Airbnb in Amsterdam: rules, permits and limits

Renting your Amsterdam home through Airbnb can be a sensible way to earn extra income or offset the cost of your own holiday. The catch is that the City of Amsterdam regulates short-stay rental tightly and checks compliance actively. Break the rules and you face substantial fines, so it pays to know exactly where you stand before you list.

How many nights can you rent out per year?

You may rent out your Amsterdam home to tourists for a maximum of 30 nights per calendar year. Once you reach that limit, the city can ask Airbnb to block your address calendar for the rest of the year. Exceeding the cap carries a fine of €11,600.

Permit, registration and reporting

Renting out your entire home counts as holiday rental, and three obligations apply alongside the night cap.

• Permit. You need a permit to rent your home to tourists. It is always temporary and valid until 1 April of the following calendar year, regardless of when you apply. In 2024 the permit costs €71 and you apply online via the City of Amsterdam. The property must be your main residence, meaning you are registered at that address in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Persoonsgegevens). Renting out a home owned by a housing association (woningcorporatie) is forbidden.
• Registration number. Before you start, request a registration number from the city. Including it in every listing is mandatory. Registration is free and you usually receive the number instantly.
• Advance report. Every time you rent out your home, you must report it online beforehand. Skipping this step can also trigger a fine.

What about tax?

• Tourist tax. Airbnb pays tourist tax to the tax authorities on your behalf. In Amsterdam, guests pay 10% of the advertised rate, including any cleaning costs. You do not collect it yourself, but you must register your property with the tax authorities before you start renting, and submit an annual tourist tax return.
• Income tax. You also pay income tax on rental income. Declare 70% of the rental payments received as additional income, taxed in Box 1 (income from work and home).

Safety, nuisance and other conditions

• Your home must be fireproof, and smoke detectors have been required since 1 July 2022.
• You are responsible for making sure guests cause no nuisance. Set clear house rules, explain how and where to dispose of waste, inform your neighbours, and make sure they can reach you if something goes wrong.
• You need permission from the Owners' Association (VvE) to rent out your property.
• Spaces outside the home, such as garden houses, boats or tents in a garden, may not be rented out.

The fines

The penalties for getting this wrong are steep. The main amounts are:

• €21,750 for renting to tourists without living at the address yourself.
• €11,600 for habitability breaches, such as hosting too many people or renting more nights than allowed.
• €8,700 for administrative breaches, such as renting without a permit, renting while not registered at the address, failing to report guests in advance, or omitting the registration number from your listing.

If several violations occur at once, multiple fines apply, up to a maximum of €21,750. The City of Amsterdam publishes the full overview of penalties on its website.

Bed & Breakfast is different

The rules above cover holiday rental, where you let the home while you are away. If you rent out only part of your property and stay present during your guests' visit, it counts as bed & breakfast, and different rules apply. A B&B still needs a permit, but permits are capped per district and therefore limited. A registration number remains mandatory and must appear in your listings. If you are considering a B&B, check the current City of Amsterdam policy first.

Considering long-term instead?

Short-stay letting in Amsterdam is heavily restricted, and the 30-night cap leaves your property idle for most of the year. Long-term rental avoids the permit, reporting and tourist-tax overhead entirely, and gives you steady income with one reliable tenant.

Balatin focuses on exactly that: verified long-term rental for internationals in the Netherlands. We let homes for periods of at least 1 year, with shorter terms from 6 months possible in some cases, and we can take on the day-to-day management so you do not have to. For the wider picture, see our guides on the rules for renting out and the 2024 rental rules.

Want to let your home the simpler way? List your property with Balatin or contact us for advice tailored to your situation.