Starting a Homestay in Assam

01 / Executive finding

The practical starting point

• The last complete Assam homestay instrument presently downloadable from the Department of Tourism/ATDC is the “AAMAAR AALOHI Homestay Scheme 2022-23”. It defines a homestay as a private residential house in a tourist destination offering rooms to tourists, and sets registration, inspection, operating and subsidy conditions. However, it cannot safely be described as conclusively controlling after June 2026 because a newer 2026 accommodation-regulation instrument has reportedly been approved but its notified primary text was not located. [S1, pp. 1, 7–9; S17, discovery-only]
• There is a serious current-law gap. On 23 June 2026, PTI reported that the Assam Cabinet approved the *Assam Tourism Accommodation (Development and Registration) Rules, 2026*, including single-window registration and automatic renewal every three years. Searches of the Assam Tourism Department, ATDC, Assam Government and official Gazette repositories did not locate the notified Rules, notification/order number, commencement provision or operative portal. Cabinet approval alone is not sufficient evidence that those reported provisions are legally in force. [S7, Gazette repository; S17, discovery-only]
• Under the 2022-23 scheme text, location is a threshold restriction: a homestay should be in a tourism area, within a radius of 30 km from a tourism area “as notified” by the Tourism Department. The actual current list/map of such notified tourism areas was Not stated in the current official material reviewed. This is one of the most important address-screening issues before property acquisition. [S1, p. 5, Requirement 1]
• The published Assam sources are not aligned on rural versus urban eligibility. The current Department webpage calls Aamaar Aalohi a rural homestay scheme aimed at rural and semi-urban areas, while the scheme PDF says selected existing houses will be classified as “Rural & Urban Homestays” and states that the scheme is operative throughout Assam. [S2, portal text; S1, pp. 4, 7]
• A current permanent-domicile or permanent-residence test is not expressly located. The scheme uses concepts such as “private residential houses”, staying with “local families”, proprietor/house owner and “resident members” of the host family, but the located 2022-23 text does not expressly state that the registered proprietor must permanently reside in the property or prescribe a domicile certificate. [S1, pp. 1, 3, 7, 14]
• The minimum published accommodation threshold is two guest rooms with attached toilet/bathroom facilities. The scheme repeatedly refers to a minimum of two rooms/bedrooms. No current maximum number of guest rooms, beds or guests was located. [S1, pp. 3–4]
• The scheme's room-size text is defective and must not be silently “corrected”. It states that a single room should not be below 100 sq ft but gives the parenthetical “109.30 Sq mtr”; it then states that a double room “should be less than 120 sq.ft. (11.15 Sq mtr)” despite describing minimum room standards. Written ATDC clarification is required before publishing room dimensions as settled requirements. [S1, p. 6, Requirement 8(c)]
• The published 2022-23 registration authority is ATDC Ltd. Applications are directed to Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd., 4th Floor, Asom Paryatan Bhawan, A.K. Azad Road, Paltan Bazar, Guwahati 781008. The scheme's Selection Committee includes the senior-most Secretary of Tourism, MD ATDC, Director of Tourism or representative, an India Tourism representative and GM ATDC. [S1, pp. 4, 9–10]
• The 2022-23 instrument states a ₹1,000 registration/application fee and ₹500 yearly renewal fee, with one-calendar-year validity and renewal three months before expiry. The attached application package calls the ₹1,000 demand draft non-refundable. These figures are not safe to publish as the definitive 2026 regime until the June 2026 Rules are located, because the reported new regime would use a three-year renewal cycle. [S1, pp. 8, 15; S17, discovery-only]
• Company, LLP, partnership, lessee and professional-management-company eligibility as the tourism registration holder is Not stated in the material reviewed. The subsidy-side Community Tourism Organisation may be a registered society, cooperative, community-based organisation or another appropriate legal structure, but that does not establish that a company or LLP may replace the individual house proprietor as homestay registration holder. [S1, pp. 1, 7]
• Foreign-guest compliance has materially changed at central level. The current Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 expressly include a “home stay” within accommodation and require the keeper to maintain foreigner/OCI records electronically for at least one year and transmit Form III — “Earlier Form C” — electronically within 24 hours of arrival and departure. Assam's 2022 PDF still tells owners to submit Form C to the nearest police station, so the old national-form mechanics in that scheme should not be reproduced without qualification. [S8, Rule 17, p. 28; Form III, p. 33; S1, p. 9]
• There is not enough primary evidence to publish a definitive 2026 Assam registration guide. The missing notified 2026 Rules, missing current online registration portal/process, unresolved annual-versus-three-year renewal position, conflicting subsidy percentages, rural/urban inconsistency, missing notified-tourism-area list and defective room-size provisions are material, not cosmetic gaps. [S1–S4, S7, S17]

02 / Document chronology

Use the current rules and implementation

Tourism Policy of Assam, 2017

The later Assam Tourism Policy 2022 expressly states that it replaces the five-year Tourism Policy of Assam, 2017. The 2017 policy must therefore not be presented as the current umbrella tourism policy. [S5, p. 17]

Legacy Aamaar Aalohi implementation material

ATDC's still-live How-to page contains an older scheme structure: it uses an eligibility date of 01 January 2017, an age range beginning at 26, an 80% construction subsidy and construction-type amounts around ₹6 lakh/₹8 lakh. The page remains publicly accessible but is inconsistent with the subsequently published 2022-23 scheme. [S4] Status: legacy/inconsistent implementation material; do not use alone as current authority.

Assam Tourism Policy, 2022

This became Assam's umbrella tourism policy and expressly replaced the 2017 policy. It supports community homestays under Amar/Aamaar Aalohi, training, standards and eventual single-window clearance reform. [S5, pp. 17, 24, 30, 50]

AAMAAR AALOHI Homestay Scheme 2022-23

The 17-page scheme establishes the most complete official homestay requirements currently located. It contains a definition, registration standards, application material, fees, inspection, operating obligations and a community-based subsidy framework. [S1] No express statement was located saying that this document rescinds every earlier Aamaar Aalohi scheme/version.

2023 ATDC application cycle

ATDC's current webpage lists:

• press notice ATDC.3361/2021/Pt-I/1188-94 dated 07 July 2023;
• first extension ATDC.3544/2023/1784-90 dated 31 July 2023;
• second extension ATDC.3544/2023/2151-07 dated 17 August 2023. [S3] These establish a 2023 application round, not that applications are currently open in September 2026.

23 June 2026 — reported Cabinet approval

PTI reports that Cabinet approved the *Assam Tourism Accommodation (Development and Registration) Rules, 2026*, with single-window registration and automatic three-year renewal. [S17] Primary instrument status: Not stated in the current official material reviewed. The official Gazette is published by the Directorate of Printing & Stationery; the public 2026 index/search material reviewed did not expose the tourism Rules. [S7] Practical conclusion: it cannot presently be determined from located primary sources whether the 2026 Rules have been notified/commenced, whether they supersede all or part of Aamaar Aalohi, or whether Aamaar Aalohi survives as a separate incentive/classification scheme.

03 / Category definitions

Choose the right accommodation category

Practical rule: none of these adjacent categories should be described using definitions borrowed from Ministry of Tourism classifications or another state unless Assam's post-2026 primary instrument expressly adopts them.

04 / Eligibility decision tree

Check whether the applicant and property qualify

Start with the exact property address and local-body category. A. Is the address within a Tourism Department-notified tourism area or within the published 30-km radius?

• Yes, documented through an official notification/map → continue.
• No → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition under S1's location requirement.
• Official notification/list cannot be identified → Confirm this in writing with the authority. [S1, p. 5] B. Is the property rural, semi-urban or urban?
• Rural/semi-urban → aligns with S2's current webpage description; continue.
• Urban → S1 expressly refers to “Rural & Urban Homestays”, while S2 calls the scheme rural/semi-urban → Confirm this in writing with the authority. [S1, p. 4; S2] C. What is the property interest?
• Individual proprietor owns the residential house → continue.
• Joint/inherited title → consent/document rule Not stated in the material reviewed → Not established in the published material.
• Long-term lease only → applicant route Not stated in the material reviewed → Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• Company/LLP owns or leases it → registration-holder eligibility Not stated in the material reviewed → Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• No property selected yet → property cannot be screened → Not established in the published material until a site is identified. D. Who will live at the property?
• Owner/family resides there and hosts guests → most closely follows the “private residential house” and “local families” concept → continue.
• Owner lives elsewhere but caretaker stays → caretaker substitution is not expressly recognised → Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• Entire house is commercially operated without resident host → Consider another accommodation category. E. Who will operate it?
• House proprietor/host → most clearly contemplated by S1.
• Management company acting only as service provider while eligible proprietor remains registration holder → legal acceptability/extent of delegation Not stated in the material reviewed → Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• Management company/LLP seeks to become the registered homestay instead of the proprietor → Not established in the published material. F. How many rooms are proposed?
• At least two guest rooms with attached toilets/bathrooms → continue.
• Fewer than two → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition/STANDARD under S1.
• Large room inventory → no maximum located; classification as homestay versus hotel/guest house cannot be assumed → Confirm this in writing with the authority. [S1, pp. 3–4] G. Existing, proposed, under construction or running?
• Existing/running residential property meeting standards → This appears to fit the published route, subject to the remaining checks, subject to address and applicant structure.
• Existing house seeking Aamaar Aalohi capital assistance for additional units → must satisfy the CTO/group, land, subsidy-selection and construction conditions → This appears to fit the published route, subject to the remaining checks if all are met.
• Bare land only/new stand-alone commercial development with no existing residential-house context → Aamaar Aalohi subsidy text contemplates identification of existing houses/premises with scope for additional construction; independent greenfield homestay route is Not stated in the material reviewed → Consider another accommodation category or Confirm this in writing with the authority. [S1, p. 3] Use these branches as a starting test and confirm the result for the exact property.

05 / Applicant and operating structures

Set the ownership and operating structure

A management agreement, lease, LLP or shareholding arrangement cannot by itself manufacture applicant eligibility that the tourism rules do not grant.

06 / Property and classification standards

Prepare the property for inspection

07 / Documents and declarations

Assemble the application file

A critical distinction is required: the detailed form attached to S1 is titled for new community-based homestays seeking capital/operational/promotional subsidy and existing homestays seeking operational/promotional subsidy. It must not automatically be described as the complete document list for every standalone unsubsidised registration. [S1, p.10]

Applicant declarations

The subsidy application requires declarations that information is correct; the applicant/family has not obtained financial loan/assistance under a government-sponsored Tourism Department self-employment scheme; no criminal case is pending; incorrect information may cause cancellation; and scheme rules/terms will be followed if selected. [S1, p.16] No universal post-June-2026 online declaration set was located.

Download the Assam property and application checklist ↓

08 / Application and inspection process

Follow the application and inspection process

Process supported by the 2022-23 source set

Sources: [S1, pp.4, 7–9]

Existing-homestay process conflict

S4's still-live ATDC page describes a four-stage existing-homestay process: application, Standard and Quality Assurance Committee inspection, Selection Committee shortlisting for training, and final registration based partly on training performance. S1 does not present the same sequence for every existing-unit registration. [S4] Status: The official sources are not aligned.

Live 2026 process

A public Assam online single-window registration portal corresponding to the reported 2026 Rules was Not stated in the current official material reviewed. Therefore the following cannot currently be verified:

• account-creation eligibility;
• OTP/Aadhaar/PAN requirements;
• entity-type dropdowns;
• digital file formats/sizes;
• portal declarations;
• current fee/payment gateway;
• online inspection scheduling;
• query-response workflow;
• certificate download;
• auto-renewal mechanics.

09 / Fees, timelines, validity and renewal

Confirm fees, timing and certificate validity

No guaranteed end-to-end registration processing time was located. No rule was located stating that payment, lapse of the inspection target or portal submission results in deemed homestay approval.

10 / Operating duties after registration

Run the registered homestay correctly

Rates, billing and display

S1 requires a bill book/homestay pad for tourist bills and requires the registration certificate and rate list issued by the Corporation to be displayed in the premises. It separately recommends advance display/specification of meal types and charges. [S1, pp.8–9]

Guest register

The homestay should maintain a guest register containing name, address, contact details, passport or national identity number, arrival/departure particulars and guest signature. Transactions should receive valid receipts and records should be maintained. [S1, p.7] S1 further says the letting register should use the same format as hotels/guest houses/tourist lodges and be available for government/ATDC inspection. [S1, p.9] Assam-specific retention period: Not stated in the material reviewed.

Domestic guest reporting

S1 says homestay holders shall submit details of tourists/guests to the nearest police station on a day-to-day basis for both domestic and foreign tourists. [S1, p.9] A newer state police/tourism circular modifying that obligation was Not stated in the material reviewed. Current local implementation should be confirmed before publication.

Foreign guests

Current central law is clearer and newer. Rule 17 of the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025:

• expressly includes “home stay” within “accommodation”;
• requires every foreigner including OCI cardholder to provide and sign specified particulars;
• requires the keeper to maintain those particulars electronically for at least one year;
• requires electronic transmission of Form III within 24 hours after arrival;
• requires electronic departure information within 24 hours after departure. [S8, Rule 17, p.28] Form III is expressly labelled “Earlier FORM ‘C’”. [S8, Form III, p.33] The Bureau of Immigration portal now identifies itself as “Online Form III” and states the obligation applies to foreigners including OCI cardholders. [S9]

Tourism statistics

S1 requires a monthly report regarding guest data to ATDC Ltd. [S1, p.9] Current file format, portal and reporting deadline within each month: Not stated in the material reviewed.

Staff, caretaker and police checks

An applicant Police Verification Report appears in the subsidy application package. [S1, pp.14–15] A general requirement for police verification of:

• every employee;
• caretaker;
• manager;
• outsourced housekeeping staff; or
• management-company personnel was Not stated in the material reviewed IN S1.

Training

Shortlisted subsidy candidates and their spouse require ATDC homestay training before becoming eligible for assistance. Registered homestay owners are also required by S1 to attend ATDC periodic training, with cancellation stated as a consequence of failure. [S1, pp.7–8] No staff-localisation quota was located.

Food and sanitation

The proprietor must maintain cleanliness, sanitation and food quality. If meals are supplied, a list of food/meals and charges is contemplated; otherwise S1 calls for a self-cooking facility. [S1, pp.7,9] This does not substitute for FSSAI compliance.

Safety and maintenance

Published standards include first aid, illuminated access/stair areas, covered garbage bins, uninterrupted hygienic water and solar-charging power backup. Changes in facilities, refurbishment, upgrading or extensions are to be notified in writing to ATDC within 30 days. [S1, pp.7–8]

Inspection, complaints and cancellation

Surprise inspection is contemplated. Failure to maintain standards, hygiene, appropriate conduct or absence of malpractice may lead to cancellation after a reasonable rectification opportunity. Guest complaints are to be investigated and may result in cancellation if established. [S1, p.8] No detailed published complaint-hearing procedure or monetary penalty schedule was located.

Insurance

Mandatory homestay insurance: Not stated in the current official material reviewed. Business recommendation, not regulation: property, public-liability, employee, business-interruption and relevant guest-risk cover should be evaluated with an insurer after the final operating structure is known.

11 / Adjacent approvals and dependencies

Close the approvals outside Tourism

Food-business dependency

FSSAI's current official page states that every Food Business Operator must be licensed or registered under section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, with registration intended for petty/cottage food businesses within the prescribed small-business threshold and licensing required beyond it. [S10] A homestay that prepares/sells meals must therefore determine its correct FoSCoS Kind of Business and licence/registration category. Tourism approval is not an FSSAI licence.

GST

Official CBIC guidance after the 2019 threshold changes identifies ₹20 lakh as the general service-supplier registration threshold and ₹10 lakh only for Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura; therefore Assam is not in that reduced service-threshold group. This remains subject to CGST Act exceptions, aggregate-turnover rules, later notifications and the actual supplier structure. [S16] This guide does not publish a definitive September-2026 accommodation GST rate. Rate treatment and ITC have undergone subsequent hospitality changes and should be verified notification-by-notification at contracting stage.

Udyam

Udyam registration is free, paperless and based on self-declaration; the current official portal also states that no renewal is required. [S12, portal “Must Know”] Udyam registration does not prove that an entity is an eligible Assam homestay proprietor.

12 / Incentives, subsidy and funding

Evaluate incentives without assuming sanction

A. Aamaar Aalohi capital subsidy — 2022-23 scheme text

Official scheme name: AAMAAR AALOHI Homestay Scheme 2022-23. Published eligible structure: new homestays forming part of Community Based Organisations/Community Tourism Organisations. Capital-subsidy beneficiaries are a group/cluster of at least 10 homestay units near a tourist place. [S1, pp.1,3,5] Property conditions: existing houses/premises with scope for construction; at least one Katha land on the same premises; minimum two bedrooms with attached bathroom and furnished accommodation. [S1, p.3] Amount in S1: 90% of total project cost, with the shortlisted CBO receiving up to ₹1 crore or 90% of project cost, whichever is lower. [S1, p.5] Release in S1: 50% of subsidy after completion of 60% of work and the remaining 50% on completion of 100% of work. [S1, p.5] Bank/loan position: Government of Assam/ATDC expressly disclaims any guarantee for loan components or beneficiaries' financial liabilities. [S1, p.5] Selection: open advertisement → application/DPR → inspection → Selection Committee decision. It is therefore selective, not automatic. [S1, p.4] Current application window: NOT CONFIRMED OPEN. S3 lists the latest located application notices from 2023.

Critical subsidy conflict

The still-live ATDC How-to page instead states:

• 80% project assistance;
• 20% beneficiary/bank contribution;
• a 20% / 50% / 30% assistance-release sequence;
• approximate assistance amounts of ₹6 lakh for Assam-type and ₹8 lakh for stilted Assam-type cottages. [S4] This contradicts S1's later 90%/₹1-crore-CTO/50-50 framework. Status: The official sources are not aligned. Publication consequence: no subsidy percentage, construction amount or drawdown schedule should be marketed as current until ATDC supplies a written confirmation of the operative scheme.

B. Operational subsidy — S1

Registered Community Based Tourism Organisations may apply for up to ₹2.5 lakh in a year, subject in S1 to hosting at least 250 room nights for each group. [S1, p.5] Existing homestays may form a CTO with at least 10 members and apply, subject to selection, periodic review and verification. [S1, p.5] Current application window: NOT CONFIRMED OPEN.

C. Marketing support — S1

Registered Community Based Tourism Organisations may apply for marketing support; shortlisted applicants are described as eligible for a maximum ₹2.5 lakh, subject to 50% of total promotional cost in a calendar year. [S1, p.5] This is application/selection-based assistance, not an entitlement.

D. Seven-year subsidy restrictions

A selected beneficiary must execute an agreement with ATDC valid for seven years. During that stipulated period the subsidised unit is not to be sold, leased or transferred to another party; use other than homestay may trigger recovery of the subsidy as arrears of land revenue. [S1, p.7] For project planning, this is particularly important where a future deal contemplates:

• a property lease;
• sale during the investment period;
• transfer to an SPV;
• management rights coupled to possession; or
• change in ownership.

Broader policy incentives

Assam Tourism Policy 2022 says that tourism incentives historically included accommodation and homestays and contemplated review/replacement of incentive structures. That policy statement is not an operative subsidy schedule and should not be converted into a claim of current financial entitlement. [S5, p.50, §7.8]

13 / Business implications

Translate the rules into a workable project

Before selecting or acquiring a property

the project team should establish, in writing where necessary:

1. exact latitude/address, village/town, police station, district and local-body jurisdiction;
2. whether ATDC accepts the address under the 30-km/notified-tourism-area condition;
3. whether the property is rural, semi-urban or urban and whether the current post-2026 regime accepts that category;
4. legal title, Patta/Namjari status, co-ownership and encumbrances;
5. whether any lease or proposed property-holding SPV is compatible with homestay applicant rules;
6. who will physically reside and host;
7. who is intended to be registration holder;
8. number of guest rooms/beds and whether the scale risks classification as another accommodation type;
9. protected-area/ESZ/environmental status;
10. existing building sanction/use and ability to renovate legally. A property should not be acquired on the assumption that “homestays are permitted throughout Assam” without resolving S1's 30-km tourism-area language.

Before construction or renovation

The project team must separate:

• ATDC homestay standards;
• Aamaar Aalohi subsidy-specific design approval;
• land-use/planning approval;
• building permission;
• structural safety;
• fire compliance;
• sanitation/septic/sewerage;
• environmental restrictions;
• electrical/water permissions. For subsidised new units, S1 additionally requires ATDC approval of design/estimates and ties design to the local hill/plain/riverine, heritage, ethnic and cultural context. [S1, p.7] Assam's building regime itself has been amended after the 2022 Unified Byelaws, including a 2026 amendment, so a design team must use the version applicable to the precise jurisdiction rather than an old standalone PDF. [S13]

Registration holder versus operating entity

The located source does not establish that the tourism registration holder and a professional operating entity may freely be different persons. S1 permits/mentions marketing or service-provider tie-ups, but that is not equivalent to authorising an LLP or management company to assume the statutory role of proprietor. [S1, p.8] Accordingly, commercial documentation should not be finalised around a separation of owner/registration holder/operator until ATDC confirms the structure.

What an LLP or management agreement cannot solve

An LLP agreement, lease or hotel-management-style contract cannot cure:

• an ineligible property location;
• an applicant-residence requirement if one exists in the 2026 Rules;
• lack of legal title/authorised possession;
• building-use illegality;
• protected-area restriction;
• room/capacity misclassification;
• Aamaar Aalohi seven-year no-transfer/no-lease conditions;
• FSSAI/GST/foreign-guest duties allocated by law to a particular person.

Property assessment and commercial planning

A project acquisition/onboarding memorandum should record at least:

• title and possession model;
• host identity;
• proposed registration holder;
• management entity;
• local authority;
• tourism-area eligibility evidence;
• existing certificate and expiry;
• room inventory;
• approved plan versus actual building;
• fire status;
• FSSAI status;
• Form III/foreign-guest readiness;
• protected-area status;
• subsidy history and seven-year MOU restrictions;
• outstanding ATDC inspection deficiencies;
• guest/reporting records;
• pending police/local-body issues;
• renewal date;
• any proposed renovation requiring ATDC notification or building approval.

Questions to answer before proposing business terms

No ownership percentage, capital contribution, revenue share, guaranteed income, guaranteed approval or subsidy assumption should be quoted until the following are settled:

• Who legally owns the property?
• Who is allowed to hold Assam homestay registration?
• Must that person/family reside on site?
• Can the project team operate under a management agreement?
• Is the proposed site inside an eligible tourism area?
• Is the property within the homestay room/capacity category?
• Are the post-June-2026 Rules operative?
• Does the property carry an Aamaar Aalohi subsidy/MOU transfer restriction?
• Which entity will contract with guests and OTAs?
• Which entity is FSSAI/GST/employer/foreign-guest-reporting responsible?

14 / Official-source conflicts

Resolve conflicting official instructions

Conflict 1 — capital subsidy

Source A: S1, AAMAAR AALOHI Homestay Scheme 2022-23, p.5. Proposition: new qualifying CBO homestays receive 90% of project cost, subject to maximum ₹1 crore or 90% of project cost, whichever is lower; release 50% after 60% work and 50% after full completion. Source B: S4, ATDC's current How-to webpage. Proposition: new units receive 80% assistance, beneficiary arranges 20%, and assistance is released 20%/50%/30%; approximate ₹6 lakh/₹8 lakh construction support is quoted. Date/hierarchy assessment: S1 is expressly titled 2022-23 and is the guidebook now linked by the current ATDC programme page. S4 contains explicit 2017 eligibility references and appears legacy, but remains on an official current website. Status: The official sources are not aligned. Affected: all applicants relying on capital assistance. Authority for written answer: Managing Director, ATDC and Department of Tourism.

Conflict 2 — rural versus urban scope

Source A: S2 current Tourism Department scheme page. Proposition: “Rural Homestay Scheme”, rural and semi-urban focus. Source B: S1 pp.4 and 7. Proposition: existing houses “will be classified as Rural & Urban Homestays”; scheme operative in entire Assam. Hierarchy: neither located source expressly explains the discrepancy. Status: The official sources are not aligned. Affected: urban municipal properties, particularly Guwahati and other towns. Authority: ATDC/Department of Tourism.

Conflict 3 — room dimensions inside S1 itself

Source A/B: S1 p.6 Requirement 8(c). The text states:

• single bedroom not less than 100 sq ft, but gives parenthetical “109.30 Sq mtr”;
• double bedroom “should be less than 120 sq.ft. (11.15 Sq mtr)” in a paragraph expressed as minimum standards. No corrigendum was located. Status: OFFICIAL TEXT INTERNALLY DEFECTIVE. Affected: every proposed room design. Authority: ATDC standard/classification authority.

Conflict 4 — age criterion inside S1/application material

S1 p.4 and p.13 state an applicant age of 18–40, with relaxation up to 45 for specified categories. [S1, pp.4,13] The same application at p.10 says: > Age as on 01/01/2017 — Eligible for 26 to 40 years. [S1, p.10] Status: OFFICIAL TEXT INTERNALLY NOT ALIGNED. This is relevant to subsidy applicants, not necessarily ordinary unsubsidised existing-homestay registration.

Conflict 5 — foreign guest Form C mechanics

Source A: S1 p.9 instructs submission of Form C/passport details to nearest police station. Source B: current G.S.R. 596(E), Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025, Rule 17 requires electronic Form III [Earlier Form C] to the Registration Officer through the designated portal/mobile application within 24 hours. Hierarchy: current central statutory rules control the current central foreigner-reporting form/mechanics. Assam may nevertheless impose a separate tourism/police reporting condition; the current status of its daily police submission should be confirmed rather than assumed repealed. Status: central foreign-reporting conflict is resolved in favour of current Rule 17; the separate Assam daily-police-report requirement remains UNRESOLVED.

Conflict 6 — one-year versus reported three-year renewal

Source A: S1 p.8 — one calendar year, renewal application three months prior. Source B: S17 PTI report — Cabinet-approved 2026 Rules reportedly provide automatic renewal every three years. S17 is not a primary official source. The reported rule cannot therefore be treated as operative. Status: PRIMARY CURRENT SOURCE Not stated in the material reviewed, rather than a resolved legal conflict.

Conflict 7 — Fire & Emergency Services fee/current-law material

The current Fire Safety NOC service page says the service is free of cost and still describes the NOC using the Assam Fire Service Rules 1989 framework, while another current official page states that a fee has been introduced for NOC/renewal through the EODB payment gateway. [S14] Status: OFFICIAL IMPLEMENTATION SOURCES NOT ALIGNED. This becomes relevant only after establishing that the particular homestay requires a Fire NOC.

15 / Unresolved questions for the authority

Take the remaining questions to the authority

These questions should be sent to ATDC/Department of Tourism with the address and property facts attached.

1. Please provide the Gazette notification, Government notification/order number, effective date and complete text of the Assam Tourism Accommodation (Development & Registration) Rules, 2026 approved by Cabinet in June 2026, and confirm whether those Rules have commenced.
2. Do the 2026 Rules supersede, partially supersede or operate alongside the AAMAAR AALOHI Homestay Scheme 2022-23? If alongside it, which provisions remain applicable to ordinary registration and which apply only to incentives?
3. What is the current validity/renewal period for a homestay registered after the 2026 Rules: one calendar year under S1 p.8, or three-year automatic renewal as publicly reported?
4. What is the current homestay registration/application fee, renewal fee, inspection/classification fee and payment route? Is the ₹1,000/₹500 structure in S1 still operative?
5. Please provide the current official list/map/notification of “tourism areas” for purposes of S1 p.5's 30-km eligibility radius. How is the distance measured?
6. Are homestays currently permitted in urban municipal areas? S2 describes Aamaar Aalohi as rural/semi-urban while S1 p.4 expressly refers to Rural & Urban Homestays.
7. Must the registered proprietor or a member of the proprietor's family permanently reside in the property? If yes, what minimum residence and documentary proof are required?
8. Can a company, LLP or partnership firm own and/or hold the homestay registration? If so, what resident-host requirement applies?
9. Can a long-term lessee apply for an unsubsidised homestay registration where the owner consents? What lease period/documentation is required?
10. Can an eligible owner appoint a professional management company to operate the property while the owner remains registration holder? Which duties may be delegated and which must remain with the proprietor?
11. What is the current maximum number of guest rooms, beds and guests permitted in a homestay, and at what point must the property register as a guest house/hotel/other accommodation category?
12. Please issue or identify a corrigendum for S1 p.6 regarding the single- and double-bedroom dimensions, particularly “100 sq.ft. (109.30 Sq mtr)” and “double bedroom … should be less than 120 sq.ft.”
13. For current ordinary registration, which documents are mandatory? Is the pp.10–16 community-based subsidy form also the general registration form for an unsubsidised existing homestay?
14. Is a Circle Officer NOC mandatory for every homestay or only applicants under the Aamaar Aalohi subsidy form?
15. Is applicant police verification mandatory for every registration? Are staff/caretaker police verifications separately required?
16. Does the state still require day-to-day police-station reporting for domestic and foreign guests under S1 p.9 after the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 introduced electronic Form III?
17. What is the current monthly ATDC guest-statistics format, submission portal/email and deadline?
18. Is the S1 obligation to inform ATDC within 30 days of refurbishment/upgrading/extensions retained under the 2026 regime, and is prior approval required for increasing guest rooms?
19. What is the current Aamaar Aalohi capital-subsidy rate: S1's 90%/₹1-crore CTO framework or the 80% scheme displayed on ATDC's How-to page? Please identify the superseding order.
20. Are capital, operational or marketing subsidy applications currently open? If yes, please provide the live notification, budget year, application deadline and sanction authority.
21. What is the process where a registered owner dies, sells the property, transfers it to family, incorporates an SPV or changes controlling interest?
22. Please provide the current classification mark sheet/inspection checklist and the names/criteria of any grades presently used.