StovitaRenting out a holiday home in the canton of Solothurn: what applies?
Guest registration
Anyone who operates an accommodation business with an operating licence must keep a guest register using guest registration forms: name, date of birth, nationality, ID details, address, arrival and departure. Accommodation is commercial if it is offered regularly or generates turnover of more than CHF 10'000 a year. The wording also appears to cover holiday rentals advertised regularly. Foreign guests must also be reported under federal law.
- Deadline: Complete a guest registration form on arrival; keep it at the business for three years for the police, then destroy it
- How: Register kept at the business for the police; no online portal found
- Legal basis: §§ 4, 9 and 18 Economic and Labour Act (WAG, BGS 940.11); § 1 para. 3 Ordinance to the WAG (BGS 940.12); Art. 16 Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA)
Tourist tax and levies
Municipalities may levy tourist and accommodation taxes; rates and rules are set out in the relevant municipal regulations. The canton does not levy its own charge.
- Who collects: Municipality
- Cantonal levy: None
- Legal basis: § 75 Economic and Labour Act (WAG, BGS 940.11); municipal regulations
Airbnb does not collect the tourist tax in the canton of Solothurn: you collect it yourself or pay the flat rate.
Permit and registration
Commercial accommodation requires an operating licence from the Office for Economy and Labour. Commercial means offered regularly or generating turnover of more than CHF 10'000 a year. Among other things, proof of minimum professional knowledge in hygiene and business management is required. No municipal registration schemes are known.
Restrictions
No cantonal or municipal restrictions on short-term rentals found.
Second homes
None of Solothurn’s municipalities exceed 20% (Solothurn city 13.3%; ARE housing inventory, Oct 2026).
Taxes
No canton-specific requirements found.
Still open: It has not been established whether the AWA treats private Airbnb holiday rentals as accommodation businesses requiring a licence in practice; this is an interpretation of the wording. Tourist or accommodation taxes in individual municipalities (Solothurn city, Grenchen, Weissenstein region) were not found; the City’s legal collection could not be searched and web searches were exhausted. The version of the WAG effective from 1 January 2027 leaves § 18 unchanged; the other amendments have not been checked.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to register my guests in the canton of Solothurn?
Anyone who operates an accommodation business with an operating licence must keep a guest register using guest registration forms: name, date of birth, nationality, ID details, address, arrival and departure.
Does Airbnb collect the tourist tax in Solothurn?
Airbnb does not collect the tourist tax in the canton of Solothurn: you collect it yourself or pay the flat rate.
Do I need a permit in the canton of Solothurn?
Commercial accommodation requires an operating licence from the Office for Economy and Labour.
Sources
- Solothurn Economic and Labour Act (BGS 940.11) (checked November 6, 2026)
- Ordinance to the Economic and Labour Act (BGS 940.12, definition of commercial activity) (checked November 6, 2026)
A short summary, not legal advice. The linked official source and your municipality’s rules prevail.