Providing accommodation services in Estonia

Running a hotel, guesthouse, hostel, holiday home or short-term rental flat as a business in Estonia is governed by the Tourism Act (turismiseadus) and a ministerial regulation on accommodation requirements. The act's sections on the accommodation provider's notice duty and registration procedure were repealed in 2014¹¹. It requires that the premises meet the standards for the type of establishment and that every guest is registered before the stay begins¹⁵²⁸.

Information as of 11 November 2026. Every numbered statement of this page was checked in the official text named below and re-checked by a second reviewer on 2026-11-11. The page is general information, not legal advice; the authority decides on every application.

What the activity is

The Tourism Act sets general requirements for offering and providing tourism services¹. It defines an accommodation service as offering a temporary place to stay overnight². An accommodation establishment is the business unit through which an undertaking provides that service as part of its economic or professional activity³.

The act names the main types: hotel, motel, guesthouse, hostel, holiday village or camp, holiday home, guest apartment and home accommodation⁴. A hotel is an establishment with at least five rooms, each for the guest's exclusive use⁵. A holiday home is a building let to the guest as a whole. A guest apartment is a flat let as a whole. Home accommodation is a room or other part of the farm, house or flat where the provider lives⁶. A type name may be used only if the establishment matches its description. Otherwise the provider uses another suitable designation⁷.

The act excludes the following from accommodation services⁸:

housing persons in an employment or service relationship;
accommodation under a residential lease (eluruumi üürileping);
housing by an educational institution;
accommodation in a vehicle used for passenger transport;
providing overnight stays in exceptional conditions for the experience.

The legal act and the authority

The main act is the Tourism Act, in the version in force from 1 May 2026⁹. The detailed requirements are in Regulation No. 17 of the Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology of 21 April 2021, "Requirements for the provision of accommodation services" (Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded). It was issued under § 19(3) of the act, and its current version has been in force since 1 May 2026¹⁰.

The act no longer contains a notice or registration duty for accommodation providers. The sections on the provider's duty to notify (§ 20) and on the registration procedure (§ 20¹) were repealed with effect from 1 July 2014¹¹. The sections on grading (§ 21) and on official designation (§ 23) were repealed with effect from 1 May 2021¹².

Supervision is split between several authorities¹³:

The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet, TTJA) supervises the act and the requirements set under it, except guest registration.
The Rescue Board (Päästeamet) supervises fire safety.
The Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet, PPA) supervises guest registration.
The rural municipality or city government supervises the remaining requirements on its territory.

The supervising authority may enter the territory, buildings and rooms that the provider uses for its business, under the conditions of the Law Enforcement Act¹⁴.

Who must apply

Under the Tourism Act, the accommodation provider's notice and registration duties have been repealed¹¹. The duties in the act and the regulation apply to every undertaking that provides an accommodation service as defined in the act³. The exclusions in the previous section are the act's own exemptions⁸.

Other acts, such as those on building use, food or taxes, may impose their own duties on a particular business. Whether any of them applies is specified for the client's case.

Requirements for the provider

Premises. The provider must have suitable, safe and secure buildings, rooms, furnishings and grounds. It must also offer accommodation and leisure facilities that suit the type of establishment, with adequate hygiene¹⁵. Buildings, rooms, furnishings and grounds must be clean and in good order, and equipment must work and be safe in normal use¹⁶.

Fire safety. Every guest room must display a fire-safety reminder¹⁷. Every guest room must also display an evacuation scheme, unless the building is in the use class to which the regulation's exception applies¹⁷. An establishment with more than ten beds in a building of use class I must meet the evacuation and fire-installation rules for use class II¹⁸. The outer door on an exit route must open from inside without a key¹⁹.

Health safety. The service must be organised to protect guests' health and reduce the risk of spreading infections. In the establishment types listed in chapter 2 of the regulation, guests must have access to drinking water and to basic personal hygiene²⁰.

General rules. The doors of rooms, or of the house or flat, must be lockable, and the guest must have the keys²¹. If the provider handles food, it must follow the Food Act (toiduseadus)²². The provider must also ensure the following²³:

keys are issued in a way that identifies who received them;
guests can enter and leave around the clock;
the entrance is clearly visible;
guests are told about services, prices and reception hours, and whether the service is accessible to people with special needs;
there are places for collecting waste.

Requirements by type.

Hotel rooms must have a private bathroom and toilet. Towels and bed linen must be provided, rooms cleaned daily, and an extra pillow and blanket available on request²⁴.
Guesthouses and hostels with shared facilities need at least one washroom and two toilets per ten beds²⁵.
A holiday home or guest apartment must have a kitchen, an area for eating and resting, and a bathroom and toilet²⁶.
In home accommodation, cooking facilities are not required if meals are served²⁷.

Guest registration. Before the service starts, the provider must register each guest, as a rule from a travel document or identity card²⁸. The data include name, date of birth, citizenship, country of residence, period of stay, purpose of the trip and the number of minor children; for certain guests also the type and number of their travel document and the issuing state²⁹. The provider keeps the data for two years. It must transmit them to the PPA and the security authorities at their request³⁰.

Capital, management and staff. Whether capital, management, staff or seat requirements apply is specified for the client's case. The act's security rules concern travel undertakings³¹.

Documents filed with the application

Whether any application documents are needed is specified for the client's situation. The provider keeps the guest registration data for two years³⁰ and displays the fire-safety reminders and evacuation schemes in the rooms¹⁷.

State fee and processing time

Whether a state fee or a time limit for an authority's decision applies is specified for the client's situation. If another act applies to the client's business, its fee and time limit are the law's, not a promise.

What LexorCorp Global OÜ does and how to order

LexorCorp Global OÜ sells the service "Activity licence application documentation". The price is from €3,500, paid once, and no VAT is added. State fees, where they arise, are paid by the client³³. Under the row, we set out the requirements of the act for the activity from its official text³⁴. For an accommodation business, these are the Tourism Act and Regulation No. 17. We prepare the documents and manage the process.

We do not give legal advice, carry out audits or give tax advice. We do not promise any authority's decision, result or date.

Order: order form

Sources

Turismiseadus § 1(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 17(2) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 17(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 18(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 18(2) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 18(7)-(9) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 18(10)-(11) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 17(3) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus header — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) preamble + header — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Turismiseadus § 20, § 20¹ — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 21, § 23 — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 30(1)-(2) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 30² — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 19(1)-(2) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 1(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 2(1)-(2) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 2(3) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 2(4) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 2¹(1)-(2) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 5(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 7(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 9 — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 10(1)-(2) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 12(4), § 13(3) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 15(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Majutusteenuse osutamise nõuded (määrus nr 17, 21.04.2021) § 16(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 08.04.2026, 13)
Turismiseadus § 24(1) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 24(2)-(3) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 24(7)-(8) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
Turismiseadus § 15, § 15¹ (read with chapter 3 and regulation full text) — text in force from 01.05.2026 (RT I, 18.03.2026, 26)
LexorCorp Global price list and service description (price list)
LexorCorp Global price list and service description (price list)

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