Use this import when you do not have an integration yet, or when visitor data is prepared in another system and exported as a file.
This article explains both import methods, the required file structure, how visitor updates work, and the main limitations.
Choose an import method
Peripass supports two ways to import visitors:
Method | Best for | Where to start |
Upload from the visitor list | Manual imports where a user wants to choose import settings in Peripass | Visitor list > More... > Import visitors |
Import by email | Automated or recurring imports where another system or user sends a file to Peripass | Configuration > General Settings > Integrations > Visitor Import |
Upload visitors from the visitor list
Use this option when you want to upload the file manually and choose the import settings during the import flow.
Go to the visitor list.
Click More....
Click Import visitors.
Choose whether the visitors should use one profile and validity period, or whether the profile and validity should come from the file.
Upload your CSV, XLS, or XLSX file.
Map the file columns to the Peripass fields.
Peripass analyses the file and validates it for inconsistencies before the import is queued. If the file is valid, the import is queued and you can track its status on the Visitor Import History page.
If problems occur during creation, the import finishes as Completed with errors. You can then download the error log and correct the file.
Import with one profile and one validity period
Use this option when all visitors in the file should receive the same profile and validity period.
Select the profile you want to import.
Choose a fixed validity date or date range.
Upload your file.
Map the profile fields to the columns in your file.
Import with different profiles and validity dates
Use this option when the profile and validity period should be set per visitor from values in the file.
Example:
Profile | Shipment Number | PO number | Carrier | Validity Date |
Ghent - Outbound / load | 1557 |
| DHL | 27/03/2026 |
Ghent - Inbound / unload |
| 1558 | DHL | 28/03/2026 |
In this setup:
Profile is mandatory.
From is mandatory.
If Until is empty, Peripass sets the validity to one day starting from the From date.
Import visitors by email
Use this option when you want to send visitor import files to Peripass by email.
Activate email import
Before you can use this option, an administrator must activate it:
Go to Configuration > General Settings > Integrations.
Under Visitor Import, activate the visitor import by email functionality.
The tenant-specific technical email address is shown in the same location: Configuration > General Settings > Integrations > Visitor Import.
Send an import file by email
Send an email to the tenant-specific technical email address with a CSV or XLSX file attached.
For each record in the file, Peripass creates a new visitor or updates an existing visitor based on the external identifier.
Make sure your file includes:
a profile column to define which profile is assigned. No default profile is used for email imports.
a from and/or to column to set the profile validity.
if to is not provided, the profile is valid for 1 day starting from the from date.
Email sender permissions
Peripass only processes emails sent from an email address that is linked to an existing Peripass user. If the sender's email address is not linked to a Peripass user, the email and attachment are not processed.
That user must also have the required permissions for the profiles linked to the visitors in the import file.
File requirements
The import file must contain valid visitor data and a supported file type.
Supported file types: CSV (recommended), XLS, XLSX
Peripass validates the file content and structure during import. Validation is based on the content of the file, not only the file extension.
Field mapping
Peripass automatically maps Excel fields during import. Columns are linked to Peripass fields when they use the same name, based on the field's Internal Name or Technical Name.
Pro-tip: If you regularly import the same file into Peripass, we recommend matching the Technical Field Names in Peripass to the column names in the file. That way, field mapping happens automatically and you do not need to link fields manually each time.
Creating and updating visitors
The Excel import can create new visitors and update existing visitors.
Enable visitor updates
Before Peripass can update existing visitors, you must mark one profile field as an external identifier:
Go to Configuration.
Open Profiles.
Select the profile.
Click Edit.
Open Linked Fields.
Select External Identifier Field.
Matching behavior
When updates are enabled, Peripass searches for an existing visitor with the same external identifier:
If no visitor is found, Peripass creates a new visitor.
If one visitor is found, Peripass updates that visitor.
If more than one visitor is found, Peripass creates a duplicate visitor, or does nothing if that option is disabled in Advanced settings.
Update behavior
When updating an existing visitor, Peripass:
ignores the profile set in the import file or in the predefined settings
ignores changes to license plates or mobile numbers if the visitor has already registered on the kiosk
can be configured to skip updates for visitors that are not in Expected status
How dates are imported
Peripass looks at two things when importing dates:
The format of the column in your Excel or CSV file.
The type of field you are importing into in Peripass.
When importing into a Date or Date & Time field
If your Excel column is formatted as a real date or date/time field, Peripass imports the date automatically.
Example:
File value | Peripass field type | Result |
13/05/2026 | Date | Imported as 13/05/2026 |
The way the date is displayed in Excel can be a standard date format or a custom format, such as dd/mm/yyyy. As long as Excel recognises the value as a date, Peripass can import it as a date.
When the date is written as text
Sometimes dates are not saved as real Excel dates. This often happens when:
the column is formatted as General
the file is a CSV file
the date was copied from another system
the value only looks like a date
In that case, Peripass tries to recognise the text as a date automatically.
Peripass can detect dates such as:
13/05/2026
2026/05/13
13/05/26
If the date can be recognised, it will be imported into the Date or Date & Time field.
When importing into a Text field
If the Peripass field is a Text field, Peripass will not treat the value as a date.
This means:
File value type | Imported into a Text field |
Real Excel date | May be imported as a number |
Text that looks like a date | Imported as text |
This happens because Excel stores real dates as numbers in the background. For example, a date displayed as 13/05/2026 in Excel may actually be stored as an internal number.
Known limitations
You can't map one file column to more than 1 field in Peripass.
You can't map a fixed value to a field. You need to map a file column to a field.
It is not feasible to upload Excel files containing phone numbers for mapping to a custom field of type Mobile number. In this scenario, when such a field is populated, the backend system verifies the existence of the phone number. However, this verification logic cannot be applied during Excel imports.
Excel import supports creating visitors as part of combined transports. However, if the reference for a combined transport is not unique because it has been used before, the group will not be created and the reference value will be ignored. The import will still complete successfully, but the user will not be notified that the reference field was ignored.
Security restrictions
To ensure safe and reliable imports, the following restrictions apply:
Supported file types are CSV, XLS, and XLSX.
The file must contain valid data and structure.
File type detection may vary by browser, but Peripass validates the file during import.
For email imports, the sender's email address must be linked to an existing Peripass user.
For email imports, the linked Peripass user must have the required permissions for the profiles linked to the imported visitors.