A month in Berlin

Berlin's City Tax applies to paid lodging that a business makes available for less than six months, at 7.5% of the price without VAT and extras. Until the end of 2024 stays of more than 21 days were exempt; that rule ended on 1 January 2025, so a month in a hotel, serviced flat or holiday flat pays the tax from the first night to the last.

VAT on the room is 7% for short-term lodging, and other services in the price are taxed at 19%. Ask for a quote that shows the City Tax and VAT, then compare it with the monthly totals on this page.

Germany registers residents by address. Anyone who moves into a flat must register within 14 days, but federal law exempts people who live abroad and are not registered in Germany until they have stayed three months; after that the deadline is two weeks. For a hotel stay, registration applies after three months for someone registered nowhere in Germany.

A registration needs a written move-in confirmation from the landlord, the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, and the Berlin service portal says a rental contract does not replace it. A month-long stay needs none of this, but the foreign guest still signs the Meldeschein at a hotel or other commercial lodging on the day of arrival.

Letting a flat to visitors by the day or week needs a district permit and a registration number in the advert; the fines notice of March 2026 sets EUR 1,500 to 2,500 per month and flat for a host without a permit. Whether a furnished let of a month or more counts as a holiday let depends on the arrangement, so ask the host for the registration number or for the reason there is none.

German tenancy law carves out housing let only for temporary use: the rent brake for tight markets, the rules on rent increases and the protection against termination do not apply to it. Whether a given let counts as temporary depends on the agreement, so read what it says about the purpose and the end date.

Prenzlauer Berg and Charlottenburg suit a month in a residential street with shops and parks nearby; Charlottenburg also has the cheapest parking zones of the six areas at EUR 2 an hour. Friedrichshain and Neukölln suit a younger month, and Neukölln's paid zones run on weekdays only. Mitte works for a month when the budget allows it and the car stays in a garage. These choices are editorial.

UK and US citizens need no visa and may stay up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area; days in other Schengen countries in the previous 180 count. Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors at the external border. The Federal Foreign Office adds that UK and US citizens can apply for a residence permit in Germany after entering without a visa, which is the route for staying beyond 90 days.

The UK government asks for a passport issued less than ten years before arrival and valid at least three months after leaving the Schengen area, and says the border may ask for a return ticket and proof of funds. EU citizens move freely and follow the same registration rules as everyone.

Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay: the first month is charged up front and released to the host 24 hours after check-in, later months are charged 10 days in advance, and a long-term cancellation policy applies that generally needs 30 days' notice of changes. Berlin's own lines sit elsewhere: six months for the City Tax and three months for registration.

Resident parking permits go to people who live and are registered in the zone, and the Senate issues guest permits only in individual cases, so a visitor's car pays the hourly rate in the zone like any other. For a month, a flat with a courtyard space, a rented garage or an area with weekday-only zones, such as Neukölln's, changes the bill. Ask the host before booking.

Assuming a month is free of City Tax. The 21-day exemption ended on 1 January 2025.

Paying for a flat whose listing shows no registration number and whose host cannot say why.

Counting Schengen days only in Germany. The 90 days in 180 run across the whole area.

Leaving the car on the street on a permit that a guest cannot get.