Registering a tourist accommodation

On this page, you will find information about registering a new tourist accommodation with Brussels Economy and Employment and the municipality. Everything related to the External linkRegional Tax on Tourist Accommodation can be found on External linkthis page.

The process

Are you looking to rent out a room, flat or house for stays of between 1 night and 90 consecutive days (for example, via a platform such as Airbnb, Booking, etc.)? 
Is the room, flat or house located in the Brussels-Capital Region (postcode between 1000 and 1299)?

In that case, you must: 

1. obtain a planning certificate and a External linkfire safety certificate from theExternal link relevant local authority. 

2. External linkregister your tourist accommodation with Brussels Economy and Employment before renting it out to tourists. 

   An application must be submitted to Brussels Economy and Employment, whether you are renting out your property occasionally or frequently. You must also comply with the operating conditions.

   You will then be issued with a mandatory registration number before starting the activity. Once your tourist accommodation has been registered, you can advertise your listing and take bookings.

3. You must then External linkdeclare your tourist accommodation to Brussels Taxation and pay taxes based on the number of nights stayed.
4. You must also External linkdeclare rental income on your tax return.

If there are any changes to or the cessation of the activity, you must External linknotify Brussels Economy and Employment.

Requirements the operator must fulfil:

• The operator must be a natural person or a legal person (its legal form does not matter). The company must have tourist accommodation as its main or side business purpose.
• The operator must have a civil liability insurance for damage done by themself or their staff.
• The operator - or the person responsible for the daily management if the operator is a legal person - must not have been sentenced for certain crimes or offences against persons, nor for sexual offences, nor for property offences (theft, fraud, etc.).

The tourist accommodation must:

• Be maintained in good hygiene and repair conditions.
• Meet the safety and urban planning standards (certificates) and be registered with Brussels Economy and Employment.
• Opens in new windowFulfil the specific requirements for its category (hotel or aparthotel, tourism residence or furnished tourism accommodation, social tourism, camping site, home-stay accommodation)

Required documents

1. Proofs of identity and copy/copies of criminal record: 

if the operator is a natural person:

• proof of the identity of the operator
• a copy of the criminal record meant for a public administration, delivered less than three months ago in the name of the operator
• if the registrant is not the operator: proof of authorisation

if the operator is a legal person:

• a copy of its current coordinated articles of association
• proof of the designation of the natural person responsible for the daily management of the tourist accommodation establishment
• a copy of the criminal record meant for a public administration, delivered less than three months ago in the name of the operator
• a copy of the criminal record meant for a public administration, delivered less than three months ago in the name of the person responsible for the daily management of the tourist accommodation establishment

if the registrant is not the operator:

• proof of authorisation.

2. A copy of the civil liability insurance contract for damage done by themself or their staff and proof of payment of the fee for the current year.

3. If the operator is the owner: a copy of the notice of assessment of the property tax with regard to the building in which the tourist accommodation is located;

   If the operator rents the building: a copy of the lease and a written agreement of the owner with regard to using this building as a tourist accommodation.

4. If the building is co-owned: a written agreement of the general meeting of joint owners with regard to operating a tourist accommodation in the building.

5. The fire safety certificate or, if applicable, the simplified inspection certificate.

6. The certificate proving that the tourist accommodation establishment complies with the legal prescriptions with regard to spatial planning and urban planning.

7. A plan of the tourist accommodation

8. Photos of the accommodation