Goa

When deciding whether to become an Airbnb Host, it's important for you to understand the laws in your State.

As a platform and marketplace we do not provide legal advice, but we want to provide some useful links that may help you better understand laws and regulations in Goa.

This list is not exhaustive, and should not be considered legal advice, but it should give you a good start in understanding your local laws. If you have questions, please contact the Goa Department of Tourism, other Government agencies directly, or consult a local lawyer or tax professional.

Registration requirements for Listings in Goa

The Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Rules, 1985,  which were amended in March 2021, have been further amended on December 29, 2022 (collectively, the “Goa Rules”). The Goa Rules outline the process for registration by a person intending to carry out business as a dealer, hotel keeper, travel agent, or any other tourism trade in Goa and lays down requisite reporting obligations.

Under the Goa Rules, rented/serviced apartments, bungalows, homestay units, and bed and breakfast establishments fall under Category “D”, a new category. The accommodation establishments included in this new category are broadly defined below:

• Other accommodation: These include rented/serviced apartments, bungalows, homestays, etc., meant for use by tourists. Each such establishment must have a minimum of one lettable room and a maximum of six lettable rooms.
• Homestay: A homestay unit is one where the owner/promoter of the establishment, along with their family, is physically residing in the same establishment and letting out a minimum of one room and a maximum of six rooms (12 beds).
• Bed and breakfast: A bed and breakfast establishment is one where the owner/promoter of the establishment does not reside at the establishment themself. Instead, an agent or operator, so designated by the owner/promoter, resides in the establishment premises for providing the necessary services to the visitors/guests. The establishment should have a minimum of one lettable room and a maximum of six lettable rooms (12 beds).

For the Hosts operating listings that fall under Category “D” under the Goa Rules as set out above, the following registration and other rules apply:

Registration

1. If you operate listings that fall under Category “D” and are operating in Goa, you are required to be registered with the Goa Department of Tourism by submitting an application in Form XXIII under the Goa Rules.
2. Applications for registration can be submitted here. In order to be eligible for registration, your premises should meet the requirements put in place by the Goa Department of Tourism under the Goa Rules.

The Goa Tourism Department has, by an administrative order dated 2 August 2022, relaxed the existing compliances of hotel and homestay registration by reducing the number of documents required for registration/renewal. See the detailed list of requisite documents.

Displaying your registration certificate number

1. You are required to display the registration certificate number in your listing. To make it easier for Hosts to display their number, Airbnb allows Hosts in Goa to fill in their registration number in a dedicated field in your listing. Add your registration number in the Manage Your Space section of your hosting dashboard. You will be in violation of the Goa Rules if you fail to provide the registration number in the dedicated field as stated above. Airbnb may be directed by the prescribed authority under the Goa Rules to take down/remove your listing from its platform in case of your non-compliance with the aforesaid registration rules.

Here are more specific instructions on registering with the Goa Tourism Department and displaying your registration certificate number on Airbnb.

1. Use your email address and mobile number to register for an account on the Goa Government portal
2. Fill in the application form and upload the necessary documents on the portal to apply for registration of your homestay or bed and breakfast establishment
   Note: The only mandatory documents are the copy of trade tax/house tax receipt (in original) and the ownership documents. However, if you lease your property, please add your lease and license agreement or a notarized copy of NOC from the owner of the premises
3. Once submitted, the application will be sent to the Department of Tourism, and an acknowledgment number for tracking the status of the application is generated
4. The processing time for the registration application process is provided by the Department of Tourism as 90 days
5. Once you obtain the acknowledgment number, please update your registration status by visiting your listing’s Policies and rules > Regulations > Register your listing

If you fail to register and update your registration status on your listing page, you will be in violation of the Goa Rules, and the prescribed authority may require Airbnb to take down/remove your listing.

Other registration requirements

1. Mandatory reporting of tourist data
   1. As per the Goa Rules, it is mandatory for every person running the business of hotels/homestays in a tourist area to submit statistics containing details of the tourists residing in his hotel/other accommodation unit on a monthly basis before the 5th of the month following the month to which it pertains. The statistics are required to be submitted in Form XI in electronic mode only.
   2. To ease the process of collecting the said data, the Department of Tourism, Goa, has commissioned a new service by the name 'Statistics Proforma as per Form XI' which can be accessed from the Department of Tourism website at the Tourist Statistics Data Registration portal (Tourist Statistics Data Registration) or Goa Online portal under the service list of Tourism Department. While submitting Form XI, a processing fee is required to be paid. Refer this for more details.
   3. Failure to submit statistics within the due date will amount to a violation of the Goa Rules and attract a fine that may range from Rs.10,000 INR to Rs. 25,000 INR. Further, as per the Goa Rules, the registration of tourist accommodations that are in violation of the Goa Rules will not be renewed by the Goa Tourism Department unless the aforesaid statistics are submitted and fines for any defaulting periods are paid.

Foreign guest registration

Please note that Hosts are also required to complete Form C for foreign guests.