How to correct a SIBA filing after submission

What to do when you filed the wrong passport number, the wrong dates, the wrong property or a guest who never arrived — and when re-filing makes things worse.

You filed, then noticed the passport number has a digit wrong. Or the guest cancelled after you filed. Or you filed six people against the wrong unit. Here is how to handle each situation without turning a small error into a duplicate-record problem.

First principle: never "just file it again"

Re-submitting a corrected copy of the same guest for the same stay creates a duplicate, which is itself a rejection reason and leaves two conflicting records on file. Use a correction, not a resubmission.

Case 1 — Wrong document number, name or nationality

The filing exists and the person really stayed. This is a data correction.

1. Identify the original filing reference (the receipt or acknowledgement number from your submission).

2. Submit a correction for that record with the corrected field.

3. Keep a copy of both the original and corrected acknowledgement.

If your submission channel does not expose a correction function, contact AIMA with the original reference and the corrected data rather than filing a second boletim.

Case 2 — Wrong check-in date

Same approach: correct the existing record. Do not file a new record for the correct date and leave the wrong one standing — that reads as two separate stays.

A special warning: never change a check-in date to make a late filing look on time. Correcting a genuine typo is administration; adjusting the date to hide lateness is a false declaration and is treated far more seriously than the lateness itself.

Case 3 — Guest never arrived / booking cancelled after filing

If you filed before arrival and the guest no-showed:

Request cancellation/annulment of that specific filing, citing the original reference.
Record the cancellation evidence (OTA cancellation message, email) in your own files.

This is the strongest argument for filing on the arrival date rather than days in advance: a guest who never arrives never gets filed in the first place.

Case 4 — Filed under the wrong establishment or unit

Common with multi-unit properties, where each AL licence has its own SIBA registration. Filing Unit 11's guests under Unit 12 attaches real people to a property they never stayed in.

1. Annul the incorrect filing.

2. File correctly under the right establishment code.

3. Fix the root cause: store the establishment number per unit rather than per building.

Case 5 — Duplicate already created

If two records exist for the same person and stay, annul one and keep the accurate one. Do not leave both "in case".

Keep an audit trail

For every correction, keep:

Original acknowledgement / reference
What was wrong and when you noticed
The correction or annulment confirmation
Who made the change

In an inspection, a clean, dated correction log is the difference between "the host maintains control of their records" and "the host's records cannot be relied on".

How Chave AL helps

Filings are stored with their acknowledgement reference against the booking, guest data is versioned, and amendments are recorded with a timestamp and user — so the audit trail exists whether or not anyone ever asks for it.