Setting Up a Global Watchlist in Visitly

Modified on Wed, 27 May at 2:57 AM

Visitor Watchlist strengthens workplace security by automatically flagging visitors who match predefined rules. You can maintain a Global Watchlist that applies across all locations, or a Local Watchlist scoped to specific sites.

For information on configuring a Local Watchlist, see the Local Watchlist guide.

Setting Up a Global Watchlist Rule

Step 1: Navigate to Global Watchlist Rules

Navigate to Admin Dashboard > Settings > Global Watchlist Rules.
Click Add Watchlist Rules in the top-right corner.

The Create Global Watchlist panel will open.

Step 2: Select a Watchlist Group Type

Under Watchlist Group Type, select the category of data this rule will monitor. The type you select determines which fields and value options are available in the steps that follow.

Type	Description
Visit Field	Matches against visitor form fields such as name, email, phone, or company
Face Picture	Flags visitors based on facial recognition against stored images
ID Validation	Triggers based on the outcome of a visitor's ID document scan
Offender Check	Triggers based on the result of an offender database lookup

Step 3: Choose When the Rule Applies

Under Apply Watchlist Rule To, select when the rule should be enforced:

Option	When the rule is enforced	Available for
Visitor Sign In	Applies when a visitor checks in via Kiosk, Visitor Log (Dashboard), or Contactless Check-In	All group types
Pre-registration	Applies when creating or uploading bulk pre-registrations	Visit Field only

Tip: For Visit Field rules, you can enable both options to catch watchlist matches at both the pre-registration and sign-in stages.

Step 4: Set the Severity Level

Select a Severity level to indicate how urgently staff should respond when this rule is triggered:

Severity	When to Use
Low	Informational flags; no immediate action required
Medium	Warrants review before the visit proceeds
High	Requires immediate attention from staff
Critical	Blocks or escalates the visit without exception

Step 5: Configure the Rule Value

The fields available here depend on the Watchlist Group Type selected in Step 2.

Visit Field:

Choose a Field Name from the dropdown (e.g., Full Name, Email, Phone) to specify which visitor attribute to monitor.
Enter the Value that will trigger the match (e.g., a specific name or email address).
Add a Rule Description to document the purpose of this rule for your team.

Face Picture:

Select or upload the reference image to match against.
Add a Rule Description.

ID Validation:

Select the ID scan outcome that should trigger this rule from the Value dropdown:

Value	What it means
Skipped	The visitor skipped the ID scan step
Valid	The ID was scanned and verified successfully
Invalid	The ID scan returned a failed verification
ID Unrecognized	The system could not read or identify the document
System Error	A technical error occurred during the scan

Offender Check:

Select the offender check outcome that should trigger this rule from the Value dropdown:

Value	What it means
Match Found	The visitor's details matched a record in the offender database
Match Not Found	No matching record was found
System Error	A technical error occurred during the check
Unable to Perform	The check could not be completed (e.g., missing required data)

Step 6: Save the Rule

Click Save to activate the watchlist rule.

Your new Global Watchlist rule is now live and will be applied across all locations based on your selected settings.

How Pre-registration Rules Work

When the Pre-registration option is enabled (available for Visit Field rules only), Visitly validates visitor details against the Watchlist at the time a pre-registration is created.

Single Pre-Registration

If a visitor's details (e.g., name, email, phone, or company) match a Watchlist rule, an error message appears when you attempt to save.
On the first attempt, a Save Anyway button also appears.
- Clicking Save Anyway lets you bypass the warning, complete the pre-registration, and still record the Watchlist hit reason for audit purposes.

Bulk Pre-Registration

If one or more visitor records match a Watchlist rule, the system continues processing the full upload but displays a warning for each matched entry.
Each flagged record shows a warning icon in the Action column. Hover over the icon to see the reason for the match (e.g., name, email, phone, or company).
Bulk pre-registration does not include a Save Anyway option — flagged records must be reviewed before finalizing.

Example: Single Pre-Registration with a Watchlist Match

You add Jessica James to your Global Watchlist using a Visit Field rule with the Pre-registration option enabled.

When creating a pre-registration for Jessica:

Go to Pre-registration.
Click Pre-register Visit.
Enter the visitor's details.
Click Save — a warning message appears because Jessica James matches a Watchlist rule.

At this point, you can either:

Click Cancel to discard the entry, or
Click Save Anyway to bypass the warning and complete the pre-registration while recording the Watchlist hit.

This ensures your team is notified of every Watchlist match while maintaining flexibility for trusted visitors.

Troubleshooting

A Visit Field watchlist rule is not triggering on sign-in.
Confirm the Visitor Sign In option is checked under Apply Watchlist Rule To for that rule. Also verify the Field Name and Value exactly match the format visitors enter at check-in (e.g., capitalization and spacing).
A pre-registration is not being flagged despite a matching visitor.
Confirm the Pre-registration option is enabled for the relevant rule. This option is only available for Visit Field rules — it is not available for ID Validation, Face Picture, or Offender Check types.
The Severity level is showing as Medium by default.
Medium is the default selection when creating a new rule. Select the appropriate severity level before saving.
An ID Validation or Offender Check rule is not appearing on sign-in.
These rule types only support Visitor Sign In — confirm that option is selected. Also verify the Value matches the actual scan or check outcome being produced at your kiosk.
I cannot find the Global Watchlist Rules menu.
Confirm your Visitly account has Global Admin permissions. Global Watchlist settings are not accessible to location-level admins.

Need help? Contact the Visitly support team at support@visitly.io