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Schweiz / Suisse / Svizzera·Destination guide · Central Europe

Switzerland

47.3769° N · Central Europe · Schengen (not EU)

Switzerland still expects a signed Meldeschein for paid foreign guests — then each canton runs the portal and the Kurtaxe.

Under Ausländer- und Integrationsgesetz (AIG) Art. 16, anyone who accommodates foreign nationals gewerbsmässig must notify the competent cantonal authority. VZAE Art. 18 turns that into a Meldeschein filled from the travel document, signed by the guest, with papers presented — then transmitted to the canton. Zürich goes further under Polizeigesetz § 21 and covers every guest nationality via electronic Gästekontrolle; Genève keeps the federal foreign-guest track and a 90-day whole-home platform limit. Kurtaxe / taxe de séjour is municipal or cantonal — not a single Swiss rate.

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NextStay relevance · Switzerland

5 / 5

Essential

AIG Art. 16 + VZAE Art. 18 require a signed Meldeschein for every foreign guest lodged gegen Entgelt — cantons run the portals (Zürich covers all nationalities; Genève announces foreigners promptly) — while Kurtaxe / taxe de séjour and STR housing limits stay cantonal / municipal.

At a glance · Switzerland

  • Meldeschein

    Signed · ID shown

  • Geneva tax

    CHF 4.25 / night

  • Geneva STR

    90 days / year

  • Zürich tax

    No statutory Kurtaxe

Who this is for

What hosts and hotels actually need to know

Switzerland is federal for the foreign-guest Meldepflicht and cantonal for how you file it, what tourist tax you collect, and whether short-term use of Wohnungen is restricted. First, identity: AIG Art. 16 + VZAE Art. 18 (and Schengen Convention Art. 45 as the public-security purpose BWO also cites) require a signed Meldeschein for foreign guests lodged gegen Entgelt — including private hosts and platform stays. Zürich’s Polizeigesetz § 21 extends Gästekontrolle / Meldescheine to all guests and points hosts to electronic filing via Kantonspolizei. Genève requires prompt police announcement of paid foreign guests and caps whole-home platform lets at 90 days under RDTR. Second, tourist tax: Genève’s taxe de séjour is CHF 4.25 per person per night (CHF 2.50 camping) under the cantonal tourism regulation; Stadt Zürich has no statutory Kurtaxe (Hotellerie members may collect a voluntary City Tax around CHF 3.50); Luzern combines municipal Kurtaxe with a cantonal Beherbergungsabgabe (CHF 1.10 from 1 Jan 2026). Third, Switzerland is Schengen but not EU — the revised DSG (nFADP) governs personal data; GDPR and Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 do not apply as Swiss law. Self check-in works when Meldeschein data, ID presentation and signature are captured before access is released.

Front desk or digital, the federal Meldeschein duty is the same for foreign guests: travel-document fields, guest signature, ID shown, then cantonal transmission — plus the local Kurtaxe / taxe de séjour.

  • 01Complete a Meldeschein from the guest’s Ausweispapier and obtain the guest’s signature (VZAE Art. 18)
  • 02Transmit Meldescheine through the cantonal channel (e.g. Zürich electronic Gästekontrolle; Genève police / e-démarches track)
  • 03Collect and remit Kurtaxe / taxe de séjour / Beherbergungsabgabe at the rate for the property’s Gemeinde or canton
  • 04Keep Meldescheine available for police inspection for the local retention period (Luzern cites five years for licensed lodging)

Chapter · Meldepflicht

Meldeschein under AIG Art. 16 & VZAE Art. 18

Federal law sets the foreign-guest duty; cantons choose the portal, the clock and whether Swiss guests are included.

Statute

“Wer eine Ausländerin oder einen Ausländer gegen Entgelt beherbergt, ist verpflichtet, einen Meldeschein gemäss den Angaben im Ausweispapier auszufüllen und diesen von der beherbergten Person unterschreiben zu lassen. Die beherbergte Person muss ihre Ausweispapiere zu diesem Zweck vorlegen. Der Meldeschein ist der zuständigen kantonalen Behörde zu übermitteln.”
VZAE Art. 18 Abs. 1 (SR 142.201) — Meldeverfahren bei gewerbsmässiger Beherbergung [02]
  1. 01

    Who must be reported

    AIG Art. 16 requires anyone who accommodates foreign nationals gewerbsmässig to notify the competent cantonal authority. VZAE Art. 18 Abs. 1 defines gewerbsmässig as Beherbergung gegen Entgelt — so unpaid private hosting is outside this federal Meldepflicht, while hotels, parahotels and private hosts who charge (including via booking platforms) are inside. SEM Weisungen confirm platform contracts do not remove the duty. Swiss nationals are outside AIG Art. 16, but cantons may go further.

    [01][02][03]
  2. 02

    Signed Meldeschein and ID presentation

    Fill the Meldeschein from the guest’s travel document, have the guest sign it, and require presentation of Ausweispapiere. Transmit the Meldeschein to the cantonal authority. Groups may use a list signed by the responsible Reiseleiter (VZAE Art. 18 Abs. 2). A passport photo alone, without the signed Meldeschein, does not close Art. 18. Non-compliance can attract a fine under AIG Art. 120 Abs. 1 Bst. a.

    [02][03][01]
  3. 03

    Cantons run the portals — Zürich goes further

    BWO summarises that cantons set modalities within VZAE minima and may tighten the duty. Kanton Zürich Polizeigesetz § 21 requires Beherbergungsbetriebe to keep a Gästekontrolle and issue Meldescheine for police identity purposes — without distinguishing Swiss and foreign guests — and Stadt Zürich states platform private apartments rented gewerbsmässig gegen Entgelt are covered, with electronic filings via Kantonspolizei (hotelkontrolle@kapo.zh.ch / hotelkontrolle channel). Genève implements the federal foreign-guest track: announce paid foreign guests promptly once they take possession, after e-démarches registration with police.

    [03][05][04][09]
  4. 04

    Luzern retention example

    Luzerner Polizei restates the federal Meldeschein duty for foreign guests and notes that licensed Beherbergungsbetriebe under cantonal Gastgewerberecht must keep a truthful Gästekontrolle for inland and foreign guests, with Meldescheine available to police and retained five years (paper or digital) under Gastgewerbeverordnung § 22a. Confirm your Kanton’s retention and portal rather than copying Luzern’s five years nationwide.

    [11][02]

Chapter · Wohnraum & STR

Short-term use of Wohnungen — cantonal, not a nationwide ban

There is no single Swiss Airbnb ban. Genève caps whole-home platform nights; Zürich’s BZO limits commercial short stays counting toward Wohnanteil; OR Untermiete and PPE rules still apply everywhere.

  1. 01

    Genève — 90 days whole-home via platforms

    État de Genève (RDTR applying LDTR) limits putting an entire dwelling on a short-stay platform to 90 days per year. Beyond that, the use is treated as a change of affectation to commercial activity, which is not authorised as housing. Regular continuous hosting beyond 90 days is treated as professional and requires Police du Commerce / PCTN authorisation under LRDBHD. Subsidised LGL / LDTR / LUP stock cannot be sublet even partially.

    [08][09]
  2. 02

    Zürich — BZO Wohnanteil & commercial Kurzzeitunterkünfte

    Stadt Zürich’s BZO Teilrevision (Bundesgericht 30 April 2026) means befristet vermietete Zweitwohnungen used as dauerhaft commercial Airbnb or Business Apartments will no longer count toward the prescribed Wohnanteil, and owners must declare such uses; conversion to a Business Apartment needs a Baugesuch even without building works. Occasional letting of one’s own home during absences is not the target. Expected entry into force autumn 2026 unless further recourse blocks the Stadtrat’s Inkraftsetzungsbeschluss. A separate Volksinitiative seeking a 90-day cap is open; the Stadtrat is preparing a Gegenvorschlag — do not treat either as a nationwide Swiss ban.

    [06][05]
  3. 03

    OR Untermiete and building clearance

    Stadt Zürich reminds hosts that OR Art. 262 Untermiete still requires Vermieter consent subject to statutory refusal grounds, and that baurechtliche questions go to the Amt für Baubewilligungen. PPE / Stockwerkeigentum regulations can forbid short stays even where public law allows them — check the building rules before automating remote arrival.

    [05]
  4. 04

    No national STR registration number

    Unlike Portugal’s RNAL or Ireland’s STL number, Switzerland does not operate a nationwide short-term rental registration scheme. Host duties are the Meldeschein where AIG / VZAE (or stricter cantonal law) applies, local tourist tax, and cantonal / municipal housing rules — not a missing federal licence code on Airbnb.

    [03][16]

Chapter · Kurtaxe

Kurtaxe, taxe de séjour, Beherbergungsabgabe

Overnight tourist tax is cantonal or municipal — not a single federal rate. Confirm the Gemeinde or canton before quoting guests.

  1. 01

    Genève — taxe de séjour CHF 4.25

    Anyone offering paid hébergement in the Canton of Geneva must collect taxe de séjour from guests without fiscal domicile in the canton and remit to the administration fiscale. ge.ch (updated 2026) publishes CHF 4.25 per person per night for all establishment categories except camping at CHF 2.50, per Art. 16 of the Règlement d’application de la loi sur le tourisme. Guests receive the Geneva Transport Card in return. Airbnb has collected the tax automatically for platform stays since 1 September 2020 — other channels remain the host’s duty.

    [10][08]
  2. 02

    Zürich — no statutory Kurtaxe

    Canton and City of Zürich do not levy a statutory Kurtaxe. Members of Zürcher Hotellerie-Verein / Gastro Zürich may collect a voluntary City Tax (commonly CHF 3.50 per person per night, VAT-liable as a private tourism contribution, often with a longstay cut-off after 30 nights). Private platform hosts should not invent a municipal Kurtaxe obligation — confirm any association or DMO scheme you actually joined.

    [07][03]
  3. 03

    Luzern — Kurtaxe + Beherbergungsabgabe

    Stadt Luzern requires overnight providers — including platform private hosts — to account Kurtaxe and Beherbergungsabgabe with the Steueramt. From 1 January 2026 the cantonal Beherbergungsabgabe is CHF 1.10 per person per Logiernacht under the revised Tourismusgesetz; municipal Kurtaxe remains category-based under the city’s Kurtaxenreglement (confirm current category amounts with Steueramt). From 2026, Ferienwohnungen let commercially for more than 90 days/year cannot use a Jahrespauschale — Kurtaxe is per guest per night. Pair tax remittance with Luzerner Polizei Meldeschein rules.

    [12][11]
  4. 04

    Other Gemeinden — confirm locally

    Outside Genève, Zürich and Luzern city, Kurtaxe names and amounts vary by Kanton and Gemeinde (Tessin and others run their own régimes). Always confirm with the competent Steueramt or Tourismusorganisation before quoting a rate on listings.

    [03]

Chapter · Schengen / DSG

Schengen purpose, Swiss DSG — not EU GDPR as Swiss law

Switzerland is Schengen but not an EU Member State. Meldeschein implements Schengen lodging-record purpose domestically; personal data sits under the revised DSG (nFADP). GDPR and Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 do not apply by virtue of Swiss membership — because Switzerland is not an EU member.

  1. 01

    Schengen Convention — Article 45

    Article 45 of the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement sets the lodging-provider guest-record purpose for Schengen states. BWO expressly cites Art. 45 SDÜ alongside AIG Art. 16 as a legal basis for Hotelkontrolle. Switzerland implements that purpose through AIG / VZAE Meldescheine and cantonal portals — use the Swiss fields and signature rule, not a generic EU checklist.

    [15][03][02]
  2. 02

    Swiss DSG (nFADP) — not GDPR as Swiss law

    The totally revised Bundesgesetz über den Datenschutz (DSG / nFADP, SR 235.1) entered into force on 1 September 2023. BJ notes the EU GDPR is not formally binding on Switzerland even though the revision aimed at adequacy and international alignment. Meldeschein fields, signatures and travel-document details are personal data under the DSG: inform guests, secure storage and cantonal transmission, and respect local retention (e.g. Luzern’s five-year Meldeschein window for licensed lodging). GDPR may still matter if you target EU residents as a controller — that is an extraterritorial GDPR question, not Swiss lodging law.

    [14][13][02]
  3. 03

    Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 — EU instrument; not Swiss law

    From 20 May 2026 the EU short-term rental data framework applies where EU Member States operate registration procedures and require platforms to transmit activity data. Switzerland is not an EU Member State: do not claim Reg 2024/1028 as Swiss law or as a substitute for Meldeschein, Kurtaxe or cantonal housing rules. Swiss host duties remain AIG / VZAE (and stricter cantonal Meldepflicht), local tourist tax, and local Wohnraum limits.

    [16][17][03]

Remote arrival · Still the law

Self check-in under Swiss rules

Remote arrival works in Zürich, Genève and Luzern when Meldeschein data — travel-document fields, ID presentation and the guest’s signature — are collected before access is released. Tourist-tax collection remains a host duty alongside that gate.

01

Document

02

E.turistas

03

Keys

  • Signed Meldeschein before access

    Build VZAE Art. 18 capture into the check-in flow itself — guest completes and signs the Meldeschein from Ausweispapier data, presents ID, and only then receives door codes or lockbox instructions.

    [02][03]

  • Cantonal transmission is a separate step

    Signature closes the federal form duty; transmission still follows the cantonal channel — Zürich electronic Gästekontrolle, Genève asap after possession via the police / e-démarches instructions, Luzern keep-and-produce with local tax filings.

    [05][09][11]

  • Kurtaxe is not closed by the door code

    Collecting Genève taxe de séjour, Luzern Kurtaxe / Beherbergungsabgabe, or any voluntary Zürich City Tax you committed to is a separate Unterkunftgeber duty. Self check-in does not shift tax liability to the platform alone (except where a platform is already mandated to collect, as Airbnb does for Genève taxe de séjour).

    [10][12][07]

  • Housing limits first

    A polished remote-arrival flow does not legalise Genève whole-home platform nights past 90 days or Zürich dauerhaft commercial Kurzzeitunterkünfte that BZO Wohnanteil rules will block. Confirm affectation / Wohnanteil status before scaling automation.

    [08][06]

Cantonal & municipal layers

AIG / VZAE Meldeschein is federal. Cities and cantons still set tourist-tax rates, portals and — in Genève and Zürich — Wohnraum rules that decide whether a listing can run commercially.

  • Zürich Limmat and Old Town — Meldepflicht and BZO territory

    Zürich — Gästekontrolle & BZO

    01

    Polizeigesetz § 21 + Stadt Zürich guidance: electronic Gästekontrolle / Meldescheine for Beherbergende including platform private apartments rented gegen Entgelt; all guest nationalities. No statutory Kurtaxe — only voluntary Hotellerie City Tax if you are in that scheme. Watch the BZO Wohnanteil revision for dauerhaft commercial Airbnb / Business Apartments (autumn 2026 target) and the pending 90-day initiative Gegenvorschlag.

    [05][04][06][07]
  • Geneva Jet d'eau — taxe de séjour and RDTR territory

    Geneva — 90 days & taxe de séjour

    02

    Whole-home platform letting capped at 90 days/year under RDTR; beyond that, commercial affectation / PCTN track. Announce paid foreign guests promptly to cantonal police after e-démarches registration. Taxe de séjour CHF 4.25 per person per night (CHF 2.50 camping) remitted to administration fiscale — Transport Card included.

    [08][09][10]
  • Lucerne Kapellbrücke — Kurtaxe and Hotelmeldewesen territory

    Lucerne — Meldeschein & Kurtaxe

    03

    Federal Meldeschein for foreign guests; licensed lodging also keeps inland/foreign Gästekontrolle with five-year Meldeschein retention. Account Kurtaxe and Beherbergungsabgabe with Stadt Luzern Steueramt — cantonal Beherbergungsabgabe CHF 1.10 from 1 Jan 2026; confirm municipal Kurtaxe category amounts locally. Commercial Ferienwohnungen over 90 days/year: per-guest-per-night Kurtaxe, not Jahrespauschale.

    [11][12]

This is the law · Here is the reference

Sources & references

Primary statutes, EU instruments and competent authorities. Open the link when your property is at stake.

  1. [01]Local law
    AIG Art. 16 — Meldepflicht bei gewerbsmässiger Beherbergung

    Federal statute: anyone accommodating foreign nationals for commercial gain must notify the competent cantonal authority (SR 142.20).

  2. [02]Local law
    VZAE Art. 18 — Meldeschein procedure

    Against payment: fill Meldeschein from travel document, guest signature, ID presentation, transmit to canton; group list alternative (SR 142.201).

  3. [03]Authority
    BWO — Pflicht zur Meldung von ausländischen Gästen

    Federal housing office summary: AIG/VZAE scope including platform hosts, cantonal modalities, Zürich vs Genève examples, Schengen Art. 45 cite.

  4. [04]Local law
    Polizeigesetz Kanton Zürich (PolG) — § 21

    Cantonal Gästekontrolle / Meldescheine for Beherbergungsbetriebe; applies without Swiss/foreign distinction (LS 550.1).

  5. [05]Authority
    Stadt Zürich — Für Beherbergende

    Electronic Meldepflicht for hotels and platform private apartments rented gewerbsmässig; PolG § 21 and AIG Art. 16 cites; OR Untermiete reminder.

  6. [06]Authority
    Stadt Zürich — Bundesgericht confirms BZO Kurzzeitunterkünfte rule

    30 Apr 2026: dauerhaft commercial Airbnb / Business Apartments no longer count toward Wohnanteil; occasional own-home lets excluded; autumn 2026 target entry into force.

  7. [07]Agency
    Standortförderung Zürioberland — Citytax

    Explains voluntary Zürich Hotellerie City Tax (~CHF 3.50) vs statutory Kurtaxe elsewhere; VAT-liable private tourism contribution.

  8. [08]Authority
    État de Genève — Louer via plateforme (Airbnb)

    RDTR 90-day whole-home platform cap; commercial affectation beyond; taxe de séjour; foreign-guest police announcement.

  9. [09]Authority
    État de Genève — Annoncer l'hébergement d'une personne étrangère

    Paid foreign guests under 90 days: announce to police asap after possession; e-démarches registration steps.

  10. [10]Authority
    État de Genève — Taxe de séjour

    CHF 4.25 per person per night (CHF 2.50 camping); all paid hébergement; remit to administration fiscale.

  11. [11]Authority
    Luzerner Polizei — Bestimmungen zum Hotelmeldewesen

    VZAE Meldeschein for foreign guests; Gastgewerbe Gästekontrolle for licensed lodging; five-year Meldeschein retention.

  12. [12]Authority
    Stadt Luzern — Tourismusgesetz / Kurtaxe updates 2026

    Cantonal Beherbergungsabgabe CHF 1.10 from 1 Jan 2026; >90-day commercial Ferienwohnungen: per-night Kurtaxe not Jahrespauschale.

  13. [13]Local law
    DSG — Bundesgesetz über den Datenschutz (SR 235.1)

    Revised Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP); Fedlex consolidated text — Swiss personal-data rules for Meldeschein processing.

  14. [14]Authority
    BJ — Neues Datenschutzrecht

    Federal Office of Justice: DSG in force 1 Sept 2023; notes GDPR is not formally binding on Switzerland.

  15. [15]EU law
    Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement — Art. 45

    Schengen lodging-provider guest-record purpose; cited by BWO alongside AIG Meldepflicht.

  16. [16]EU law
    Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 — short-term rental data

    EU STR registration/data framework from 20 May 2026 — not Swiss law; Switzerland is not an EU Member State.

  17. [17]Agency
    European Commission — STR transparency rules

    Plain-language explanation of the May 2026 EU framework (context only for Swiss hosts).

After the law · The product

Where NextStay fits

After the law is clear: we build Meldeschein data capture and the guest’s signature into the check-in gate — so Swiss hosts can run remote-friendly arrivals without skipping cantonal filing or losing the tax trail.

  • 01

    Signature before the key

    Online check-in collects VZAE Meldeschein fields and the guest’s confirmation signature before door instructions unlock — matching Art. 18 for paid foreign guests (and Zürich’s broader Gästekontrolle where it applies).

  • 02

    Cantonal-ready records

    Structured stay data is ready for Zürich electronic Gästekontrolle, Genève police announcement, or Luzern keep-and-produce retention — without pretending Switzerland runs one national portal.

  • 03

    Host visibility without desk chaos

    Hotels and individual hosts see who has signed, who is blocked, and when access can release — including late Zürich, Genève and Luzern arrivals.

  • 04

    Destination guidance in the workspace

    This Switzerland dossier stays attached to the market — Meldeschein, Kurtaxe / taxe de séjour, Genève 90 days, Zürich BZO — not a generic EU footnote.

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NextStay provides operational tools and general regulatory information, not legal advice. Hosts remain responsible for confirming the rules that apply to their accommodation in Switzerland. Research last verified .