September 30, 2026 - 211 views
Anyone offering overnight accommodation to visitors in Wales will need to register with the Welsh Revenue Authority from tomorrow, as part of new rules being introduced across the country.
The registration system opens at 10am on Thursday 1 October, with accommodation providers having until 31 March 2027 to register.
The requirement applies to a wide range of accommodation, from hotels, guesthouses and holiday cottages to static caravans, campsites, glamping sites and people occasionally letting out a spare room or their own home.
Providers must register even if they only take bookings occasionally. Registration itself is free.
The new system is part of wider changes to the way tourism accommodation is regulated in Wales.
The Visitor Accommodation Register and Levy (Wales) Act 2025 created a national register of accommodation providers and also gives councils the power to introduce a charge on overnight stays.
The Welsh Revenue Authority will operate the register and collect any visitor levy on behalf of councils.
The registration scheme should not be confused with the visitor levy, which is a separate part of the legislation.
Welsh councils can choose whether to introduce a levy on overnight stays, following consultation with local residents and businesses.
In North Wales, councils are taking different approaches. Anglesey has decided not to introduce a visitor levy at present, while Conwy has deferred a decision and Gwynedd is still considering the proposal.
Where a levy is introduced, accommodation providers would collect it from visitors and pass the money to the Welsh Revenue Authority, with the proceeds then returned to the relevant council.
The money is intended to support sustainable tourism, including tourism facilities, the natural environment and local attractions.
Registering your accommodation does not automatically mean you will have to charge visitors a levy. That will depend on whether the relevant local authority decides to introduce one.
For accommodation providers, registration will require details including the address of the property, the type of accommodation, how many people it can accommodate and the number of rooms or bookable units.
Providers will also need to keep their information up to date.
The changes are particularly relevant to Wales's large self-catering and short-term holiday accommodation sector, including businesses and individuals advertising properties through booking platforms.
Anyone who fails to register by the 31 March 2027 deadline could face a penalty, with the initial fine set at £100 per premises and potentially increasing if the accommodation remains unregistered.
The Welsh Revenue Authority is providing online guidance and free registration workshops to help accommodation providers understand the new requirements.
The registration system opens at 10am tomorrow, Thursday 1 October.
For anyone in North Wales who lets out a holiday cottage, caravan, room, campsite or other visitor accommodation, even occasionally, the message is simple: you will need to register.
