Information about tourist tax in France.

Several European countries apply a tourist tax.  This is the case for vacation home rentals in France.

According to French law, since 2020, rental agencies are obliged to collect the tourist tax themselves and to transmit them to the competent authorities or local town halls.

Unclassified vacation home :

The tourist tax is calculated according to a standard formula based on a percentage of the rental price, the number of nights and the number of people.

Classified vacation home:

If the property is classified, a flat rate is used and the tourist tax is much lower than when a property is not classified.

Each year, the fixed rates are announced on January 1st of the new season.  These rates are also calculated based on the number of nights and the number of people.

We recommend classifying the property for 2 reasons:

Tourist taxes are already a significant portion of the renter's budget.

- Tourist taxes are cheaper for the tenant

- It increases the rental possibilities for the owner.

How to get a vacation home classified?

You can easily get your property classified through an independent organization.   

The rating assigns a number of stars (from 2 to 5 stars) to the property. The number of stars determines the price of the tourist tax.

Your classification results in the establishment of an official document valid for 5 years.

The number of stars is determined according to different standards that the vacation home meets.

Atout France :

CAP can provide you with a list of organizations approved for property classification.  You can also find more information on the website: Atout France.

Companies or professional owners have to take care of their own tourist tax.  If this is the case, please inform us as well.

In order to calculate the tourist tax, it is important that we know whether your vacation home is classified or not.  Until we receive this information, the tax will be calculated in the same way as for an unclassified property.

If the vacation home is rated, please inform us as soon as possible:

- the number of stars

- the registration number

We will then be able to apply the lowest rates, which is interesting for the tenants.

Today, even without a classification, a registration number is mandatory in most French departments.  Some communes or cities in France still make an exception where a registration number is not yet required, but this is becoming rather rare.

You can easily request a registration number from the town hall.  The town hall will confirm whether it is required or not.

If the registration number is applicable in your municipality, the town hall is legally obliged to mention this number on every publication.  There are checks on this and it is important to be in order.

- Please provide us with your registration number

- If you do not yet have a registration number, please contact your local town hall as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact us at +32 9 362 31 42 or info@cap.be.

We will be happy to help you.