How to register a homestay as a household business in Vietnam, step by step

HostBooking · Updated Nov 6, 2026 · 7 min read

Since 1 July 2025, a homestay household business registers with the commune-level business registration office where the homestay is, in person or online with an electronic ID account (VNeID), under Decree 168/2025/NĐ-CP. The main document is the registration request, with accommodation as the business line. After that come the security certificate, fire safety, guest registration and tax.

Who can register a household business?

A household business (hộ kinh doanh) is registered by one person, or members of a household, who are Vietnamese citizens with full legal capacity, and is liable with all their assets. Foreigners cannot hold one; see foreigners opening a homestay in Vietnam. If you plan several properties, many staff or outside investors, consider a company instead.

Where to file now that districts are gone

Since 1 July 2025 there is no district level, and household business registration follows Decree 168/2025/NĐ-CP. You file with the commune-level business registration office where the homestay is. From 23 July 2026, Decree 296/2026/NĐ-CP makes clear this is the specialised division of the commune or ward People’s Committee assigned by the province; where a commune has no such division, the commune People’s Committee handles it directly. In practice you go to the commune’s one-stop public service desk.

What goes in the file

• The household business registration request, on the Ministry of Finance form: business name, the homestay’s address under current boundaries, business lines, capital, number of workers, owner details.
• Minutes of a household meeting naming one member as head, if household members register together.
• A letter of authorisation if someone else, or a service, files for you.

The owner’s identity details are looked up in the national population database, so a copy of the ID card is usually not needed once you have an electronic ID. Some offices still ask for proof of the premises (land certificate or lease); bring a copy to be safe.

The steps

1. Choose a name: unique among household businesses in the commune, and it may include “Homestay”. Do not use “star” or “resort” unless rated or accurate.
2. Choose the business line: short-stay accommodation (group 55 in Vietnam’s economic sector list). Add food and drink if you sell meals. Do not choose “house leasing / real estate”: tax and conditions are different.
3. File: in person at the commune one-stop desk, or online on the National Public Service Portal with a level-2 electronic ID (VNeID).
4. Pay the fee set by the province (some reduce or waive it online).
5. Receive the household business registration certificate, usually within about 3 working days of a complete file. The number on it is also the household’s tax code.

If the file is incomplete, the office tells you in writing (or through the system if you filed online) what to fix. The new economic sector list under Decision 36/2025/QĐ-TTg (in force from 15 November 2025) changed some 4- and 5-digit codes from the old list, where 5510 was “short-stay accommodation”; look up the right code on the form or ask the clerk.

Timing and places at a glance

Common mistakes

• Using the old address (merged districts, wards). Use the current commune, ward and province names.
• The wrong business line: “house leasing” instead of accommodation, which then blocks the security certificate for accommodation and changes the tax rates.
• Thinking the certificate is enough to take guests: the security certificate and fire safety are still missing.
• A registered owner who does not live nearby or run the place: that person answers for security and guest registration.

After the certificate

1. Fire safety and the security certificate at the commune police: see homestay business licence 2026 (in Vietnamese).
2. Notify the provincial tourism authority if your province requires it; post prices and house rules.
3. Guest registration for every overnight guest, before 11 pm: see guest registration for homestays.
4. Tax: keep a revenue book from day one; once yearly revenue passes 1 billion VND, file quarterly. See Vietnam homestay tax 2026.

The full checklist for opening a homestay is in what you need to run a homestay. Once guests arrive, HostBooking records each booking in the S1a/S2a tax books for household businesses and exports the guest registration list from chip ID cards.

Procedure current as of November 2026; it can differ between localities. For reference only, not a substitute for the instructions of the commune office where you file.