Renting out a holiday home in the canton of Schaffhausen: what applies?

Guest registration

All accommodation providers, including private individuals with holiday flats or platform listings, must register their guests. Since February 2024, this has been done electronically: each guest is registered individually, with no paper or signature. The guest registration forms are also used to calculate the tourist tax.

Deadline: Daily by 02.00.
How: Portal gast.sh.ch (individual registration, Excel upload or hotel software interface); one-time registration of the establishment.
Legal basis: Art. 18 Hospitality Act (SHR 935.100); § 9 Register Ordinance of the Schaffhausen Police (SHR 354.112); federal: Art. 16 Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA) (registration requirement for foreign nationals accommodated commercially)

Tourist tax and levies

A cantonal tourist tax of CHF 2.50 per overnight stay, explicitly including holiday flats and platform accommodation. Children up to 12, youth and disability organisations, and school classes are exempt. The canton settles accounts quarterly based on the submitted guest registration forms. Anyone who fails to collect or remit the tax pays two to four times the amount.

Who collects: Canton (Department of Economic Affairs).
Cantonal levy: The tourist tax is cantonal; no municipal tax found. Changes are approved by the Cantonal Council by decree.
Legal basis: Arts. 8 and 9 Tourism Promotion Act (SHR 935.200)

Examples
Municipality	Rate
Whole canton	CHF 2.50 per person per night Source

Airbnb collects and remits the tourist tax in the canton of Schaffhausen.

Permit and registration

Anyone who accommodates guests commercially needs a permit; guesthouses with no more than ten guests are exempt.

Restrictions

No restrictions on short-term rentals found.

Second homes

Not really relevant.

Taxes

Nothing specific to the canton found.

Latest

February 1, 2024 · in force: The electronic guest registration system gast.sh.ch replaces the paper guest registration form (last major change; nothing found for 2025–2026) Source

Still open: It is unclear whether a privately owned home rented out occasionally counts as “commercial” and requires a permit. According to a 2018 press release, hosts no longer need to collect tourist tax for Airbnb bookings; police registration is still required. No current initiatives from 2025–2026 found.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to register my guests in the canton of Schaffhausen?

All accommodation providers, including private individuals with holiday flats or platform listings, must register their guests.

Does Airbnb collect the tourist tax in Schaffhausen?