Accommodation facilities in the Republic of San Marino

The laws concerning the activity of accommodation facilities in the territory of the Republic of San Marino are the following:

Law 22/2006 - Framework Law on Tourism
Decree 66/2006 - Regulation for the implementation of the occasional exercise of the family accommodation and breakfast service called "Bed & Breakfast"
Regulation 3/2010 - Regulation for the implementation of accommodation companies referred to in titles II and III of Law no. 22/2006 "Framework Law on Tourism"
Regulation 12/2010 - Amendments to Regulation 8 June 2010 n. 3
Law No. 23 of 27 January 2006 General rules for the exercise of rural tourism
Delegated Decree 22 September 2009 n.132 Ratification of the Delegated Decree 21 July 2009 n. 99 - Application Regulation referred to in Article 19 of Law no. 23 - General rules for the exercise of rural tourism
Regulation 19 August 2020 n.6 - Amendments to the regulation 8 June 2010 n. 3 “Implementation regulation on companies referred to in titles II and III of Law no. 22/2006 - Framework Law on Tourism

Delegated Decree 30 May 2022 n.83 - Provisions for the management of tourist tax

These norms define the types of accommodation facilities: hotel, residential hotel, inn, hostel, open-air accommodation, houses and apartments for tourist stays, bed & breakfast, religious house of hospitality, rural tourism.

Hotel

Main characteristics:
Hotels are accommodation establishments open to the public, with unitary management, which provide accommodation, possibility of food and other complimentary services, in rooms located in one or more buildings or parts of buildings. In hotels the presence of residential housing units is allowed (accommodation with cooking points and connected services), in a percentage not exceeding 20% of the overall accommodation capacity of the structure.
The exercise of the activity is subject to the issue of a license.
Star rating (1 to 5) is an essential requirement for licensing.
Number of rooms: not less than 7 (with the exception of buildings of particular historical monumental value located in historic centers)

Fulfillments under the responsibility of the Tourism Board for the start-up of new accommodation facilities:
submission of the equipment and services report form
inspection by the Commission for the Classification and Supervision of Hospitality Businesses aimed at issuing the permit that will allow the withdrawal of the operating license (under the responsibility of the Economic Activities Office), as well as registration in the “Web Alloggiati” system for the registration of guests (of competence of the Gendarmerie Corps).

Residential hotel

Main characteristics:
Hotel residences are accommodation establishments open to the public, with unitary management, which provide accommodation, daily cleaning and complimentary services in furnished housing units consisting of one or more rooms, equipped, for no less than 80% of the rooms, with autonomous kitchen and eventually possible centralized services. In hotel residences, the presence of rooms and suites is allowed, in a percentage that does not exceed 20% of the overall accommodation capacity of the structure.
The exercise of the activity is subject to the issue of a license.
Star rating (1 to 5) is an essential requirement for licensing.
Number of rooms: not less than 7 (with the exception of buildings of particular historical monumental value located in historic centers)

Guest house or inn

Main characteristics:
These structures include up to seven rooms, located in no more than three furnished apartments in the same building, in which accommodation and any complementary services are provided, as well as food and drinks - limited to the persons housed –.
The exercise of the activity is subject to the issue of a license.
Guest houses cannot provide accommodation for a period of less than three days.
The activity of Guest Houses can be exercised in a complementary way together with a restaurant if it is carried out by the same owner and manager in a unitary property structure or in a separate structure in the immediate vicinity. In this case, the business can assume the typological specification of "inn".

Hostel

Main characteristics:
Youth Hostels are accommodation facilities equipped for stay and overnight stay of the public, in particular young people and any persons accompanying groups of young people.
The exercise of the activity is subject to the issue of a license.

Open-air accommodation facility

Main characteristics:
Tourist villages and campsites are open air accommodation facilities.
The exercise of the activity is subject to the issue of a license.

Houses and apartments for tourist stays

b) in a business form
Main characteristics:
Houses and / or apartments for holidays are housing units consisting of one or more furnished rooms, equipped with toilets, with or without independent kitchen, and managed jointly in a business form for rental to guests non-resident in the Republic without offering centralized services, with contracts valid for no more than three consecutive months. Non-occasional and organized management of three or more houses or apartments for tourism, work, business, study and similars is considered accommodation activity carried out through the management of holiday houses and apartments.
The exercise of the activity is subject to the issue of a license.
The managers of holiday houses and / or apartments cannot provide accommodation for a period of less than seven days.

Fulfillments under the responsibility of the Tourism Board for the start-up of new accommodation facilities:
submission of the equipment and services report form
inspection by the Commission for the Classification and Supervision of Hospitality Businesses aimed at issuing the permit that will allow the start of the activity, as well as registration in the “Web Alloggiati” system for guest registration (under the responsibility of the Gendarmerie Corps).

Bed & Breakfast

Main characteristics:
A "Bed and Breakfast activity" is defined as the non-hotel accommodation activity managed by those who, in the house in which they live and are registered, offer accommodation and provide breakfast, in no more than four rooms and for a maximum of twelve beds, occasionally or at certain times of the year.
The exercise of the activity is not subject to the issue of a license.
The overall opening period during the year cannot exceed three hundred days.

Fulfillments under the responsibility of the Tourism Board for the start-up of new accommodation facilities:
submission of the requirements verification form accompanied by the building conformity certificate and, in the event that the premises used for the activity are located in a condominium, by the resolution of approval of the condominium assembly.
inspection by the Commission for the Classification and Supervision of Hospitality Businesses aimed at issuing the permit that will allow the start of the activity, as well as registration in the “Web Alloggiati” system for guest registration (under the responsibility of the Gendarmerie Corps).

Religious house of hospitality

Main characteristics:
Accommodation structures owned by ecclesiastical bodies, characterized by religious purposes, which offer paid hospitality to anyone who requests it are religious houses of hospitality, respecting the religious characteristic of the hospitality itself and with acceptance of the consequent rules of behavior and service limitations.
The exercise of the activity is not subject to the issue of a license.

Rural Tourism

Main characteristics:
Structures located in rural buildings constitute rural tourism accommodation activities, according to the legislation on rural tourism activities:
Law 23/2006, Delegated Decree 132/2009.
For information and to register in the Register of Rural Tourism Operators, contact the Environmental and Agricultural Resources Office.
For further information on accommodation facilities, an appointment can be arranged by writing to marketing.turismo@pa.sm
Tourism Board - Marketing and Communication Dept.