Since the law of 19 November 2024, obtaining a furnished tourist rental registration number has become an obligation for every host in France, in every municipality and whatever the status of the home. In 2026, however, the process is going through a transition period: the legal deadline of 20 May 2026 has passed, but the national online service is not yet open. Here is how to declare your property today, what will change when the national system opens and how to avoid a listing being removed in the middle of the season.
The furnished tourist rental registration number: who is concerned?
The registration number is an identifier assigned to each home offered for short-term tourist letting, which the host must display on all their listings. For a long time, it was only required in municipalities that had chosen to introduce a prior declaration subject to registration, mostly large cities and tourist municipalities. Law no. 2024-1039 of 19 November 2024 changed the picture by extending this obligation to the whole of France, by 20 May 2026 at the latest (art. L.324-1-1 of the Tourism Code). The number now sits at the heart of the furnished tourist rental rules in France: it allows municipalities to know their stock, to check how long homes are let and to verify that they comply. For the owner, it determines the very possibility of publishing a listing. Without it, no lasting marketing is possible, whether for a city-centre apartment or a villa with a pool. Finally, bear in mind that the number attests to a declaration and is not an authorisation: it exempts you neither from changement d’usage (change of use) where the municipality requires it, nor from complying with the co-ownership rules.
All categories of meublé de tourisme (furnished tourist accommodation) are covered. The main residence (résidence principale), meaning a home occupied for at least eight months a year, must also be declared, which is one of the notable new features of the system; letting it remains capped at 120 days a year, or 90 days if the municipality has so decided by council vote, as Paris has. This cap only gives way in the case of professional obligations, health reasons or force majeure, and the Court of Cassation has ruled that studies or an internship are not enough (Cass. 3e civ., 16 April 2026). Second homes are concerned first and foremost, and they may also require a change-of-use authorisation even before the declaration, depending on the municipality’s rules. In a building, the host must also inform the syndic (building managing agent) of the letting, a point then brought to the attention of the next general meeting. Guest rooms (chambres d’hôtes) fall under a separate declaration regime, the details of which should be checked with the town hall. In practice, each home let must have its own number: an owner of several properties makes as many declarations as there are homes. This general information is up to date as of October 2026 and should be checked with your mairie (town hall) or a professional.
Furnished tourist rental online service: where does registration stand in 2026?
The Le Meur law provides that declarations will eventually be made online, through a single national online service responsible for issuing the number to be displayed. This service was due to be operational by 20 May 2026 at the latest, but it was not on that date. In mid-October 2026, it is still not open: service-public.fr indicates that its launch is planned for the fourth quarter of 2026, with no precise date or official name, the system being simply referred to as the national online registration service. In the meantime, the rule remains a declaration at the town hall, either using Cerfa form no. 14004 or through the municipal online service where the municipality has opened one, as Paris has. Once the national system is launched, online declaration will become mandatory in every municipality, main residences included. Hosts whose municipality had never required a declaration would therefore do well to contact their town hall now. Municipal numbers already issued will then have to be renewed on the national online service within a period announced as several months, whose length has not been specified, before they lose their validity. As long as the national service is not open, no formality can be completed on it, and any approach claiming otherwise calls for the greatest caution. It is therefore wise to watch for official announcements rather than assume that the current number will remain valid indefinitely.
A frequent confusion should be cleared up. API Meublés, available at apimeubles.finances.gouv.fr, is not a declaration service for hosts: it is a government platform that passes activity data from booking platforms to municipalities, governed by Decrees no. 2026-196 and 2026-197 of 19 March 2026. The owner declares nothing there; their nights are reported indirectly, through the platforms. This cross-checking allows municipalities to compare declarations, listings and the actual activity of each home. It makes keeping a consistent file all the more important: declared status, number of nights and published listings must match. A home declared as a main residence but let well beyond 120 days thus becomes detectable without any site visit. The consistency of the information declared is the best protection against inspections. When the property is entrusted to a manager, it is useful to agree from the outset who keeps the calendar of nights and who retains the supporting documents.
The registration number does not settle the question of the taxe de séjour (tourist tax), which follows its own rules. It is paid by the guest, collected by the host or by the platform when the platform takes the payment, then paid over to the municipality or the intermunicipal body, under an actual or flat-rate regime (LégiFiscal, 2026). For an unclassified furnished let, it represents 1% to 5% of the pre-tax cost of the night per person, up to a ceiling, to which additional departmental or regional taxes may be added.
Declaring furnished tourist accommodation at the town hall: information, display and inspections
The declaration itself remains a formality, provided you have gathered the right information. It covers in particular the declarant’s identity and contact details, the exact address of the home, its main characteristics and, crucially, whether or not it is a main residence. Before filing it, it is useful to assemble the documents the municipality may ask for later: change-of-use authorisation where applicable, DPE (energy performance certificate), co-ownership rules, and an insurance certificate covering short-term letting. When the property is entrusted to a luxury Airbnb management service, the declaration is still made in the owner’s name, and the owner remains responsible for its accuracy. The manager can, however, prepare the file, check the consistency of the information and keep the supporting documents. An error in the address or the status of the home is no trivial matter: a false declaration is punished more heavily than failing to declare. Classification as furnished tourist accommodation, a voluntary process valid for five years, is not required to obtain the number, but it should be mentioned where it exists. Once obtained, the number must be reproduced without error on every listing, whatever the platform used (Airbnb, Booking, Abritel or other).
| Your situation | Procedure in October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Municipality with its own online service | Online declaration on the municipality’s service, which issues the number. |
| Municipality without an online service | Declaration at the town hall using Cerfa form no. 14004. |
| Opening of the national online service | Announced for the fourth quarter of 2026: online declaration mandatory in every municipality. |
| Municipal number already issued | Renewal on the national online service within several months, after which the old number becomes invalid. |
| Second home subject to change of use | Prior authorisation to be obtained, in addition to the declaration. |
| Main residence | Declaration mandatory; letting capped at 120 days a year, or 90 days if the municipality has so decided. |
| Guest rooms | Separate declaration regime, to be checked with the town hall. |
Platforms now play a front-line enforcement role. The law requires them to inform hosts of their obligations, display the registration number, pass their data to municipalities and remove non-compliant listings. They themselves face fines of up to €12,500 for failing to inform hosts and €50,000 for failing to pass on data or remove listings (ministry leaflet, 2025). For their part, mayors can inspect the home, notably its safety and DPE, and suspend the registration number. They can also request the DPE: the host then has two months to provide it, failing which a penalty of €100 per day may apply. A suspended or invalid number exposes the listing to removal, which can jeopardise bookings already confirmed. For a property let to a demanding international clientele, the stakes therefore go well beyond a mere formality: the continuity of the business is at issue. Cross-checking with the data passed on through API Meublés makes these checks even more effective.
Holiday rental registration: penalties and long-term monitoring
The penalties provided for by the Le Meur law are dissuasive. According to the ministry leaflet (2025), failure to declare is liable to an administrative fine of up to €10,000, a false declaration or use of a false number to €20,000, and exceeding the authorised period for a main residence to a civil fine of €15,000. Change of use without authorisation exposes the owner to €100,000 per unit, and an intermediary who assists fraud faces the same amount. Under criminal law, a false declaration or concealment can be punished by up to one year’s imprisonment and an €80,000 fine (Actu-Juridique, 2025). One nuance is needed, however: some municipal pages, notably in Paris and Chamonix, still show the old amounts of €5,000 for non-registration and €10,000 for exceeding the cap. The new ceilings appear to be linked to the entry into force of the national system, and their exact date of application remains to be confirmed. In any event, the owner remains primarily responsible: entrusting the property to a manager does not relieve them of the obligation to declare.
Obtaining the number is not enough: it has to be kept alive. Nights must be counted across all platforms, the number must appear on every new listing, and any change to the property (change of status, classification, works, new capacity) warrants a check of the declaration. The opening of the national online service will also require a renewal, to be completed within the deadline to avoid municipal numbers being invalidated. A rigorous concierge service builds this regulatory monitoring into its day-to-day management, alongside welcoming guests, cleaning and pricing. A dashboard shared between the owner and their manager, listing the number, authorisations, DPE and insurance certificate, greatly simplifies this monitoring. Conciergerie.luxe, an introduction service that is free and without commitment for the owner, does not perform these services: they are carried out by the concierge service you choose, according to its offer and the contract signed directly with it. The reflexes below summarise the essentials to watch.
- Check with the town hall whether your municipality requires change of use or a 90-day cap.
- Declare each home separately and keep proof of the declaration.
- Copy the number exactly onto all your listings, without exception.
- Track the number of nights if the property is your main residence.
- Inform the syndic of the letting if the property is in a co-owned building.
- Renew your number on the national online service as soon as it opens.
Frequently asked questions about the registration number
Is my current municipal number still valid?
Yes, for now. As the national online service was not open in mid-October 2026, declaration at the town hall remains the rule. When the system opens, municipal numbers will have to be renewed on the national platform within several months, after which they will become invalid.
Do I have to declare my main residence if I let it a few weeks a year?
Yes. Under the Le Meur law, declaration applies in every municipality and to every home, main residences included. Letting remains limited to 120 days a year, or 90 days in municipalities that have lowered this cap.
Are declaration and change of use the same procedure?
No. The declaration gives you the registration number, whereas change of use is a prior authorisation required by some municipalities to let a second home. Where both apply, the authorisation must be obtained before the property is marketed.
Where must the registration number appear?
On every rental listing, whatever the platform. Platforms are required to display it and must remove non-compliant listings.
Our guides help owners of high-end properties understand short-term rentals in France: regulations, tax, and choosing and overseeing a concierge company. They are for information only and do not replace advice from a legal or tax professional.