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

Guest registration

Anyone hosting guests must record their personal details and place of origin, check their identity and make the information available to the police. This also applies to small accommodation providers that are otherwise not covered by the Hospitality and Alcohol Trade Act. Keep the data for five years after departure.

Deadline: On arrival; keep for 5 years.
How: Hosts manage guest registration themselves; the cantonal police may inspect it. No electronic reporting channel found.
Legal basis: § 18 Hospitality and Alcohol Trade Act (RB 554.51); § 14 Hospitality Ordinance (RB 554.511); federal: Art. 16 FNIA (reporting requirement for foreign nationals accommodated commercially)

Tourist tax and levies

No cantonal tourist tax found. The «Oskar» guest card is not a tax, but an offer that guests can buy from partner accommodation providers for stays of one night or more (CHF 65–130).

Who collects: Not documented.
Cantonal levy: None found.
Legal basis: Not documented.

Airbnb does not collect the tourist tax in the canton of Thurgau: you collect it yourself or pay the flat rate.

Permit and registration

Accommodation for up to 20 people does not require a hospitality licence (only guest registration requirements apply). Larger accommodation providers need a licence from the municipality.

Restrictions

No restrictions on short-term rentals found.

Second homes

Not relevant in practice.

Taxes

Nothing specific at cantonal level found.

Latest

January 1, 2024 · in force: New Hospitality and Alcohol Trade Act: small accommodation providers with up to 20 people do not need a licence; guest registration requirements apply to all (nothing found for 2025–2026) Source

Still open: It was not possible to check whether individual municipalities in Thurgau levy a tourist tax or accommodation charge (search limit; no results in cantonal law). No parliamentary motions from 2025–2026 found.

Frequently asked questions

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

Anyone hosting guests must record their personal details and place of origin, check their identity and make the information available to the police.

Does Airbnb collect the tourist tax in Thurgau?