Use the Excel import to create or update visitors in bulk when you do not have an integration yet. You can upload Excel or CSV files with multiple profiles, validity dates, and formulas. The import also helps you resolve issues directly in Peripass.
Start an import
You can start the import from the visitor list: "Import visitors" under the "More..." button in the visitor list:
Import visitors 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.
3. Upload your file.
4. Map the profile fields to the columns in your Excel file.
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 Excel file into Peripass, we recommend matching the Technical Field Names in Peripass to the Excel column names. That way, field mapping happens automatically and you do not need to link fields manually each time.
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 visitors with different profiles and validity dates
You can also use values from your file to set the profile and validity per visitor.
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.
Enable visitor updates
The Excel import can also update existing visitors.
Before you can use this functionality, 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.
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:
Excel 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:
Excel 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.
Won’t do / known limitations
Field mappings
You can't map an Excel column to more than 1 field in Peripass
You can't map a fixed value to a field (you need to an Excel 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 (i.e., 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: CSV (recommended), XLS, XLSX
The file must contain valid data and structure; validation is based on content, not only file extension
File type detection may vary by browser, but Peripass validates the file during import