Free tool · city STR rules 2026

Can I Airbnb this city?

Country guides are not enough. Barcelona is not Valencia. Amsterdam is not Zeeland. Pick a city in the checker — you get the licence picture, the night cap that belongs in your occupancy field, tourist tax, and the three documents to demand before the deposit leaves your account.

Legal only with a permit and often a tight night cap. Model that cap, not peak season.

CityRiskNight capLicence
Barcelonablocked—HUT tourist licence + Spain registry number. City is phasing out tourist flats by 2028; new licences in the centre are effectively frozen.
Madridrestricted—Regional VUT + national registry. Entire-home tourist lets in Centro and other inner districts face a moratorium; outer districts are case-by-case.
Valencia / Costa Blancacautious—Valencian Community tourist licence (VT) plus Spain's national registry. Still obtainable in many coastal towns; some municipalities now cap new licences.
Málaga / Costa del Solcautious—Andalusian VFT licence + national registry. Málaga city has zoning caps; Marbella and other towns set their own rules. A licence does not automatically transfer.
Mallorcarestricted—Balearic tourist licence. New licences in many zones are frozen; existing ones can be valuable. Multi-family buildings are often ineligible.
Tenerifeopen—Canary Islands holiday-home rules plus Spain's national registry. South-coast tourist zones still issue licences more readily than the north or protected land.
Lisbonrestricted—Alojamento Local (AL) registration. Containment zones in central parishes freeze most new ALs; existing ALs can still trade with a transfer.
Portorestricted—AL registration. Historic centre and several parishes restrict new ALs; confirm the exact freguesia before you underwrite STR.
Algarveopen—AL still widely available outside a few saturated cores. Purpose-built tourist apartments are often the cleanest path.
Parisrestricted120Meublé de tourisme registration. Primary residence: 120 nights (mayors can cut to 90). A dedicated investment flat needs a change-of-use permit, often with compensation — expensive and slow.
French Alps (Chamonix / Morzine)cautious—Meublé registration. Ski towns still issue numbers more readily than Paris, but classified meublés and copropriété rules matter for peak-week lets.
Amsterdamrestricted30Permit + national registration. Whole-home holiday let: 30 nights/year, banned in parts of the centre. This is usually a home you live in, not an STR yield product.
Florenceblocked—National CIN code. New short-term lets in the UNESCO historic centre are banned; existing CINs are the scarce asset.
Romecautious—CIN + SCIA notification. Still possible outside the tightest historic pockets; fire-safety and condominium consent are the usual blockers.
Venicerestricted—CIN plus local contribution and night rules that keep tightening. Treat historic-centre stock as lifestyle first.
Berlinrestricted—Zweckentfremdung permit for entire-home lets. Registration number required. Whole-home STR without a permit is the classic fine trap.
Viennarestricted90Residential-zone lets capped at 90 days without a dedicated permit. Registration and building rules apply on top.
Praguecautious—Trade licence + local reporting. The historic centre is under political pressure; expect tighter building-level rules, not a free-for-all.
Copenhagenrestricted70Private home sharing is capped (typically 70 nights via a platform). Dedicated year-round STR usually needs a different property class.
Zurich / Swiss Alpsrestricted—Cantonal tourist rules plus Lex Koller limits on foreign buyers. Many Alpine communes cap second homes. Do not copy French-Alps assumptions.

City beats country — every time

Spain does not have one Airbnb rule. Catalonia, Andalusia, Madrid and the Balearics each run a tourist-licence regime, and cities then freeze, cap or phase out licences on top. France's Le Meur framework lets mayors cut the primary-residence cap from 120 nights toward 90. The Netherlands leaves night caps to the municipality: 30 in Amsterdam, something else on the coast.

If your spreadsheet assumes 200 booked nights in a market with a 120-night statutory cap, the yield is a compliance fantasy. Put the cap in the occupancy field first, then talk about ADR.

  • Blocked: new tourist lets frozen or being withdrawn (Barcelona centre, parts of Lisbon, Florence's historic CIN ban)
  • Restricted: legal only with a permit and often a tight night cap (Paris 120, Amsterdam 30, Copenhagen 70)
  • Cautious: possible, but zoning or the HOA can kill the case on one street
  • Open: licences still issued — still confirm at the town hall before you bid

What a night cap does to yield

A Paris primary residence at a legal 120 nights is 33% occupancy even if every legal night is booked. That is not a 'soft season' — it is the product. A second home in Paris generally needs a change-of-use permit, often with compensation stock that can cost more than the furniture.

Amsterdam's 30-night cap makes whole-home STR a lifestyle add-on, not a yield strategy. Underwrite long-term rent or walk away. Do not copy those rules onto a Zeeland holiday park — and do not copy Zeeland onto Amsterdam.

What to demand in writing

A listing that 'has always been on Airbnb' is not a licence. Match the registration number to this cadastral plot, get HOA minutes that still allow tourist use, and put a transfer clause with a penalty in the deposit contract. Verbal promises die at the notary.

How to check if you can Airbnb a European property

  1. Pick the exact city, not the country. Use the checker above. Barcelona is not Spain; Paris is not France.
  2. Read the night cap into occupancy. If the city caps whole-home lets at 120 or 30 nights, that number — not peak season — belongs in the yield model.
  3. Match the licence to the plot. Screenshot the listing number and align it with the town-hall or national registry extract for this cadastre, not the building next door.
  4. Condition the deposit. A written transfer clause in the arras / compromis / voorcontract. If the seller 'will change the name after completion', add a penalty.

Frequently asked questions

Can I Airbnb in Barcelona in 2026?

New tourist flats in the centre are effectively frozen and the city is phasing licences out toward 2028. Do not underwrite a Barcelona purchase on new STR income unless the unit already has a transferable HUT and you have that in the arras.

How many nights can I Airbnb in Paris?

A primary residence is capped at 120 nights (mayors can cut toward 90). A second home generally needs a change-of-use permit. Model the cap, not 200 tourist nights.

Is Airbnb banned in Amsterdam?

Whole-home letting is capped at 30 nights and banned in parts of the historic centre. It is not a city-wide ban, but it is not a yield strategy either.

Is this legal advice?

No. Rules move by municipality and by month. Use the checker for orientation, then verify with the town hall, a local lawyer and the community statutes before you bid.

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Paste a Funda, Idealista, Rightmove or ImmoScout24 URL. Terrivio returns net yield, cashflow, risk score, tax and STR rules for 13 European countries. Launching 6 October 2026.

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All figures are indicative estimates for orientation only and do not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Verify local rules with a qualified adviser. Last updated: 2026-09-13.