The short answer
Start with the applicant, property and operating model.
Rajasthan’s Homestay (Paying Guest House) Scheme, 2026 applies statewide and allows a residential establishment to be registered by its owner or by a qualifying registered lessee.
Unlike several resident-host schemes, Rajasthan does not require the owner or family to live at the premises. The establishment may be managed by a disclosed caretaker, but the property and operating arrangement must satisfy the Scheme.
Scope: Source-checked public guidance, not legal, tax, architectural or property approval. It does not determine eligibility for an address or submit an application.
01 / Current rules
Use the 2026 Scheme and its implementation circular.
The 2026 Scheme replaces older assumptions about five-room limits and mandatory owner residence. It permits up to eight guest rooms and twenty-four beds.
The Department’s circular adds current implementation detail, including monthly statistics and the renewal window. Older Guest House and Homestay schemes should not be mixed into this route.
Rajasthan Tourism · Homestay (Paying Guest House) Scheme, 2026 Rajasthan Tourism · 2026 Homestay implementation circular Rajasthan Tourism · Policies, schemes and guidelines
| Applicant | Owner or registered lessee; qualifying lease period must exceed or meet the Scheme’s three-year test |
|---|---|
| Residence | Owner or family residence is not mandatory |
| Capacity | 1–8 lettable rooms and no more than 24 beds |
| Categories | Silver and Gold |
| Validity | Two years from registration |
02 / Eligibility
Test the actual arrangement before spending.
- Confirm residential premises. The establishment must remain a residential premises and comply with applicable safety, hygiene, fire and infrastructure requirements.
- Document the owner or lease. A lessee needs a registered lease that authorises operation under the 2026 Scheme and satisfies the minimum remaining lease period.
- Disclose the caretaker. Where a caretaker manages the unit, provide the prescribed details and report a change within the Scheme’s stated period.
- Keep within the cap. The registered tourist accommodation must remain between one and eight rooms and at or below twenty-four beds.
03 / Category
Use the category that matches the facts.
Rajasthan combines the homestay and paying-guest-house terminology in one 2026 Scheme, with Silver and Gold classifications.
| Category | Starting position |
|---|---|
| Silver | The base classification, with mandatory standards and a ₹1,000 registration or renewal fee. |
| Gold | Higher facility requirements, including several features that are only desirable for Silver; ₹2,000 registration or renewal fee. |
| Larger guest house or hotel | Use a separate category where the room, bed, property or service model falls outside the eight-room residential scheme. |
04 / Property standards
Design for the rule and the inspection.
- All guest rooms must be clean, airy, pest-free, without dampness and have an external window or ventilation.
- The checklist gives minimum room areas of 60 sq ft for Silver and 120 sq ft for Gold; verify how the inspecting authority applies these figures to the proposed room layout.
- The checklist gives bathroom minimums of 30 sq ft for Silver and 60 sq ft for Gold; attached private bathrooms are mandatory for Gold and listed differently for Silver.
- Gold carries stronger requirements for parking and road width, hot and cold water, kitchen quality, internet, heating or cooling, smoke detection and security features.
- Tourism registration does not cure building-use, local-body, fire, title, lease or other property-law defects.
05 / Documents
Prepare one consistent property file.
- The prescribed registration or renewal form for the correct category.
- Ownership evidence or the registered lease deed expressly authorising the homestay use.
- Identity, address, property and caretaker information required by the current form.
- Property and facility material needed to assess the Silver or Gold checklist.
- Fee payment through the current official route; retain the e-challan or portal record.
- Confirm the final online upload list when the portal route is available rather than relying on an older checklist.
06 / Application
Keep the submission and inspection trail.
- 01. Choose the applicant route: owner or qualifying registered lessee.
- 02. Confirm residential use, room and bed count, caretaker and requested category.
- 03. File through the official route; the Scheme allows offline receipt until the online portal is developed.
- 04. Pay the non-refundable Silver or Gold fee and retain the complete application record.
- 05. Prepare for physical verification against the Scheme and classification schedule.
- 06. Track provisional or final status and check the certificate’s applicant, property, category and expiry details.
A Rudraleela enquiry starts a property or business conversation. It does not create a government account, make a statutory declaration or pay a registration fee.
07 / Fees and validity
Use the current official amount and printed dates.
| Item | Current position |
|---|---|
| Silver registration or renewal | ₹1,000 |
| Gold registration or renewal | ₹2,000 |
| Certificate period | Two years from issue |
| Renewal window | From three months to one month before expiry |
| Renewal issue period | The current circular describes seven-working-day auto renewal |
The Scheme and implementation material contain time-bound and provisional-registration mechanisms, but an accepted filing is not permission to ignore deficiencies or other applicable laws. Preserve the submission record and rely on the official certificate or written status actually issued.
08 / After registration
The certificate begins the operating work.
- Display the registration certificate and the charges collected from tourists at the premises.
- Maintain the guest register for the period required by the Scheme and submit previous-month tourist statistics by the fifth of each month.
- Report changes in caretaker details within the stated period and keep the registration facts current.
- Maintain the approved Silver or Gold facilities, safety, fire, hygiene and waste arrangements.
- Report foreign guests through the current Central Form III process and maintain the required electronic record.
- Check the correct FSSAI registration or licence where food service constitutes a food business.
For central compliance, start with the official FSSAI information and Bureau of Immigration accommodation-reporting portal.
09 / Business planning
Make the commercial structure fit the registration.
Rajasthan’s registered-lessee and caretaker provisions create more operating flexibility than owner-resident schemes, but every agreement must match the facts disclosed to Tourism.
Record separately who owns the property, holds the lease, holds registration, employs the caretaker and staff, contracts with guests, receives booking revenue and operates food service.
Do not add Tourism Policy or Tourism Unit Policy incentives to a small homestay budget until the specific unit definition, applicant, expenditure and sanction route have been checked independently.
10 / Common questions
Before you proceed.
Can a leased house qualify?
Yes, if the applicant holds a qualifying registered lease and the deed clearly permits operation under the 2026 Scheme.
Must the owner live there?
No. The 2026 Scheme permits operation without mandatory owner or family residence and recognises a disclosed caretaker.
How many rooms are allowed?
At least one and no more than eight lettable rooms, with no more than twenty-four beds.
Is every accepted application automatically compliant?
No. Registration status does not replace title, lease, building, fire, food, foreigner-reporting or local requirements.
11 / Sources and review
Use the official document behind the answer.
Checked . The 19-page 2026 Scheme, official policy index and April 2026 implementation circular were compared. Broader Rajasthan Tourism Policy incentives were not treated as automatic homestay entitlements.
- Rajasthan Tourism · Homestay (Paying Guest House) Scheme, 2026
Current statewide Scheme covering owner and lessee applications, caretakers, capacity, classification, fees, validity and operating conditions.
- Rajasthan Tourism · 2026 Homestay implementation circular
Current implementation points including display, monthly statistics, renewal timing and seven-working-day auto-renewal language.
- Rajasthan Tourism · Policies, schemes and guidelines
Official index linking the 2026 Scheme and its SOP material.
- Ministry of Home Affairs · Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025
Rule 17 governs electronic accommodation records and arrival and departure reporting for foreign guests, including at homestays.
- FSSAI · Revised turnover-threshold order, 13 March 2026
Current national turnover thresholds from 1 April 2026. The correct registration or licence still depends on the food activity and applicable Kind of Business criteria.
Corrections and updates
Send a correction with the relevant official source. Browse all states and Union territories for other published guides.