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Rules
Experience Host

Guiding tours in France

These information pages can help you get started in learning about some of the laws and registration requirements that may apply to your experiences on Airbnb. These pages include summaries of some of the rules that may apply to different sorts of activities, and contain links to government resources that you may find helpful.

Please understand that these information pages are not comprehensive, and are not legal advice. If you are unsure about how local laws or this information may apply to you or your Experience, we encourage you to check with official sources or seek legal advice.

Please note that we don’t update this information in real time, so you should confirm that the laws or procedures have not changed recently.*

When am I likely to be considered a tour guide?

The activities of tour guide and of tourism guide (“guide-accompagnateur” and “accompagnateur de tourisme”) are not regulated professions in France and you can carry out these activities without a specific licence.

The only exception to this relates to guides who provide guided visits of a museum labelled as musée de France (list here) or of a historical monument (list here). In that case, the guide is required to hold a professional card of “guide-lecturer” (“guide-conférencier”). You should be aware of potential criminal offences for providing such tours without the professional card, which may include financial penalties.

How do I get the professional card of “guide-lecturer”?

You need to have the professional “guide-lecturer” license or a Master’s degree in the course including three compulsory modules (“guide-lecturer skills”, “practical and professional simulation exercise” and “foreign language”) in order to obtain the “guide lecturer” professional card. For more information, see the Arrêté dated 9 November 2011.

To get a card and provided you have the above qualifications, you will need to apply to the Préfet of the area where you are established (if you are exercising a professional activity) or the Préfet of the area where you are domiciled (if you are not exercising a professional activity). It normally takes up to two months from the date of your application to receive a response from the Préfet.

More information here and here.

Is there anything else I should think about?

We recommend you also read our other information pages on the requirements that apply to businesses. If you’re in any doubt, we recommend you get in touch with your accountant or legal advisor to find out whether you’re operating as a business.

*Airbnb is not responsible for the reliability or correctness of the information contained in any links to third party sites (including any links to legislation and regulations).

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