# Check in a patient with a QR code

> To check in a patient with a QR code in Velarya, open Front Desk and select the QR code icon to open the Check-in scanner. Scan the code in the patient's app, or search under Manual lookup, then select Check in. Velarya moves today's appointment to Arrived and adds the patient's check-in points.

- Source: https://velarya.com/help/check-in-a-patient-with-a-qr-code
- Who can do this: Admins and roles with Check-in & scanning turned on and Front-desk board set to View
- Plans: Scale, Branded, Connected
- Time: 1 minute
- Last verified: 2026-10-01

## Before you begin

- The Check-In challenge is on, with points in Reward: see Set up check-in rewards.
- To scan a code, the patient has an account with your practice in the patient app, where their check-in code lives. Manual lookup finds any patient in Clients.

## Open the Check-in scanner

The **Check-in scanner** on the **Front Desk** page finds a patient from the QR code in their app, checks them in and adds their check-in points.

1. In the left sidebar, select **Front Desk**.
2. Select the QR code icon (**Scan QR code**) just left of **+ New Walk-In** at the top of the page. The **Check-in scanner** opens on the right, on the **Camera scan** tab.

![Front Desk header with the Scan QR code icon outlined between the search box and + New Walk-In](https://velarya.com/assets/help/check-in-a-patient-with-a-qr-code/front-desk-scan-button-8ce1f647.webp)

## Find the patient and check them in

The **Check-in scanner** finds the patient from the QR code in their app, or from their name, email or phone number, and shows who it found before anything is saved.

1. Ask the patient to open **Your check-in code** in the patient app and hold the QR code up to the camera. The scanner reads the code and shows the patient below it.
2. Select **Manual lookup** instead when the patient has no phone with them.
3. Type their name, email, phone number or the 12-character code under their QR code in **Type name, email, or phone**, and press Enter. The scanner shows every patient who matches.

![Check-in scanner on Manual lookup, with a patient's first name typed in the lookup field](https://velarya.com/assets/help/check-in-a-patient-with-a-qr-code/scanner-manual-lookup-2f2491d4.webp)

4. Select the patient you are checking in, when more than one matches.
5. Check the patient's name, with their email or phone underneath, and the heading above them:
   - **Confirm check-in**: the patient has one appointment today, and Velarya checks in that one.
   - **Pick today's appointment**: the patient has several, each shown with its time and treatment. The one starting nearest to now is **Selected**; select another to change it.
   - **No appointment today**: the patient has no appointment today at the location you are working in, so the check-in adds the check-in points only.

![Check-in scanner showing Confirm check-in for the patient found, with today's appointment Selected](https://velarya.com/assets/help/check-in-a-patient-with-a-qr-code/scanner-result-be9ec109.webp)

6. Select **Check in** followed by the patient's name, at the bottom of the scanner. The scanner closes and a message confirms the check-in, such as "Kendall Oyelaran checked in: 50 points added".

The result looks the same after a scan and after a lookup. To start over with another patient, select **Scan again**.

## Review past check-ins

The **Check-Ins** page lists every check-in reward Velarya adds at the location you are working in, newest first, 50 to a page, with the patient under **Client**, the **Location**, the **Points** and the **Time**. The number of **Records** at the top counts them all. Admins with more than one location can choose **All locations** under **Locations** in the menu at the bottom of the left sidebar to list every location together. Patient names follow your role's **Client name visibility**, on the page and in the export. The page needs **Challenges (check-in/referral)** at View, which Admins and Location Managers have by default.

1. In the left sidebar, select **Rewards**, then **Check-Ins**.
2. Select **Export** at the top right. Velarya downloads every check-in in the list, from every page, as check-ins.csv with the same four columns, and confirms how many rows it exported.
3. To export some check-ins instead, tick them and select **Export CSV**.

![Check-Ins log with the Records count and Export at the top, and two check-ins ticked with Export CSV outlined](https://velarya.com/assets/help/check-in-a-patient-with-a-qr-code/check-ins-activity-725c0192.webp)

## What do patients see?

Patients open their check-in code with the round QR button at the bottom right of the **Home** tab in the patient app. They can also select **Check In** on the check-in challenge in the **Rewards** tab. A sheet titled **Your check-in code** opens with "One scan to check in and earn points." It shows a QR code in your brand color and a 12-character code underneath, which staff can type into **Manual lookup**. The code stays the same every visit.

Once staff select **Check in**, the patient app confirms the check-in with the points earned, and a **Points added** notification follows. For every message patients receive, see [Loyalty notifications patients receive](https://velarya.com/help/loyalty-notifications). For how patients turn points into wallet credit, see [How points work](https://velarya.com/help/how-points-work).

## What happens when you select Check in?

A check-in with the **Check-in scanner** updates the appointment and adds the points in the same moment, following the rules of your **Check-In** challenge.

| Situation | What Velarya does |
|---|---|
| The appointment is Upcoming or Confirmed | Moves it to **Arrived** on the **Front Desk** board, records the arrival time and adds the check-in points |
| The appointment is already Arrived or In Session | Keeps its status, and adds the points if that appointment has not earned them yet |
| The patient has no appointment today, or only completed, checked-out, cancelled or no-show ones | Adds the check-in points only, at most once a day |
| The check-in earns no points under your **Check-In** rules: the **Frequency limit**, **Max check-ins per patient**, or the challenge switched off | Checks in the appointment if there is one, and the message says why no points were added. Without an appointment, the scanner stays open |

To change the points or the limits, see [Set up check-in rewards](https://velarya.com/help/set-up-check-in-rewards). The other ways staff check patients in, and how the limits work together, are in [How check-in rewards work](https://velarya.com/help/how-check-in-rewards-work).

## If something goes wrong

**"Camera access blocked", "No camera found" or "Couldn't start the camera".** The browser is blocked from the camera, the device has none, or another app is using it. For a block, select the camera icon in the address bar, set it to Allow and reload the page. Otherwise select **Try again**, or **Use search instead** to use **Manual lookup**.

**"Patient not found" after a scan.** The code belongs to the patient's account at another practice. In the Velarya app, the patient opens **Profile & Settings** > **My clinics**, switches to your practice and shows the code again.

**"Client not found" or "Patient not found with this ID".** No patient matches what you typed. Check the spelling, try their email or phone number, or type the code exactly as it appears under their QR code.

**The scanner shows No appointment today for a patient who has one.** The **Check-in scanner** lists today's appointments at the location you are working in. Choose the appointment's location under **Locations** in the menu at the bottom of the left sidebar, open the scanner again and look the patient up.

**"Check-in rewards are not active, so no points were added."** The **Check-In** challenge is off. Admins, Location Managers and other roles with **Challenges (check-in/referral)** at Edit turn it on, as described in [Set up check-in rewards](https://velarya.com/help/set-up-check-in-rewards).

**The QR code icon on Front Desk is grayed out.** Your role does not have **Check-in & scanning** turned on. The Admin, Location Manager and Front Desk roles have it by default. Ask an Admin to update your role; see [Loyalty roles and permissions](https://velarya.com/help/loyalty-roles-and-permissions).

**Front Desk or Rewards isn't in the left sidebar.** **Front Desk** needs **Front-desk board** at View, and **Rewards** needs **Challenges (check-in/referral)** at View. Ask an Admin to add them to your role; see [Loyalty roles and permissions](https://velarya.com/help/loyalty-roles-and-permissions).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can staff check in a patient who forgot their phone?

Yes. In the Check-in scanner, select Manual lookup and type the patient's name, email, phone number or the 12-character code under their QR code. Velarya lists every patient who matches, with their email or phone, and staff select the right one. Check in then updates today's appointment and adds the check-in points exactly as a scan does.

### What device does the front desk need to scan codes?

Any phone, tablet or computer that opens the Velarya dashboard in a browser and has a camera. The Check-in scanner uses the back camera when the device has one, and the browser asks once for permission to use it. On a device without a camera, staff check patients in with Manual lookup instead.

### Can we check in patients who book with another scheduler?

Yes. When a patient has no appointment booked in Velarya for today, the Check-in scanner shows No appointment today with the patient's name, and Check in adds their check-in points. A check-in without an appointment earns points at most once a day, under the same Frequency limit and Max check-ins per patient as any other.

### Does the Check-in scanner work at every location?

Yes. The Check-in scanner works at every location of your practice, and staff check patients in at the location they are working in. The scanner shows the patient's appointments today at that location, and each check-in appears on the Check-Ins page for that location. Check-in points join the patient's one balance, and the Frequency limit counts check-ins at every location together.

### How quickly do patients get their check-in points?

At once. Velarya adds the check-in points to the patient's balance the moment staff select Check in, and the Check-Ins page lists the award straight away. The patient app confirms the check-in with the points earned, a Points added notification follows, and the points are ready to redeem as wallet credit at 100 points to $1.00.