Ireland has published its Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill, setting out a national registration system for short-stay accommodation and new obligations for booking platforms. The register is due to open on December 1, 2026, with hosts offering accommodation for stays of up to 21 nights required to register by the end of the year.

The new system will be run by Fáilte Ireland and is designed to bring more transparency to a sector that includes holiday homes, apartments, cottages, private guest rooms and other short-stay accommodation.

Who will have to register?

The rules apply to hosts offering accommodation for periods of up to 21 nights at a time within the relevant short-stay accommodation category. The requirement applies nationwide rather than only in major cities or tourist hotspots.

After registration, each unit receives a unique number. That number must appear in advertisements and online listings.

When does the register open?

The national register is scheduled to open on December 1. The government’s guidance says operators will have a legal obligation to be registered by December 31, 2026.

For hosts planning Christmas and New Year bookings, that makes the final weeks of the year especially important. Waiting until a listing is challenged or removed could create disruption during a peak travel period.

What do booking platforms have to do?

Online platforms will have to display registration numbers, take reasonable steps to check listing information and carry out random checks.

They must also submit specified activity data through the system created under the EU Short-Term Rental Regulation. If Fáilte Ireland identifies an invalid or missing registration number, a platform can be required to remove or disable the listing.

What data will be shared?

The new framework allows standardised short-term rental information to be collected through a Single Digital Entry Point. Examples include the registration number, number of nights rented, guest counts and listing information.

The goal is to give authorities a more reliable picture of the short-term accommodation market instead of relying on incomplete estimates.

Do hosts need planning compliance?

Yes. Hosts will have to make declarations about planning and fire-safety compliance as part of registration. The Bill also links the new register with planning policy so that registration does not become a substitute for planning permission where permission is required.

The government says a National Planning Statement will set out the planning approach and a streamlined route for some existing hosts to regularise their position.

What is different in towns under 20,000 people?

The published Bill provides a two-year period for hosts in locations with populations under 20,000 to regularise planning compliance in specified circumstances. That does not mean planning rules disappear; it creates a transition period.

Hosts should therefore check the exact status of their property rather than assume rural or small-town accommodation is automatically exempt.

What happens if a host does not register?

The framework includes fixed payment notices, summary offences and other enforcement powers. Fáilte Ireland will be able to appoint registration and authorised officers to investigate suspected breaches and request records.

The practical risk for an individual host is not only a fine. A non-compliant listing can also be removed from major booking platforms, cutting off bookings until the issue is resolved.

How large can platform penalties become?

For serious breaches by online platforms, the Bill allows financial sanctions of up to 2 percent of annual worldwide turnover. That is aimed at ensuring large international platforms have a meaningful incentive to follow removal and data-sharing requirements.

The sanction level does not mean every error leads to the maximum penalty. Enforcement is designed as a graduated system.

Does the Bill ban Airbnb-style rentals?

No. The Bill creates a registration and enforcement framework; it does not impose a blanket national ban on short-term rental platforms.

Planning policy can still restrict where residential homes may be converted to short-term use, especially in areas under housing pressure. The key distinction is between registration and planning permission: a property may need both.

What should hosts do now?

  • Confirm whether each property falls within the up-to-21-night definition.
  • Gather planning and fire-safety information before registration opens.
  • Check whether the host or a company must complete the registration.
  • Prepare to display the unique registration number on every listing.
  • Review platform accounts so old or duplicate listings do not create conflicts.
  • Keep records that may be needed if Fáilte Ireland requests information.

What should travellers expect?

Travellers should eventually see registration numbers displayed on compliant listings. That will not guarantee that every property is high quality, but it should make the host and unit easier to identify and give regulators a clearer enforcement route.

During the transition, guests may see some listings disappear or temporarily pause while hosts complete registration or planning checks.

What about student accommodation?

The Bill also creates a separate registration route for limited visitor stays in student-specific accommodation. The aim is to allow some tourism use while preserving the primary educational purpose of those buildings.

This matters in cities where student blocks may otherwise sit partly empty outside the academic term but are not intended to become full-time tourist accommodation.

Why is Ireland doing this now?

The law gives national effect to EU Regulation 2024/1028 on data collection and sharing for short-term accommodation rentals. Ireland also wants better data to balance tourism demand with pressure on long-term housing supply.

The register is therefore both a tourism measure and a housing-market tool. Better data should help authorities see where short-term rentals are concentrated and whether planning rules are being followed.

Source

The details are based on the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment’s 6 October 2026 announcement, “Government publishes Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill”, and the department’s updated short-term letting guidance.

More practical Ireland travel guidance is available in Travel.