You rent out an apartment in Berlin, a room in Hamburg or a studio in Cologne on Airbnb, and you wonder whether you need a registration number? In Germany, the answer depends on the municipality: there is no national register. On 26 October 2026, the Bundesnetzagentur (the federal network agency) listed 12 municipalities where registration is mandatory. And since summer 2026, platforms have been sending it the nights rented every month.
This article relies on official pages read for the occasion: the Bundesnetzagentur page on short-term rentals and its list of areas with registration (as of 26 October 2026), Regulation (EU) 2024/1028, the berlin.de page on the ban on the misuse of housing, the Munich municipal regulation and the Hamburg Senate press release of 6 May 2026. We could not read the pages of the federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (access blocked): we do not cite them.
Last source check: 1 November 2026. This is not legal or tax advice: to be checked for your situation and your municipality, with the competent administration.
Who sets the rules for short-term rentals in Germany?
In Germany, the Länder and municipalities set the rules for short-term rentals, not the federal state. The Bundesnetzagentur says so clearly: setting up registration procedures and issuing numbers fall exclusively to the authorities of the Länder and municipalities. A municipality can only create a registration if a law of its Land allows it.
The common framework comes from the European Union. The European regulation on short-term rental transparency, Regulation (EU) 2024/1028, has applied since 20 May 2026. It does not create mandatory registration everywhere: it sets how registration must work wherever an authority has chosen it, and organises data exchange between platforms and administrations. Germany has incorporated it into its digital services law, the Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz (DDG), in sections 22a and 22b.
In practice, three levels overlap:
- The European Union: common rules on the registration number and on the data sent by platforms.
- The federal state: a single entry point for this data, entrusted to the Bundesnetzagentur.
- The Land and the municipality: the registration obligation itself, duration limits and fines, often in laws against the misuse of housing (Zweckentfremdungsverbot).
What role has the Bundesnetzagentur played since 1 July 2026?
The Bundesnetzagentur acts as the single entry point between platforms and local authorities: it does not issue any numbers. According to its official page, since 1 July 2026 it has carried out central tasks under the European regulation, and its data exchange point went live on that same date.
Its tasks, as it describes them:
- Receiving data from platforms: as a rule every month, the number of nights and guests per listing. The first transmission took place from 1 September 2026, retroactively covering July and August. Small platforms send their data at the end of each quarter, as provided for in Article 9 of the European regulation for those with fewer than 4,250 listings.
- Passing this data on to the municipalities that have a registration.
- Carrying out spot checks on the information declared by hosts, planned from October 2026. The agency specifies that more information will follow.
- Supervising platforms: according to the Bundesnetzagentur, a platform that fails in its obligations faces a fine of up to €100,000.
Attention
The spot checks were announced « from October 2026 ». On 1 November 2026, the official page gave no further details. If your municipality requires a number, check right now that it is clearly displayed in your listing.
Do you need a registration number everywhere in Germany?
No. Registration is only mandatory in the municipalities that have introduced it. On 26 October 2026, the official Bundesnetzagentur list counted 12 active areas:
| Land | Municipalities with mandatory registration |
|---|---|
| Berlin | Berlin |
| Hamburg | Hamburg |
| Baden-Württemberg | Tübingen |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | Aachen, Bonn, Brühl, Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frechen, Münster, Wesseling |
The same page stated that no new registration procedure was planned at that time. This list may change: check it before publishing a listing, because it is the list platforms use to know where to require a number.
If your property is in one of these municipalities, the number must appear in your listing. Article 7 of the European regulation requires platforms to display the registration number wherever it is required. Each number corresponds to a single property: two apartments, two numbers.
Munich was not on the 26 October 2026 list, even though the city has adopted its own registration (see below). Nuremberg and Regensburg were not on it either. Outside these municipalities, other local rules may apply, such as a tourist tax or a duration limit: ask your town hall.
What are the rules in Berlin?
In Berlin, you need a registration number for any short-term rental, and often a permit as well. The berlin.de page distinguishes several cases:
- Your main residence, rented while you are away: a permit is required.
- Your second home that you live in yourself: a permit is possible for at most 90 days a year.
- Part of your main residence: no permit if you rent at most 49% of the living space (the kitchen and bathroom count for half). The registration number remains mandatory.
The number must be clearly displayed in the listing, on a platform as in any other public offer. It is assigned to a specific property and a specific host. The fourth law amending the Berlin law against the misuse of housing (ZwVbG), which implements the European regulation, came into force on 17 June 2026.
The penalties are heavy: according to the Bezirksamt Mitte, a breach of the ZwVbG can cost a fine of up to €500,000 (section 7, paragraph 4).
As for tourist tax, the Berlin City Tax has been 7.5% of the price per night since 1 January 2025. The rule that exempted stays of more than 21 days disappeared on that date. In 2026, the 10-bed threshold was removed and the return is filed electronically every quarter. We did not find any official source confirming that Airbnb collects this tax on your behalf: check in your host account and with the competent Finanzamt.
What are the rules in Munich?
In Munich, registration has been mandatory since 1 August 2026, before any offer on a platform. This is what section 5a of the municipal regulation on the misuse of housing, adopted on 9 July 2026, provides.
The same text sets a duration limit: renting a property to guests for more than eight weeks in total per calendar year is considered misuse. Beyond that, you need a permit.
The fines provided for in section 14 of the regulation:
- up to €500,000 for use without a permit;
- up to €50,000 for an unregistered property or a listing without a number.
The city's information sheet, dated July 2026, specifies that the number is free of charge. It also stated that the link to the registration portal was not yet known. Munich did not appear on the Bundesnetzagentur list of 26 October 2026: keep an eye on the city's page before publishing or changing your listing.
What are the rules in Hamburg?
In Hamburg, you need a number called the Wohnraumschutznummer, to be shown in every listing, and short-term rentals without a permit are limited to eight weeks a year. According to the city's official FAQ, each number is linked to a specific property; there were 14,332 of them on 30 April 2026.
The Senate press release of 6 May 2026 announces three changes:
- The amended law has applied since 20 May 2026, at the same time as the European regulation.
- Hosts no longer have to declare their nights themselves: platforms send this data. The obligation to register and display the number remains in force.
- The 50% exception ends on 1 January 2027. Until now, renting out at most half of your home, a room for example, was possible with no time limit. After that, the eight-week rule will apply whatever the area rented, rooms included.
Astuce
Do you rent out a room in your Hamburg apartment all year round? Start counting your rental weeks now: from 1 January 2027, beyond eight weeks a year, you will need a permit.
What about taxes?
Income from a short-term furnished rental is taxable in Germany. The Income Tax Act (EStG, section 21) in principle classifies it as rental income (Vermietung und Verpachtung). Depending on your situation, for example with hotel-like services, a different regime may apply: ask a Steuerberater for advice.
The tax authorities are informed: under the European DAC7 directive, the German law on the reporting of data by platforms (PStTG) requires platforms to report hosts' income to the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) by 31 January of the following year at the latest. Income for 2026 will therefore be reported by the end of January 2027.
On top of that come local tourist taxes, such as the Berlin City Tax, whose rules vary from one city to another.
What checklist before you publish your listing in Germany?
Before publishing or keeping a listing online in Germany, check these points:
- Is your municipality on the Bundesnetzagentur list? If so, obtain the number from the municipality.
- Does your city have its own registration? This is the case in Munich since 1 August 2026.
- Do you need a permit? Berlin, Munich and Hamburg limit short-term rentals (second home, eight weeks a year, share of the living space).
- Is the number displayed in the listing? One number per property.
- Which tourist tax? Ask your city and the Finanzamt.
- Is your income declared? Platforms report it to the BZSt.
- Is your welcome ready? House rules, waste sorting, self check-in, in your guests' language.
If you rent in several countries, our guides on Spain and its single register, Belgium and England show how much each country follows its own logic.
How do you welcome guests in Germany: which languages?
A welcome booklet in German and English covers most guests in Germany; add the languages of your regular guests. House rules, waste sorting (often very precise in Germany), quiet hours at night and self check-in are the topics that raise the most questions. Our article on the welcome booklet for international guests details the approach.
With Majordia, the digital welcome booklet exists in 6 languages (French, German, English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch) and opens with a QR code per property, with no app to install. Majordia does not handle your registration or your permit: these procedures remain to be done with your municipality.
Good to know: Airbnb is also changing its rules for all hosts. Our article on the new Airbnb rules of 20 November 2026 sums them up.
Key takeaways
Information
- No national number in Germany: registration depends on the municipality and the law of the Land.
- On 26 October 2026, 12 municipalities required it according to the Bundesnetzagentur, including Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn and Tübingen.
- Since 1 July 2026, the Bundesnetzagentur has received data from platforms; spot checks are planned from October 2026.
- Berlin: number mandatory, permit often required, fines of up to €500,000, City Tax of 7.5%.
- Munich: registration mandatory since 1 August 2026, at most eight weeks a year without a permit.
- Hamburg: Wohnraumschutznummer mandatory, eight weeks a year, end of the 50% exception on 1 January 2027.
FAQ
Do you need a registration number to rent on Airbnb in Germany?
Only in the municipalities that have introduced one. On 26 October 2026, the Bundesnetzagentur listed 12 of them, including Berlin, Hamburg and nine municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia. Munich has also required registration since 1 August 2026.
Does the Bundesnetzagentur issue the numbers?
No. According to its official page, issuing numbers falls exclusively to the Länder and municipalities. The Bundesnetzagentur receives data from platforms, passes it on to the municipalities and plans spot checks.
How long can you rent in Berlin, Munich or Hamburg?
In Berlin, a second home that you live in can be rented for at most 90 days a year with a permit. In Munich and Hamburg, the limit without a permit is eight weeks a year. In all cases, check your situation with the city.
Can you rent out a room in your home without a permit?
In Berlin, yes if the part rented does not exceed 49% of the living space of your main residence, but the number remains mandatory. In Hamburg, the 50% exception ends on 1 January 2027: the eight-week limit will then also apply to rooms.
What do you risk without a number?
In Munich, up to €50,000 for an unregistered property or a listing without a number, and up to €500,000 for use without a permit. In Berlin, a breach of the law against the misuse of housing can cost up to €500,000.
Is Airbnb income reported to the German tax authorities?
Yes. Under the PStTG, platforms report hosts' income to the BZSt by 31 January of the following year at the latest. This income must be declared in your tax return.
One municipality, one number, one booklet
Renting in Germany starts with checking your municipality and obtaining the right number. Then comes the welcome: with the Essential plan (free, add-ons à la carte), create your welcome booklet in 6 languages, without sign-up.
Image credits. Cover: photo « A row of multi-story buildings on a sunny day » by Mattes Buskies (Kreuzberg, Berlin), Unsplash, Unsplash licence. Photos in the text: « a tall building with red and white windows under a cloudy sky » by Ploegerson (Berlin), Unsplash, and « brown concrete building near river during daytime » by Magnus S (Speicherstadt, Hamburg), Unsplash, Unsplash licence.
