A month in Sardinia

Up to 30 days, a whole home let by a private owner is a short let under Italian law, with the CIN on the listing and police registration of every guest. Beyond 30 days in a year, the lease must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days, and an unregistered lease is void.

Sardinia's regional rules describe tourist leases of more than 30 days and up to 18 months: the contract must be registered and must keep a tourist purpose. A transitory lease, for a documented need such as work or study, can also run up to 18 months. For a residential lease the deposit may not exceed three months' rent; whether that cap binds a tourist let is unverified as of September 2026.

Cagliari and Olbia are towns with services all year, 7 km and 4 km from their airports. Alghero, a walled old town with its own airport 10 km away, comes next.

San Teodoro and Cala Gonone suit a summer month on the beach or on the trails. San Teodoro charges its tourist tax only from May to October 2026, and Cala Gonone's free shuttle runs from June to September in 2026.

With a car for the month, the parking rules count more than on a weekend. The old districts of Cagliari are ZTLs, Olbia bans parking in its old-centre ZTL at all hours, and in Alghero a guest may drive into the centre to load or unload luggage and no more. A flat with its own parking space outside those zones saves the daily search.

The caps on nights matter more than the rates. Cagliari taxes only the first five consecutive nights in the same lodging, so a month in extra-hotel lodging such as a B&B or holiday flat comes to EUR 10 per person at EUR 2 a night, or EUR 15 from July to September; its rate table does not name short-let flats separately. Alghero taxes the first seven nights, EUR 14 at EUR 2, and Olbia and San Teodoro also stop at seven.

Dorgali, the comune of Cala Gonone, sets no cap on nights in its regulation, so 30 nights at the EUR 1.50 base rate come to EUR 45 per person between April and October, and nothing from November to March. The age for the child exemption differs: under 12 in Cagliari, Alghero and San Teodoro, under 14 in Dorgali and under 16 in Olbia.

Every guest shows an identity document or passport at check-in, and the host registers each one with the police within 24 hours. A lease beyond 30 days is registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days of signing, and landlord and tenant are jointly liable for the registration tax.

Visitors from outside the EU can stay up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area, and the EU Entry/Exit System has registered their short stays since 10 April 2026. A non-EU visitor who arrives from another Schengen country declares their presence to the questore within eight days. EU citizens staying beyond three months register with the registry office of the comune.

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, and later months are charged 10 days before each payment period. Italian law draws its line at 30 days, so a 29-night booking is a monthly stay on Airbnb and still a short let in law.

A Sardinian listing should show both the CIN and the IUN. In June 2026 the Region suspended the IUN of lets that had not met their guest statistics duties since May 2023, and it publishes the list of suspended codes.

Expecting a month to escape registration. Beyond 30 days in a year the lease must be registered, and an unregistered lease is void.

A listing without a CIN and an IUN. The Sardinian rules require both online and at the door.

Parking inside a ZTL. In Olbia parking is banned throughout the old-centre ZTL at all hours, even with a permit.

A key box and a code by message. The host must identify guests in person or by video at the door.

Counting Schengen days in Italy alone. The 90 in 180 rule counts every day across the Schengen area.