Osnabrück will charge bed tax from October 2025 - what does that mean for travelers?

Osnabrück will charge bed tax from October 2025 - what does that mean for travelers?

In the city of Osnabrück, something will happen soon: from October 1, 2025, a new accommodation tax of 3.5 percent will be charged to the accommodation price. This measure affects guests in hotels, guest houses and all comparable accommodations within the city area. Only senior and nursing homes are excluded from this regulation. As reports radiorst.de, the city expects annual income of around 1.2 million euros. These funds should flow into the areas of tourism, culture and urban infrastructure.

The practical implementation of the tax is very simple: the respective accommodation companies are responsible for collecting the tax and digitally paying the city's service portal. The first tax return is due for the fourth quarter of 2025 and must be submitted by January 15, 2026 at the latest. This new regulation should benefit both guests and the city by co -financing Osnabrück's tourist attractions.

The legal framework

A look at the legal foundations shows that the overnight stay tax, which is also known as bed tax or hotel tax, is a local consumption and expense tax. It has already been established in many places in Germany and was first introduced by the city of Weimar in 2005. In the meantime, over 50 municipalities and city -states charge this tax, which underlines their constitutional admissibility. According to [Kommunalwiki.boell.de] (https://kommunalwiki.boell.de/index.php/%C3%9Cbernache Tax), it is not unusual that the tax is measured as a surcharge on the net overnight price of around 5 percent to a maximum of 7.5 percent. Before pandemic, this tax generated revenues of around 80 to 100 million euros annually for the municipalities.

In 2012, the Federal Administrative Court confirmed the constitutional system of tax, provided that the overnight stays are not based on professionally. However, this differentiation between private and business overnight stays was no longer required by a judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court in March 2022.

effects on gastronomy

As the situation in Osnabrück shows, such taxes can also be controversial. While some municipal associations, such as the German City Day, represent a positive view, industry representatives such as Dehoga and IHA see the tax as stressful for the catering trade. At a similar point, the city of Konstanz also shows interest in introducing a bed tax to finance climate protection measures, while in Lübeck the reintroduction of such a tax is in the room. Munich even plans a “tourist tax” that is supposed to bring in the 60 million euros annually, but there are legal concerns on the part of the Bavarian State Government.

The introduction of this accommodation tax in Osnabrück could be seen as a sign of a trend in many other cities in Germany, where similar measures are currently being considered. For guests in Osnabrück, it may mean that the costs for the stay will increase a little while the city hopes to further improve its tourist offers.

Further information on the details of this tax is available on the official website of the city of Osnabrück: Service.osnabrueck.de.