How to pre-approve a visitor and send a QR gate pass

Q: How do I pre-approve a visitor?

Pre approve a visitor from the AKCS app before they arrive. AKCS creates a gate pass with a QR code, and sends the visitor a 6 digit OTP by SMS. The guard scans the QR or types the OTP, and the entry is logged against your flat. 1. Open the AKCS app and start a new pre approval for your flat. 2. Choose the pass type: visitor, delivery, worker or event. 3. Enter the visitor's name and mobile number. The number is what the OTP goes to, so check it before you continue. 4. Set the expected arrival date and time. 5. Choose how long the pass stays valid after that time — 2, 4, 8 hours, or a custom duration. The default is 8 hours. 6. Confirm. The pass is created with an ID in the form PASS XXXXXXX

Q: When does the gate pass start and stop working?

The pass opens 8 hours before the expected arrival time and closes at the expected arrival plus the validity you chose. That early window exists because visitors turn up ahead of schedule, and you should not have to reissue a pass for it. For example: you set an expected arrival of 6:00 pm and leave validity at the default 8 hours. The pass works from 10:00 am that morning until 2:00 am the next day. Validity you choose Pass closes Typical use 2 hours Expected arrival + 2 hours A courier, a service call, a short visit 4 hours Expected arrival + 4 hours Lunch or an evening with family 8 hours (default) Expected arrival + 8 hours A guest staying most of the day Custom Expected arrival + the ho

Q: What is the 6-digit OTP, and what if my visitor doesn't get one?

The OTP is a 6 digit code sent to the visitor's mobile number by SMS. It does the same job as the QR code, so a visitor who cannot open a QR on their phone can read the six digits out to the guard instead. The OTP is only generated if the visitor has a phone number on the pass . If you created the pass without a number, no SMS goes out and no OTP exists. Share the QR code from the app with that visitor directly — that is their only credential. The OTP is single use. Once the guard verifies it, a second attempt returns "already verified" — it is not a wrong code and retyping it will not help. The guard resends a fresh code, or scans the QR instead. This matters most when a visitor arrives, st

Q: What is a gate pass ID, and where do I find it?

Every pass gets an ID in the form PASS XXXXXXXX . It is shown on the pass in your app and it is what the guard and your management committee refer to when they look an entry up in the gate log. Quote the pass ID when you raise a question about an entry — it identifies one specific pass, whereas a visitor's name may appear many times. A pass moves through a short set of states: Status What it means Expected Created, not yet used Arrived The guard verified the QR or OTP at the gate Left The exit was recorded Pending approval The pass is waiting on a resident decision before it is usable Cancelled You cancelled it — the credentials are gone

Q: What happens when your visitor reaches the gate?

The guard scans the QR code, or enters the 6 digit OTP if the visitor read it from their SMS. If the pass is inside its valid window, the entry is recorded against your flat and the status moves to arrived. When the visitor leaves, the guard records the exit. If the pass has expired, was cancelled, or the visitor turns up with no pass at all, the guard raises an access request instead. That goes to you as a push notification to approve or reject, and it is a different flow from pre approval — see [AKCS Gate](/akcs gate.html) for how the gate side works.

Pre-approve a visitor in the AKCS app to create a QR gate pass and a 6-digit OTP by SMS, valid from 8 hours before the expected arrival.

How to For resident Updated 25 August 2026

How do I pre-approve a visitor?

Pre-approve a visitor from the AKCS app before they arrive. AKCS creates a gate pass with a QR code, and sends the visitor a 6-digit OTP by SMS. The guard scans the QR or types the OTP, and the entry is logged against your flat.

Open the AKCS app and start a new pre-approval for your flat.
Choose the pass type: visitor, delivery, worker or event.
Enter the visitor's name and mobile number. The number is what the OTP goes to, so check it before you continue.
Set the expected arrival date and time.
Choose how long the pass stays valid after that time — 2, 4, 8 hours, or a custom duration. The default is 8 hours.
Confirm. The pass is created with an ID in the form PASS-XXXXXXXX, and the QR code appears in the app.
Share the QR with your visitor over WhatsApp, or let them use the OTP from the SMS.

All times you enter and see are your community's local time, not UTC.

When does the gate pass start and stop working?

The pass opens 8 hours before the expected arrival time and closes at the expected arrival plus the validity you chose. That early window exists because visitors turn up ahead of schedule, and you should not have to reissue a pass for it.

For example: you set an expected arrival of 6:00 pm and leave validity at the default 8 hours. The pass works from 10:00 am that morning until 2:00 am the next day.

Validity you choose	Pass closes	Typical use
2 hours	Expected arrival + 2 hours	A courier, a service call, a short visit
4 hours	Expected arrival + 4 hours	Lunch or an evening with family
8 hours (default)	Expected arrival + 8 hours	A guest staying most of the day
Custom	Expected arrival + the hours you set	Anything else — an overnight stay, an early flight

The 8-hour head start is fixed. You control the tail end only.

What is the 6-digit OTP, and what if my visitor doesn't get one?

The OTP is a 6-digit code sent to the visitor's mobile number by SMS. It does the same job as the QR code, so a visitor who cannot open a QR on their phone can read the six digits out to the guard instead.

The OTP is only generated if the visitor has a phone number on the pass. If you created the pass without a number, no SMS goes out and no OTP exists. Share the QR code from the app with that visitor directly — that is their only credential.

The OTP is single-use. Once the guard verifies it, a second attempt returns "already verified" — it is not a wrong code and retyping it will not help. The guard resends a fresh code, or scans the QR instead.

This matters most when a visitor arrives, steps out, and comes back. The first verification consumes the code.

What is a gate pass ID, and where do I find it?

Every pass gets an ID in the form PASS-XXXXXXXX. It is shown on the pass in your app and it is what the guard and your management committee refer to when they look an entry up in the gate log.

Quote the pass ID when you raise a question about an entry — it identifies one specific pass, whereas a visitor's name may appear many times.

A pass moves through a short set of states:

Status	What it means
Expected	Created, not yet used
Arrived	The guard verified the QR or OTP at the gate
Left	The exit was recorded
Pending approval	The pass is waiting on a resident decision before it is usable
Cancelled	You cancelled it — the credentials are gone

Can I cancel a gate pass after I've sent it?

Yes, cancel the pass from the app. But cancelling is final: it wipes the pass's credentials rather than just flagging them. The QR code stops working immediately and the OTP no longer verifies.

A cancelled gate pass cannot be un-cancelled. There is no undo. If the visit is back on, create a new pre-approval and send the new QR — the old one is dead.

Cancel deliberately. If a visitor is simply running late, you usually do not need to cancel at all — extend the plan by issuing a fresh pass with a later expected arrival, or let the existing window cover it.

What happens when your visitor reaches the gate?

The guard scans the QR code, or enters the 6-digit OTP if the visitor read it from their SMS. If the pass is inside its valid window, the entry is recorded against your flat and the status moves to arrived. When the visitor leaves, the guard records the exit.

If the pass has expired, was cancelled, or the visitor turns up with no pass at all, the guard raises an access request instead. That goes to you as a push notification to approve or reject, and it is a different flow from pre-approval — see AKCS Gate for how the gate side works.

What if I need many passes at once, for an event?

Passes can be created in bulk for an event, but bulk creation runs in the background. The request is accepted first and the passes appear a few moments later, so do not assume every pass exists the instant you submit the list. Check the passes are there before you send invitations out.

For a large event, create the batch well ahead of the day rather than at the gate. If you are setting this up for the first time for your community, book a demo and we will walk your committee through it.

Still stuck?

Email contact@shinraidynamics.com and a human replies within the same working day.

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