record each club member's:
- name
- address
- membership type or subscription.
Members do not need to sign in each time they visit the club.
This register is for any guests who attend the club in the company of a member.
You are required to:
- make sure the guest signs in each time they visit the club.
- record the guest’s name.
It's not required, but you may also want to record the:
- guest's address, either home address or email address
- date of their visit
- name of the club member they are with, if this applies.
These extra details may help in case you need to contact the guest.
If you are a sporting club, on match days:
- if your club rules say that opposing teams are ‘members’ they do not need to sign the register
- you need to keep a record of the opposing team in case our liquor inspectors or Victoria Police ask to see it.
If you have a venue operator’s licence (a gaming licence for gaming machines), you must record all guests who attend your venue as authorised gaming visitors.
You are required to record guests':
- name
- address
- date they visited the club.
Gaming visitors must:
- produce ID before being allowed into the venue
- carry the ID with them while at the venue.
Gaming visitors are not required to be signed in by a member of the club.
If you are required to keep a guest register and a gaming visitor register, you can combine them.
Hotels, motels and other accommodation providers that hold a general or on-premises licence (including late night) need to keep a record of all residents.
A resident is anyone living or staying at your accommodation. It does not include the person who holds the licence.
You are required to record residents':
- name
- address
- room number
- check in and check out dates.

Record keeping

Your registers must be:

available onsite and able to be immediately accessed, in case liquor inspectors or Victoria Police ask to inspect them. This includes any digital registers. You must comply with this request or you could be penalised.
kept in any clear, legible format provided the information is easy to read. It can be handwritten or digital, such as a spreadsheet or software.

If using digital records, you may need to comply with additional privacy laws.

You can request identification (ID) from guests to verify details. You do not need to keep a copy of their ID in the register.

How long to keep records

There’s usually no set period for how long you need to keep records.

We recommend you keep them for up to 12 months from the register’s start date.

You may need to keep your registers for a set period if law enforcement makes this request.

Business & the workplace

Updated 23 October 2025