Answers · Rules, night limits and registration
Do I need to register or license my holiday rental?
Short answer
In most of the places we have checked, yes, and the number usually has to appear on every listing. Italy issues a national code, the CIN. Greece issues an AMA for each unit. Portugal requires Alojamento Local registration. Namibia and Kenya require registration with their tourism authorities. Across the EU, from 20 May 2026, platforms must check registration numbers and can remove a listing that fails. Barcelona is issuing no new tourist licences, and Cape Town's draft by-law would make registration compulsory. Rules change and they change locally, so each linked guide carries the date it was checked and the authority's link. Airflow stores your number and shows it on the pages it publishes; it does not register a property for you, and nothing here is legal advice.
Why registration has stopped being paperwork
A registration number used to be a form you filled in once and forgot. From 20 May 2026, Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 has platforms checking numbers against a national database and reporting each unit's activity to the authorities every month. A number that is missing, mistyped or lapsed becomes a listing that can be removed.
The second difficulty is finding the rule at all. In Namibia the duty sits in the tourism statute under self-catering accommodation, not under anything called a short-term rental. The absence of rules written for Airbnb is not the absence of rules.
How to do it with Airflow
- 1
Find the rule for your country and city
Start with the index of rules by city, then read the guide for your own. Each one names the authority and links to it.
- 2
Register with the authority yourself
Registration is between you and the authority. Airflow has no part in the application.
- 3
Save the number against the property
Enter it once in the property's settings. Airflow shows it wherever it publishes that property, so the number guests see is the one in your records.
- 4
Record the licence status and any expiry date
Set an expiry date and Airflow reminds you at twelve, six, three and one months before it and on the day. For a licence that cannot be replaced, set the status to say so.
What each registration is, in one line
As stated in each guide on the date it was checked. Confirm with the authority before you act.
| European Union | From 20 May 2026, where a member state runs a registration procedure: the number must appear on the listing, and platforms check it and report activity monthly |
|---|---|
| Italy: CIN | National identification code from the Ministry of Tourism; on every listing and displayed outside the property; fines run to €8,000 |
| Greece: AMA | Issued by AADE, one per property or self-contained unit; must appear in every listing on every platform |
| Portugal: Alojamento Local | Required for lets of up to 30 days; the number goes on all listings and at the property entrance |
| Barcelona: HUT licence | No new licences; the roughly 10,101 existing ones expire by November 2028 with no renewal |
| Namibia | Registration with the Namibia Tourism Board; providing accommodation in an unregistered establishment is an offence |
| Kenya | Registration with the Tourism Regulatory Authority, which involves an inspection |
| Cape Town | Draft by-law, not law: registration with the City before a property is advertised, with the City's number on all listings |
Some cities with a night cap also issue a number: Paris a 13-character municipal number, Amsterdam a registration number for every advertisement, and Berlin a registration number for a main home.
Where registration will not help
Some places have moved past registration. Barcelona has allowed no growth in tourist accommodation since 2017 and its existing licences end by November 2028, upheld by the Constitutional Court in March 2025. Lisbon has suspended new Alojamento Local licences and closes an area to new ones once they reach 10% of its housing, so the answer depends on your parish. Athens has operated a moratorium on new registrations in central districts. In these places, check whether registration is open in your specific area before you buy or commit.
Rules change, and this page is not legal advice
These rules change often and they change locally. Each guide linked here gives the date it was checked and the authority to confirm with, and the Cape Town by-law is still a draft whose details may change. Airflow displays the number you give it. It does not check that the number is valid, and it does not make a property compliant.
Other ways to do this
Airflow is one option. These are the others, and when each is the better choice.
- Keep the number and its dates yourself
- A note of the number, where it is recorded and when anything needs renewing, with a reminder in your own calendar. Enough for one property if you remember to update every listing by hand.
- The platform's own registration field
- Where a platform asks for your number on the listing, fill it in there whatever else you use: from 20 May 2026 platforms in the EU must check it. It covers that platform only.
- A local lawyer or the authority itself
- The right route for questions of eligibility: whether new licences are open in your area, whether your property type qualifies, or what happens on a sale.
What Airflow does not do
- Airflow does not register a property, apply for a licence or file anything with an authority.
- It does not add your number to your Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo listing. You enter it on each platform yourself.
- It cannot display a code physically at the property, which Italy and Portugal both require.
- It does not verify a number against a national database or tell you whether you comply.
Common questions
Is there one registration number for the whole EU?
No. The EU regulation creates no new licence and sets no night limit. It requires the national or regional number, where one exists, to be shown on the listing and checked by the platform, from 20 May 2026. What the EU regulation requires of hosts and platforms →
Can I still get a tourist licence in Barcelona?
No. Barcelona is not issuing new tourist licences and the existing ones expire by November 2028 with no renewal. Barcelona's licences and the options that remain →
What happens if I let an unregistered property in Namibia?
Under the Namibia Tourism Board Act it is an offence, with a fine of up to N$20,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both. The board has issued a directive to hosts on Airbnb and similar platforms. Namibia Tourism Board registration →
Do I need to register an Airbnb in Kenya?
Yes. Operators of short-term accommodation are required to register with the Tourism Regulatory Authority, at any size. Kenya also plans to extend its 2% tourism levy to short-term rental platforms, deducted at source; by September 2026 collection had not started. Kenya's registration and the tourism levy →
Is registration already required in Cape Town?
Not yet. The City published a draft Short-Term Letting By-Law in August 2026 and its comment period closed on 5 October 2026; no final text has been published. As drafted, a property must be registered before it is advertised and the number shown on all listings. What Cape Town's draft by-law requires →
Try it on your own bookings
Forward a few booking emails and look at what Airflow builds from them. A card is needed at sign-up.
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