
Memorizing the Arstotzkan districts, passport issuing cities and seals makes the work go much quicker. Do not expect to remember these off by heart – one starts to remember the trends better as they go, especially when they encounter them frequently. This can make it easier to remember which parameters you have already confirmed. It may be helpful to consider which characteristics need to be verified against each other – for example name must be checked against every other document, but passport number only needs to be checked if the person is a foreigner (Arstotzkan ID cards do not have a number) unless you need to check certificates of vaccination, in which case you do need to check Arstotzkan passport numbers against these certificates. If a person has special dialogue when they enter the booth, they are scripted. This means you can "cheat" by using your prior knowledge and/or this wiki.
Random visitors vary between different playthroughs, but some scripted visitors always have the same papers every time they appear.
On each day, there will be a number of procedurally generated visitors, and a number of scripted visitors who are part of the story. Any documents that have been verified can be dropped back to the left-hand or in the slots of the desk when you are done. And go slow so you don't make any mistakes. When there are multiple documents and paperwork becomes complex, you can check documents one at a time. You can use these to take story actions or to skip difficult cases to increase overall speed. You can make two errors per day without incurring a penalty (you receive warnings).
Medicine should always be paid for immediately, though.
You can pay for food and heating on alternate days at very little penalty. Sometimes, scripted events will end the day before this can be achieved and sometimes they prolong the day beyond that. Processing 11 people a day will keep your family comfortable in class 8 lodgings, although you may want to alternate spending in order to have savings for bad days. You get paid 5 credits for every person processed until 6pm, without any penalties incurred. PAPERS PLEASE GAME GUIDE FREE
The time does not start until you say "Next!", so feel free to take time to memorize any new information or rules for the new day. Just practicing will help a great deal to start with. The game is all about checking over documents as quickly as possible.