Short-term Rental Regulation in Prague 2026: eTurista and What to Do

Short-term rentals in Prague face the biggest regulatory change in a decade from spring 2026. A central eTurista register, new obligations towards platforms and shortened deadlines for foreign-guest reporting – all at once, in one year.

If you own an apartment and rent it via Airbnb or Booking, read this carefully. Below we explain what is changing, what specifically awaits you as an owner and how to prepare without unnecessary stress.

What is eTurista and why it matters

eTurista is a central electronic accommodation and guest register managed by the Ministry for Regional Development. Every property intended for short-term rental must register in the system and obtain a unique registration code.

Without this code it can no longer be listed on any platform from this year onwards. Neither Airbnb nor Booking will accept a listing without a valid registration – the EU regulation requires this directly. For owners this means one thing: registration code first, then listing.

EU Regulation 2024/1028 – what applies from 20 May 2026

European Regulation 2024/1028 on short-term rental came into force on 20 May 2026 and changes the rules of the game for the entire EU. The key obligation falls on platforms: Airbnb and Booking must actively verify the registration of accommodation providers and regularly report accommodation data to state authorities.

For you as an owner this means in practice that without a valid eTurista registration your listing will be deactivated. The platforms have no choice – the regulation imposes this on them directly.

What specifically must an owner comply with

The new rules introduce several concurrent obligations:

• Register the property in the eTurista system and include the assigned code in all listings.
• Keep an electronic guest register – name, nationality, arrival and departure date.
• Report arrival of foreign nationals within 24 hours (the previous 3-working-day deadline has been shortened).
• Regularly remit the local accommodation tax to the municipality.
• Comply with any local limits – number of rental days per year or bans in specific zones.

Non-compliance carries a fine of up to CZK 100,000. The precise shape of some rules is still evolving – we recommend verifying the current status directly in the eTurista system or on the Ministry for Regional Development website.

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Local accommodation tax and guest register

The accommodation tax is paid by the host to the municipality for each guest. In Prague it is set by the city council and the amount may vary by location. The obligation to keep a guest register and regularly declare and pay the tax is among the most administratively demanding – and also where a mistake most easily leads to a fine.

The electronic register must be kept on an ongoing basis, not retrospectively. If a guest arrives on Friday evening, their details must be in the system by Saturday morning at the latest.

Day limits and bans in heritage zones

The new rules give municipalities significantly stronger tools. Prague has long been seeking to introduce a limit of roughly 60 rental days per year for part of the housing stock – especially in the historic centre.

Municipalities can now:

• Set a maximum number of short-term rental days per year.
• Ban short-term rentals in specific areas, for example in heritage zones.
• Impose additional conditions based on local bylaws.

The specific shape of Prague's restrictions was not yet finalised at the time of publication. We are monitoring the situation and will provide updates as soon as things are clear.

"Short-term rental regulation is inevitable – and owners who prepare in time will have a huge advantage over those who wait until the last minute."

How to prepare as an owner

The practical process is straightforward. First check whether your property is registered in eTurista and whether you have a valid registration code. Then verify that your listing includes the code. Set up a guest register system – either your own spreadsheet with daily discipline, or an automated solution.

Monitor the development of Prague's bylaw on day limits. If you rent in the historic centre or another sensitive location, a limit may affect you first.

What Investerra handles for you

Property management in 2026 means considerably more than clean bed linen and pleasant guest communication. It includes eTurista registration, ongoing guest record-keeping, foreign-guest reporting within 24 hours, regular local tax remittance and tracking legislative changes.

Investerra handles all of this for owners in compliance with the law – from registration through administration to paying out the yield within 5 days. Over 19 years managing more than 130 apartments we have been through every regulatory change that has hit Prague. The paperwork is not your concern.

Related: we cover the tax side of short-term rental in the article Taxes on short-term rental, and the current market overview in Prague market – spring 2026 in numbers.

Key takeaways

2026 brings fundamental changes to short-term rentals in Prague: mandatory eTurista registration, an EU regulation on verifying accommodation providers, a shortened foreign-guest reporting deadline and growing municipal powers. Non-compliance carries fines of up to CZK 100,000.

The precise rules are still evolving – verify the current status in the eTurista system or with the Ministry for Regional Development. If you don't want to track every legislative development yourself, the simplest approach is to hand management to a partner who does it professionally.

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