If you own a house in Himachal and want to run it as a homestay legally, the process got much simpler in 2026. Since 2 February 2026, the state runs a dedicated online portal — homestay.hp.gov.in — where you register and renew entirely from home, with no office visits.

Under the Himachal Pradesh Home Stay Rules, 2025, you can register a homestay of up to six rooms, and for the first time the scheme covers urban areas too — not just rural ones as under the old 2008 scheme. Eligibility has widened, fees are tiered by category, and the Chief Minister has directed that renewals can’t be blocked over a pending Fire NOC. Here’s who can register, what it costs, the documents you’ll need, the step-by-step — and what to do the day your certificate arrives.

Who can register now

The 2025 rules opened the scheme up considerably:

• Up to six rooms, in both rural and urban areas — a big change from the rural-only 2008 scheme.
• Long-term residents from other states who have lived in Himachal Pradesh for more than 20 years can now register.
• Himachali citizens running businesses outside the state are also eligible.

The intent is to spread tourism beyond the Shimla–Manali–Dharamshala crush into lesser-known destinations, while keeping ownership rooted in people with a genuine, long-term connection to the state.

What it costs

Homestays are graded into categories — Silver, Gold and Diamond — and the fee is tiered accordingly.

Two things worth knowing before you pick a category. Utilities and tax differ by grade: Silver units keep domestic electricity and water rates, while Gold and Diamond homestays pay commercial rates and fall under GST and TIN rules. And if you’re financing a build or renovation, tourism units get an interest subsidy on term loans — 3% in urban areas, 4% in rural, and 5% in tribal regions.

Documents you’ll need

Have these ready as PDFs before you start — it makes the online form quick:

• Proof of ownership or lease plus revenue records (an affidavit if the property is co-owned).
• Applicant’s ID and photograph.
• Room details — number of rooms, sizes, attached bathrooms, dining and parking.
• Photos of the building exterior, interiors and parking, plus a layout/blueprint.
• Fire-safety equipment details and police verification/clearance.

The step-by-step

1. Create an account on homestay.hp.gov.in with your mobile and email.
2. Fill the application — property address, distances from transport hubs, room details, and your chosen category.
3. Upload your documents as PDFs.
4. Pay the category fee online and download the receipt.
5. Site inspection — a tourism/local authority officer verifies the property, usually within a few weeks.
6. Receive your certificate. Provisional registration is issued so you can operate without delay, with the final certificate to follow. A pending Fire NOC won’t hold up your renewal.

Keep both digital and printed copies of your certificate, and note your renewal date — the whole cycle now runs online, so renewals are far less painful than the old office-visit process.

After you’re registered: own your bookings

A registration certificate lets you list on the OTAs with confidence — and you should, for discovery. But listing everywhere and stopping there is how new hosts quietly give away 15–25% of every booking forever. Before the OTAs become your only channel, it’s worth understanding exactly what that commission costs you, and setting up the tools to keep more of it — a way to sync your OTAs and take direct bookings at the same time.

That’s what we built Rukiye Zara for: a direct booking website you can launch free the moment you’re registered, so a guest who found you on Airbnb can rebook with you directly next time — commission-free.

Questions hosts ask first