The Short Answer
If you offer paid accommodation for up to and including 21 nights, you are expected to register each unit on Fáilte Ireland's Short-Term Letting (STL) Register. The register launches on 1 December 2026 and registration becomes a legal obligation by 31 December 2026. That 21-night threshold is the published gating test, taken straight from the Fáilte Ireland register page.
Two things to be clear about from the outset. First, registration is a separate requirement from planning permission — you may need both. Second, the detail is governed by the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025, which is not yet enacted, so Fáilte Ireland states the current information is "based on the current draft of the legislation and is subject to change." We refresh this page monthly.
The Register's 21-Night Test: Who It Catches
The Fáilte Ireland register defines a short-term let as paid accommodation offered for up to and including 21 nights. If that describes what you do — on Airbnb, Booking.com, direct, or any other channel — the register is designed to capture you, and you register each unit separately. Each registered unit receives a unique Short-Term Letting registration number that must be shown on all listings and advertisements.
Two points of caution while the Bill is still in draft. The format of the registration number has not been published; do not assume a particular pattern. And the fine detail of register exemptions — including whether a single let room is treated differently from an entire home — is being finalised in the Bill. The 21-night paid-accommodation test is the only published gating rule, so treat it as the starting point.
A Decision Walk-Through
Use the property's status to work out where you stand. None of these scenarios removes the separate planning question covered further down.
- An entire home that is not your own residence (a second property). If let for stays up to and including 21 nights, this is squarely the kind of unit the register is built for — register it. This is also the case most likely to need change-of-use planning permission (see below).
- A second or investment property let short-term. Same position — register the unit. The register and planning are both live questions here.
- Your own home (principal private residence), let occasionally or while you are away. The 21-night test still points to registration. Whether a principal residence let within the planning 90-day limit is also exempt from the register is part of the detail being finalised in the Bill — so plan to register unless Fáilte Ireland confirms an exemption.
- A single room in your home (home-sharing). The published test is still the 21-night paid-accommodation definition. Whether room-only sharing is treated differently is, again, being finalised in the Bill. Do not assume an exemption.
Because several of these turn on detail that is not yet published, the safe planning assumption for a host with units let for short stays is: expect to register each unit, and have your planning and statutory obligations in order before you declare them.
Registration and planning are two different requirements — and you may need both.
The 21-night figure defines a short-term let for the register. The 90-day figure is a planning exemption for your own home in a Rent Pressure Zone. They are not the same rule and they do not cancel each other out. A unit can need to be registered and need planning permission at the same time.
The Separate Planning Question
Planning permission is decided by a different test from the register. The key rules, set out in full in our Airbnb planning permission and RPZ guide:
- Not your principal private residence? Since 1 July 2019, a property that is not the owner's principal residence and is let short-term must apply for change-of-use planning permission, unless it already holds tourism or short-let permission. A second property or entire home that is not your residence needs permission regardless of nights let.
- Your own home in a Rent Pressure Zone? Under S.I. No. 235/2019, a principal private residence in an RPZ let short-term where the aggregate does not exceed 90 days a year is exempt from needing planning permission. You file the compliance forms (Form 15 annual notice with a statutory declaration, Form 16 within two weeks of exceeding 90 days, Form 17 at year end) and notify the planning authority at least two weeks before commencing.
From the Government's National Planning Statement, set out at Cabinet on 16 June 2026 (as described by the Minister in the Dáil), new short-term-let permissions in cities and larger towns with a population over 20,000 are now largely precluded, with a retention route for dwellings used continuously for short-term letting for at least seven years without enforcement action. Read the detail in the planning guide and our 2026 new-rules overview.
What Registration Involves
From the published register page and the parallel host duties under Regulation (EU) 2024/1028, registration is expected to mean obtaining a unique registration number for each unit, providing details such as identity, the unit address, property type and bed capacity, and making a legal declaration that you meet the relevant statutory obligations (planning, fire safety and so on). The number must then be displayed in every listing and advertisement; under the EU Regulation, competent authorities can order platforms to remove listings that lack a valid number.
Still unpublished, and therefore not assumed here: the registration fee (Fáilte Ireland has not yet published a fee — we will update this once confirmed), the renewal period, and the penalty amounts for non-registration (these will be set by the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025, which is not yet enacted; specific fines have not been published). For the step-by-step, see how to register a short-term let in Ireland.
What To Do Now
The single most useful thing you can do before 1 December 2026 is get your evidence in order: confirm your planning position, make sure the statutory obligations you will have to declare are genuinely met, and keep a dated record of each turnover so you can prove the unit was let and managed to standard. A managed changeover programme keeps a dated, photo-evidenced turnover record for each unit — register-ready if Fáilte Ireland, a planning officer, or your insurer asks. See our short-term let cleaning programme and our cleaning-led Airbnb co-host and management support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register my Airbnb in Ireland?
If you offer paid accommodation for up to and including 21 nights, you are expected to register each unit on Fáilte Ireland's Short-Term Letting (STL) Register, which launches on 1 December 2026 and is a legal obligation by 31 December 2026. Registration is separate from any planning permission you may also need. The detail is based on the current draft legislation and is subject to change.
Do I need to register if I only rent a room?
The published gating test is that the register applies to paid accommodation offered for up to and including 21 nights, with each unit registered. Whether a single let room is treated differently from an entire home, and the fine detail of register exemptions, is being finalised in the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025. Do not assume a room-only exemption until Fáilte Ireland confirms it.
Do I need to register if I only let occasionally?
The register's gating test is the 21-night paid-accommodation definition, not how often you let. The occasional-versus-ongoing distinction is a tax matter: Revenue treats short-stay income as Case IV where it is occasional, or Case I where it is a trade. That tax split does not decide whether you must register; the 21-night test does.
Is registering the same as getting planning permission?
No. Registration and planning permission are two separate requirements and you may need both. The STL Register gives each unit a number to display on listings. Planning is a separate question: a non-principal-residence let short-term has needed change-of-use permission since 1 July 2019, while a principal residence in a Rent Pressure Zone let no more than 90 days a year is planning-exempt under S.I. 235/2019.
When must I register by?
The STL Register launches on 1 December 2026, and registration becomes a legal obligation for all operators by 31 December 2026. These dates were confirmed by the Minister in the Dáil on 16 June 2026. As the underlying Bill is not yet enacted, the detail remains subject to change.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Regulation of short-term lets in Ireland is changing and much of the detail sits in the not-yet-enacted Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025. Check the primary sources linked above and take professional advice on your own circumstances.