Airbnb Rules Netherlands: Night Limits & Registration

Prices, fees and rules in this article were checked on 1 November 2026. They can change, so check the linked pages before you decide.

Airbnb rules in the Netherlands depend on where your home is located and how you intend to rent it out. A registration number, a permit and a notification of each stay are different requirements. Your municipality may also limit the number of nights, restrict guest numbers or set conditions for particular neighbourhoods.

A change to the Dutch tourist-rental law took effect on 1 November 2026, giving municipalities access to information that can help them check short-term rental activity. For hosts, the starting point remains the same: establish which rules apply to your address before accepting bookings.

1. What changed on 1 November 2026?

The Dutch government’s announcement of 29 October confirms that the amendment to the Wet toeristische verhuur took effect on 1 November 2026. It concerns information about short-term rentals and municipalities’ ability to oversee them.

Rental platforms must keep and share information about short-term accommodation. Municipalities with a tourist-rental registration requirement can request that information, for example to check whether a property has exceeded its permitted rental nights.

The announcement identifies a separate date for platform data sharing: 1 July 2026. Municipalities can request tourist-rental information relating to activity from that date. The November commencement date should therefore not be confused with the date from which relevant rental data can be requested.

The announcement does not introduce one nationwide annual night limit. To find your allowance, check your municipality’s rules and any conditions applying to your neighbourhood or property.

2. Registration, notification and permits explained

The national tourist-rental framework allows municipalities to use several separate requirements. Understanding the difference helps you identify which steps remain outstanding.

Framework checked 1 November 2026. Requirements are determined locally; completing one step does not necessarily complete the others.

The national framework says municipalities can require registration numbers to appear in advertisements on platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia. Municipal councils can also establish night limits and a notification requirement. A permit requirement may apply in specified circumstances.

3. Airbnb night limits by city

The following comparison concerns holiday letting of your own home while you are absent. It should not be applied automatically to a bed and breakfast, a hotel or a property used for another accommodation activity.

Limits checked 1 November 2026 against the official Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht pages. Other conditions also apply.

4. Amsterdam: permits and neighbourhood restrictions

Amsterdam’s holiday-rental permit page says you need a permit to let your entire home or houseboat as holiday accommodation while you are away. Each rental must also be reported in advance.

You must live at the address and be registered there. Housing-association rental homes are excluded. A tenant renting privately needs the owner’s permission, and an apartment owner may also need permission from the owners’ association. The municipality also excludes having a bed and breakfast at the same address under these permit conditions.

Amsterdam’s general rules set a maximum of four guests per stay. They also say that, when a new resident moves in, tourist-rental nights used by previous residents during that calendar year count towards the property’s maximum. Check the address’s rental history before calculating your remaining allowance.

The 15-night neighbourhood rule has applied since 1 April 2026 in:

• Haarlemmerbuurt
• Jordaan
• Grachtengordel-West
• Grachtengordel-Zuid
• De Weteringschans
• Burgwallen-Nieuwe Zijde
• Nieuwmarkt/Lastage
• Oude Pijp

These are specific neighbourhoods, not all of Amsterdam. The city’s guidance also addresses bookings that no longer fit within the limit and nights already rented earlier in 2026. Check that guidance before relying on an existing reservation.

5. Rotterdam: the 60-night rule

Rotterdam distinguishes holiday letting from a bed and breakfast. For holiday letting, you rent the home where you live and are absent during the guests’ stay. A bed and breakfast involves renting part of the home while you remain present.

The city allows holiday letting for up to 60 nights per calendar year, whether in one continuous period or several shorter stays. The home must be your own residence, with registration in the Basisregistratie Personen, and remain furnished for your own occupation.

A registration number must appear in each advertisement, and rental nights must be reported in advance. Rotterdam explicitly says that receiving a registration number does not itself grant permission to rent.

Its conditions also cover fire safety, preventing nuisance, accommodation tax and permission from the owner or VvE where applicable. Holiday letting is not allowed in housing-association properties. These Rotterdam conditions were checked on 1 November 2026.

6. Utrecht: registration and advance notification

Under Utrecht’s private holiday-rental conditions, you must be the owner or main tenant and live at the address. You temporarily rent the home while you are absent, for no more than 60 nights per calendar year.

Utrecht requires a registration number in every digital rental advertisement. It also requires advance notification stating when you will rent the property, the number of nights and the number of guests.

The municipality makes an important procedural point: notifications cannot be submitted retrospectively. Keep reporting separate from your platform booking process rather than assuming an accepted reservation completes your municipal obligations.

Guest limits also depend on the property’s floor area. Read the city’s full conditions for your home before setting the maximum occupancy in your listing. These Utrecht requirements were checked on 1 November 2026.

7. Renting, apartment ownership and other permissions

Owning an apartment does not automatically establish a right to use it for tourist accommodation. Rijksoverheid’s apartment-rental guidance says municipal rules and the VvE’s division regulations determine whether letting is permitted. Short-term accommodation can be prohibited under those rules.

Check the actual documents for your property. A platform account or municipal registration number does not establish that your building’s rules permit the activity.

Also ask your insurer how tourist letting affects your cover. Rotterdam specifically advises hosts to inform their buildings, contents and liability insurers. Our guide to insurance in the Netherlands explains the different policy types; your insurer must confirm the terms of your own policy.

8. Your checklist before accepting a booking

Use this list to organise your checks against the official pages above:

1. Identify the activity. Are you letting the whole home while away, or offering rooms while remaining present?
2. Check the exact address. Establish the municipality, neighbourhood and applicable annual limit.
3. Check permission. Review municipal conditions, your tenancy agreement and relevant VvE documents.
4. Complete registration and permit steps. Confirm what each document actually authorises.
5. Set your remaining availability. Account for nights already rented during the calendar year.
6. Report each stay where required. Keep confirmation of the notification.
7. Check practical obligations. Review guest numbers, fire safety, nuisance prevention, local tax and insurance.

9. FAQ

Is Airbnb legal in the Netherlands?

Tourist letting is possible subject to the applicable conditions. There is no single answer covering every address: municipal restrictions, the rental activity and property-specific permissions all matter.

Does registration replace a permit?

No. They are separate requirements. Rotterdam and Utrecht explicitly warn that a registration number is not permission to rent. Amsterdam separately requires a holiday-rental permit for the activity described above.

Does Amsterdam’s 15-night limit apply everywhere?

No. The city identifies eight affected neighbourhoods in Centrum and De Pijp. Its general published limit elsewhere is 30 nights per calendar year, subject to the other rules. Checked 1 November 2026.

Can I apply the holiday-rental limit to a bed and breakfast?

Do not assume the same rules apply. Rotterdam and Utrecht distinguish whole-home holiday letting during your absence from a bed and breakfast where you remain present. Check the correct category before advertising.

🇳🇱 Dutch Corner

Sources

• Rijksoverheid: New tourist-rental rules from 1 November 2026 — commencement and platform data sharing; published 29 October 2026.
• Volkshuisvesting Nederland: Wet toeristische verhuur — national framework for registration, night limits, notification and permits.
• Gemeente Amsterdam: Rules for holiday letting — annual limits, guest numbers and operating conditions.
• Gemeente Amsterdam: Applying for a holiday-rental permit — permit and eligibility conditions.
• Gemeente Amsterdam: Holiday-rental rules in parts of Centrum and De Pijp — designated 15-night neighbourhoods.
• Gemeente Rotterdam: Tourist letting of homes — holiday letting, registration, notification and related conditions.
• Gemeente Utrecht: Letting and subletting a home — private holiday letting and bed-and-breakfast conditions.
• Rijksoverheid: May I rent out my apartment? — municipal restrictions and VvE regulations.

All sources checked on 1 November 2026. Author: The Dutch Daily.