Starting a Homestay in West Bengal

01 / Executive finding

The practical starting point

• The operative document presently surfaced by both the West Bengal Tourism Department and the State's Silpasathi document repository is the West Bengal Homestay Tourism Policy, 2022, Notification No. 1968-TM/1T-31/2022 dated 08 September 2022. It applies from the notification date to the whole of West Bengal. A West Bengal Homestay Policy 2026 (Draft) is now advertised by the Department, but no final 2026 replacement notification was located; the draft must not be treated as law. [S1, p.1, cls.1–2; S5; S7]
• A West Bengal homestay under the 2022 policy is a place in which the owner or the owner's family member physically resides in the same establishment and lets at least one and at most six rooms, with a maximum of 12 beds, with toilet facilities exclusively for tourists. The residence condition is fundamental to the category. [S1, p.2, cl.4]
• The policy does not state a West Bengal domicile, permanent-resident certificate or minimum-duration local-residency requirement. Physical residence in the establishment is required; domicile is a different concept. The term “family member” is not defined in the located policy. [S1, p.2, cl.4; Annexure C, p.12]
• The applicant route is strongly ownership-based: the “owner/promoter” of a functioning or proposed homestay is required also to be owner of the homestay, and the application requires proof of ownership. A lessee-only, company-only, LLP-only, caretaker-only or professional-operator registration route is Not stated in the current official material reviewed. [S1, p.2, cl.4; pp.8–9, Annexure A]
• The notified policy applies across West Bengal and contains no operative rural-only restriction. The preamble describes homestays as “preferably” rural, but that wording is not the operative definition. Municipal and Kolkata properties therefore are not excluded on the face of the 2022 policy, although local building/use rules remain property-specific. [S1, pp.1–2, cls.1.1, 2 and 4]
• Current registration fees are ₹1,000 for Gold and ₹500 for Silver. Gold requires at least 75 points and Silver 50–74 points; below 50 is stated to be not qualified. A separate inspection fee is Not stated in the material reviewed. [S1, p.3, cl.5.1; pp.10–11, Annexure B]
• Registration is issued for three years. The policy states that a certificate “shall be issued within 60 days” from receipt by the District Magistrate, but approval remains conditional on a complete application, inspection recommendation and police clearance. It is therefore a policy-stated processing period, not a guaranteed approval or deemed approval. [S1, pp.3–4, cls.5.1–5.3]
• The ordinary registering route is through the District Magistrate's office. The DM constitutes an inspection committee involving district/local-body and tourism representatives. Kolkata Municipal Corporation jurisdiction has a specially constituted inspection committee involving the Tourism Directorate and KMC. [S1, p.3, cl.5.1]
• The Department's current homestay page expressly says that the online application procedure is temporarily unavailable and directs citizens to use the downloadable manual application. The current practical route is therefore manual submission; the “TPMS” link is marked office use only. [S2, portal notice; S3]
• An important operating limitation is that a registered homestay is required not to use the unit for another commercial purpose other than tourism activities. Mixed retail, office or unrelated commercial use in the same registered unit should therefore be screened before relying on homestay treatment. [S1, p.4, cl.7.1]
• The 2022 policy states a ₹1 lakh homestay financial assistance mechanism, payable in two ₹50,000 instalments against specified improvements and expenditure documentation. Current separate application availability and budget/sanction status were Not stated in the current official material reviewed, so it must not be represented as an automatic entitlement. [S1, pp.5–6, cl.9.1]
• Material official-source issues remain: the 2022 policy says a single bedroom may be 100 sq ft, while its “mandatory” Annexure C says a bedroom must be 120 sq ft; Annexure B states a maximum of 12 points for guest rooms although its visible sub-scores total 15; the 2019 instrument made several facilities “preferable” while the 2022 checklist labels them mandatory; and the 2022 incentive provision still refers to the already-superseded West Bengal Incentive Scheme 2015. [S1, pp.2, 6, 10–12; S4; S17]
• There is sufficient primary material to build a current-law public guide, but the guide must preserve the above conflicts, state that the online portal is presently unavailable, and carry a prominent 2026 draft-policy change alert. It should not describe the current framework as stable beyond the research date. [S2; S7]

02 / Document chronology

Use the current rules and implementation

1. 2017 — Original policy. Notification No. 883-TW/5T-58/2017 dated 29 May 2017 introduced the West Bengal Homestay Tourism Policy 2017. The current Silpasathi repository continues to index it as a historical homestay instrument. Full original text was not successfully re-opened during this research; claims about its contents are therefore not independently reconstructed beyond later official amendments. [S5]
2. 26 December 2019 — Revision. Notification No. 2465-TW/TM-12/25/2019 and departmental communication No. 2468-TM-12/25/2019 revised the 2017 framework. Among other changes, the residence formulation became owner or family member, applicant-supplied police clearance was removed, District Magistrates obtained a larger registration role, fees became ₹1,000 Gold/₹500 Silver and registration validity was reduced to three years. The revised process also called for a trade licence, while several physical facilities were described as preferable rather than mandatory. [S4]
3. 2021 — West Bengal Incentive Scheme 2021. Notification No. 314-TM-12/21/2020 dated 19 February 2021 created a broader tourism-unit incentive scheme, expressly superseding WBIS 2015, effective 22 February 2021 through 31 December 2025. [S17]
4. 17 August 2022 — Homestay fee-account notice. Notice No. 1751-TM-14011(11)/43/2022 opened a receipt head for homestay registration fees. [S6]
5. 08 September 2022 — Current homestay policy. Notification No. 1968-TM/1T-31/2022, later published in the Kolkata Gazette Extraordinary on 13 September 2022, established a self-contained West Bengal Homestay Tourism Policy, 2022, applicable throughout West Bengal from its notification date. [S1]
6. 28 September 2022 — Paryatan Sahayata Prakalpa non-extension. The Tourism Department's notice index records No.2160-TM-14011(11)/89/2020 as a notification regarding non-extension of that scheme. It should not be marketed as a current homestay finance route. [S6]
7. 29 September 2022 — Policy circulation. Notice No. 2170(17)-TM-15013(99)/85/2019 circulated the 2022 homestay policy. [S6]
8. 10 November 2023 — Tourism industry status. Notice No. 2384-TM/12/31/2022 granted industry status to certain tourism units. Clause-level evidence showing that a 1–6-room homestay is included in that status was Not stated in the current official material reviewed during this review; no homestay entitlement is inferred. [S6]
9. 31 December 2025 — WBIS 2021 sunset. Its own notified duration ended on this date. A final extension was Not stated in the material reviewed. [S17]
10. 17 July 2026 — Draft replacement activity. The current Tourism website now displays both a West Bengal Homestay Policy 2026 (Draft) and a West Bengal Industrial Benefit Scheme 2026 (Draft). No final notification replacing the 2022 homestay policy or expired 2021 incentive scheme was located as of 05 September 2026. [S7]

Supersession finding

The 2022 instrument is later, self-contained, officially promoted as the current “Home Stay Tourism Policy 2022,” and is indexed as such by Silpasathi. However, an express clause saying “the 2017 policy and 2019 revision are hereby repealed/superseded” was Not stated in the material reviewed in the reviewed 2022 text. Historical inconsistencies therefore remain visible in Section 17 rather than being silently discarded.

03 / Category definitions

Choose the right accommodation category

Practical rule: do not tell a property that failing the homestay definition automatically makes it a hotel, B&B, guest house or resort. The correct alternate category requires separate legal and local-authority analysis.

04 / Eligibility decision tree

Check whether the applicant and property qualify

Start with the exact property address and local-body category. A. Where is the site?

• If in West Bengal → continue. The 2022 policy is expressed to operate throughout the state. [S1, cl.2]
• If the property falls within a municipality/KMC, protected area, CRZ/coastal area, forest-sensitive location, cantonment or another regulated zone → continue with homestay screening and obtain the separate location-specific approvals. Tourism registration does not decide them.
• If outside West Bengal → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition. B. Who owns the property?
• Applicant is the legal owner and can produce ownership proof → continue.
• Applicant is one of several owners → co-owner authority is not addressed → Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• Applicant only holds a lease → lessee registration-holder route not provided → Confirm this in writing with the authority.
• Applicant is a company/LLP/firm but land/building belongs to another person → Not established in the published material.
• Capital participant has no property yet → first select an address and ownership/host structure → Not established in the published material for registration until those facts exist. C. Who will physically live in the establishment?
• Owner lives there → continue.
• A family member of the owner lives there → continue, but document who the family member is because “family member” is not defined.
• Neither owner nor family member lives there; only caretaker/manager/staff resides → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition.
• Residence will be occasional rather than physical residence → standard not defined → Confirm this in writing with the authority. D. Who will operate it?
• Resident owner operates it → continue.
• Resident owner/family remains in residence but a management company provides bookings, housekeeping or administrative services → source does not prohibit service providers, but registration-holder/operator separation is not expressly regulated → Confirm this in writing with the authority before structuring.
• Company/LLP/caretaker is intended to replace the resident host → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition unless Tourism gives a written contrary interpretation. E. What is the room/bed plan?
• 1–6 letting rooms and no more than 12 beds → continue.
• More than 6 letting rooms or more than 12 beds → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition.
• Total house contains more than six rooms but only six or fewer are offered to tourists → total-building room cap is Not stated in the material reviewed; continue subject to inspection.
• Proposed single bedrooms are 100–119 sq ft → Confirm this in writing with the authority because Clause 4 allows 100 sq ft for a single bedroom while Annexure C says 120 sq ft for a bedroom generally.
• Guest bedroom <100 sq ft or bathroom <30 sq ft → This does not appear to fit the published route. F. What is the property's development stage?
• Existing lawful residence capable of meeting Annexure C → This appears to fit the published route, subject to the remaining checks, subject to application/inspection.
• Proposed/new construction owned by applicant → policy expressly refers to proposed homestays, but building approvals come first → This appears to fit the published route, subject to the remaining checks only after local-development compliance.
• Running accommodation without resident owner/family → Consider another accommodation category.
• Proposed property relying solely on an LLP/management agreement to cure ownership or host-residence problems → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition on that basis alone. 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 contract can allocate commercial functions between parties, but it cannot rewrite the notified definition of the registered accommodation.

06 / Property and classification standards

Prepare the property for inspection

Classification

Annexure B sets out a points assessment covering location, exterior, building type, guest rooms, bathrooms, public areas, food, kitchen, cleanliness/hygiene, safety/security, communications and eco-friendly practices. Gold requires 75 or more; Silver requires 50–74; below 50 is not qualified. The guest-room section itself has an unresolved scoring arithmetic error discussed in Section 17.

07 / Documents and declarations

Assemble the application file

The current manual form directs the applicant to submit the form/documents in duplicate. No authenticated online upload-format, maximum-file-size or photo-resolution requirements could be inspected because the online citizen process is unavailable.

Download the West Bengal property and application checklist ↓

08 / Application and inspection process

Follow the application and inspection process

The inspection committee outside KMC consists of a representative of the DM, a representative of the BDO/municipality and a Tourist Supervisor/Tourist Development Officer, with DM nomination possible where the latter is unavailable. KMC jurisdiction uses a committee involving Deputy Director Tourism/Tourism Directorate and KMC representation. [S1, cl.5.1] An incomplete application is expressly liable to summary rejection. [S1, cl.6.1]

Current portal position

The 2022 policy contemplated online filing at the homestay portal as well as offline DM filing. The Department now expressly suspends the citizen online route and instructs manual filing. No applicant should attempt to treat the currently labelled “TPMS (office use only)” system as a public filing route.

09 / Fees, timelines, validity and renewal

Confirm fees, timing and certificate validity

Legacy certificates

The current renewal form asks for the registration number, validity period and a copy of the existing certificate. A general transition rule converting older five-year/2017 certificates into 2022 certificates was Not stated in the current official material reviewed.

10 / Operating duties after registration

Run the registered homestay correctly

Certificate and guest-facing information

The homestay must maintain a notice board displaying the name, signed registration/classification certificate, check-in/check-out time, dining closing time, tourist guidelines and prohibitions concerning matters such as smoking, drinking, loud music and illegal activities. An explicit compulsory room-rate display requirement was Not stated in the material reviewed. [S1, cl.8.1]

Required books

The policy requires:

• a Suggestions/Complaints Book;
• Tourist Registration Book; and
• Bill Book, duly numbered and maintained in duplicate. [S1, p.5] No domestic-guest record-retention period was found in the 2022 policy.

Domestic guest identity

The owner must keep a registration book similar to hotels and collect a copy of a valid photo identity document from tourists. Records are inspectable and tourist details must be shared with district administration on demand. [S1, cl.6.5]

Foreign guests — current national rule

West Bengal's 2022 policy says registered units must furnish Form C information and passport details in accordance with the Bureau of Immigration/MHA process. Since then, the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 expressly include a “home stay” within “accommodation.” Rule 17 requires the keeper to:

• collect and record particulars of each foreigner, including OCI Cardholders;
• maintain those particulars electronically for at least one year;
• transmit Form III — earlier Form C electronically to the Registration Officer not later than 24 hours after arrival; and
• transmit departure details electronically not later than 24 hours after departure. [S8, Rule 17; Form III] The current IndianFRRO accommodator portal also states that accommodators are legally obliged to report foreigners including OCI Cardholders. [S9] Because the West Bengal policy separately mentions passport details to the nearest police station while the newer central rule specifies electronic transmission to the Registration Officer, an operator should comply with the current central electronic requirement and obtain district/police guidance on whether a parallel local copy remains expected.

Tourism statistics

The policy requires the District Magistrate's office, not clearly each homestay owner, to maintain a district register and send authenticated copies monthly to Tourism authorities. A separate mandatory monthly occupancy/statistical return from each homestay owner is Not stated in the current official material reviewed. [S1, cl.5.1]

Staff and caretaker checks

No general employee headcount requirement, caretaker qualification or staff police-verification requirement was located in the 2022 homestay policy. Police clearance under the registration process concerns the owner/family in Annexure D.

Food

Where the operation carries on a food business, Tourism registration does not replace Section 31 FSSAI licensing/registration. The current 2026 FSSAI thresholds for general turnover-based categorisation are:

• Registration: up to ₹1.5 crore;
• State Licence: above ₹1.5 crore and up to ₹50 crore;
• Central Licence: above ₹50 crore, subject to the correct Kind of Business and any activity-specific rules. The revised framework is effective from 01 April 2026 for new applications, and FSSAI licences/registrations now have perpetual validity unless suspended, cancelled or surrendered. [S10] FoSCoS specifically lists “boarding houses serving food” and food-service categories; the exact KoB selection for a particular homestay should be established through FoSCoS rather than assumed. [S11, p.7]

Tax

The homestay policy does not determine GST liability. Section 22 of the CGST Act generally makes a supplier in a non-special-category state liable for registration when aggregate turnover exceeds ₹20 lakh, subject to exemptions and compulsory-registration rules in Sections 23–24 and current notifications. OTA/e-commerce arrangements and the actual supplier identity should therefore be tested separately. [S12, ss.22–24]

Udyam

No provision in the current West Bengal homestay policy makes Udyam registration a condition of tourism registration. Udyam is a separate MSME registration system; the official portal describes it as free, online and self-declaration based. [S13]

Safety, waste and maintenance

The operator must continue to maintain the registered standards; Tourism/DM may inspect with or without notice and non-compliance can lead to action including cancellation. [S1, cls.5.3.4 and 7]

11 / Adjacent approvals and dependencies

Close the approvals outside Tourism

West Bengal's municipal construction-permit system expressly includes building-plan sanction and occupancy certification as separate services, illustrating why tourism registration should not be treated as building permission.

12 / Incentives, subsidy and funding

Evaluate incentives without assuming sanction

A. Homestay-specific financial assistance under the 2022 Policy

Official scheme: Financial assistance under Clause 9.1 of the West Bengal Homestay Tourism Policy 2022. Eligible applicant: A registered homestay complying with the policy's financial-benefit conditions. Verified amount: ₹1,00,000 per registered homestay, in two equal instalments. [S1, pp.5–6] Specified qualifying areas include:

• sanitation and cleanliness;
• basic hygiene, including kitchen;
• furniture/storage;
• soft furnishing;
• basic room modification;
• recreational facilities;
• TV/Wi-Fi as optional expenditure. Disbursement described by policy:

1. ₹50,000 upfront after registration, after a plan of approved expenditure is submitted to the DM office.
2. ₹50,000 on completion, against invoices submitted to the DM office within six months of the first instalment. Sanction route: District Magistrate's office under the policy. Current application form/open-budget status: Not stated in the current official material reviewed. Automatic? No. Registration alone must not be presented as money already sanctioned; plan submission, qualifying expenditure and invoices are expressly involved.

B. Policy-stated utility/tax concessions

The 2022 policy also states:

• domestic electricity and water charges;
• exemption from land-conversion charges;
• residential property-tax rates; and
• a three-year luxury-tax reimbursement “as per West Bengal Incentive Scheme 2015.” These statements should not yet appear in a public guide as automatic current entitlements. Separate current utility/local-body/land implementation orders were not located. More seriously, WBIS 2015 had already been expressly superseded by WBIS 2021 before the 2022 homestay policy was issued. [S1, p.6; S17] Publication treatment: mark these concessions AUTHORITY CONFIRMATION REQUIRED.

C. West Bengal Incentive Scheme 2021

WBIS 2021 created a larger tourism-unit incentive framework including capital subsidy, interest subsidy, electricity-duty benefits, employment-related incentives, stamp-duty/registration-fee reimbursement and quality-improvement subsidy. Its current implementation page still displays “Apply Now.” However, the notified scheme expressly says it remained valid only until 31 December 2025. No final extension was located. Furthermore, homestay inclusion in the scheme's eligible “Tourism Unit” categories was not established from the current controlling material reviewed here. The Finance Department's historical description of WBIS 2021 listed hotels, motels, heritage hotels, resorts, camps and various other tourism units without identifying homestays. Status as of 05 September 2026: DO NOT PRESENT AS AN OPEN HOMESTAY INCENTIVE.

D. West Bengal Industrial Benefit Scheme 2026

A West Bengal Industrial Benefit Scheme 2026 (Draft) is advertised on the current Tourism homepage. No final notified replacement was located. Current applications confirmed open: No. Homestay eligibility: Not stated in the material reviewed. Benefit formula: Not stated in the material reviewed IN FINAL CURRENT OFFICIAL SOURCES.

E. Paryatan Sahayata Prakalpa

The Department's notice index records an official notification dated 28 September 2022 regarding non-extension of the scheme. It is therefore not a current funding route on the evidence reviewed. [S6]

F. Loans/credit

No West Bengal homestay-specific current bank loan, interest-subvention programme or automatic credit guarantee was located in the controlling 2022 policy beyond the ₹1 lakh assistance described above. Not stated in the current official material reviewed for a currently open, homestay-specific state bank-credit programme.

13 / Business implications

Translate the rules into a workable project

Before selecting or acquiring a property

A property-screening file should establish at minimum:

1. exact address, district and local-body jurisdiction;
2. land/title owner;
3. whether ownership is sole, joint, inherited, company-held or leased;
4. who will physically reside there;
5. whether that resident qualifies as owner/family under the published wording;
6. proposed letting rooms/beds;
7. existing building legality;
8. local building/use constraints;
9. access;
10. fire/protected/coastal/heritage constraints;
11. food-service plan; and
12. whether unrelated commercial activity occurs in the unit. Buying first and attempting to “convert it into a homestay” later is risky where the resident-host or title structure does not fit the definition.

Before construction or renovation

The concept plan should be tested against:

• 1–6 letting-room limit;
• 12-bed limit;
• 120 sq ft double bedroom;
• unresolved 100-versus-120-sq-ft single-bedroom conflict;
• 30 sq ft bathroom minimum;
• attached toilets;
• dining/kitchen requirements;
• 24-hour hot/cold water;
• waste segregation;
• local sanctioned-plan/building-use rules. Architectural expenditure should not begin solely on the basis of tourism-policy dimensional compliance. Local development approval is a separate layer.

Registration holder versus operating entity

The current evidence clearly supports an owner-centred registration holder. It does not clearly support an independent company, LLP or professional operator replacing that owner as registration holder. A management company may potentially perform contractual services while the eligible owner remains registered, resident/accountable, but the policy does not define the boundaries of such delegation. Written clarification should precede any model in which the commercial operator controls substantially all guest operations.

What an LLP or management agreement cannot solve

An LLP agreement, lease, revenue-share agreement or management contract does not by itself cure:

• absence of legal ownership where the applicant must be owner;
• absence of resident owner/family;
• excess rooms/beds;
• building illegality;
• local-use restrictions;
• fire/food/GST/foreign-guest duties.

Property-development scope

Development scope depends on the exact property. The homestay policy's approval standards do not constitute planning consent, building sanction, occupancy certification or permission to alter a protected property.

Commercial planning inputs

A commercial assessment should therefore distinguish:

• title owner;
• tourism registration holder;
• resident host;
• property developer;
• capital provider;
• management/operator;
• employer;
• food business operator;
• GST supplier;
• OTA contracting party. They should not be collapsed into one “owner/operator” assumption.

Questions to answer before proposing terms

the project team should know, in writing where necessary:

• Can this specific title-holder register?
• Who will satisfy physical residence?
• Is the building/local use lawful?
• Can a management company lawfully perform the intended scope without replacing the registered host?
• Who owns guest-revenue receivables?
• Who is the FSSAI FBO?
• Who is the GST supplier?
• Who files foreign-guest reports?
• Who carries local employment and safety obligations?
• What happens to registration on sale, death, lease or exit?
• Are any incentives actually sanctioned, rather than merely mentioned in policy? No fixed ownership percentage, capital contribution, minimum income or revenue share is supported by the tourism regulation and none should be inferred.

14 / Official-source conflicts

Resolve conflicting official instructions

Conflict C1 — single-bedroom minimum size

Source A: 2022 Policy Clause 4, p.2 — single-bedded room minimum 100 sq ft. Source B: 2022 Annexure C, p.12 — “Minimum size of bedroom excluding bathroom” stated as 120 sq ft. Contradiction: a 100–119 sq ft single room complies with the operative eligibility clause but appears to fail the mandatory approval checklist. Hierarchy/date: same notification, same policy package. No hierarchy resolves it. Status: The official sources are not aligned. Affected properties: any proposed single guest bedroom from 100 to 119 sq ft. Authority: concerned District Magistrate; copied to Department of Tourism. Practical Practical rule: recommend 120 sq ft as the conservative design envelope, but do not state that the legal minimum for a single room is unambiguously 120 sq ft.

Conflict C2 — classification scoring arithmetic

Source A: Annexure B labels Guest Rooms Maximum Marks: 12. Source B: visible guest-room sub-items allocate values that total 15. Status: OFFICIAL SOURCE INTERNALLY NOT ALIGNED. Affected properties: any property near the 50-point Silver or 75-point Gold threshold. Authority: DM inspection committee and Department of Tourism. Practical effect: an applicant cannot independently reproduce the classification score with certainty from the published table.

Conflict C3 — 2019 “preferable” facilities versus 2022 “mandatory” checklist

Source A: 2019 revision expressly changed numerous Annexure C physical facilities from mandatory to preferable. Source B: 2022 Annexure C is headed “Checklist of facilities mandatory for approval of Homestays” and contains many of those facilities again. Date/hierarchy: 2022 is later and is the current policy surfaced by Tourism/Silpasathi. However, an express 2017/2019 repeal clause was not located. Status: Current operational reading strongly favours 2022, but because express supersession is absent, historical official sources are not perfectly aligned. Affected properties: particularly those lacking attached toilets, specified room amenities, 24-hour hot/cold water, telephone or kitchen facilities. Authority: Department of Tourism and concerned DM. Publication treatment: describe the 2022 checklist as the current published checklist, while retaining this history note.

Conflict C4 — trade licence in 2019 but omitted in 2022

Source A: 2019 revised registration process listed a trade licence issued by competent authority. Source B: current 2022 Annexure A/current manual form does not list a trade licence. Date/hierarchy: 2022 is later; no express repeal clause located. Status: OFFICIAL SOURCES NOT FULLY ALIGNED. Affected properties: all new manual applicants, particularly municipal properties. Practical effect: a trade licence should not be represented as a current 2022 tourism-file attachment without confirmation; it may still be independently required by the local body. Authority: DM and local ULB/Panchayat.

Conflict C5 — renewal timing

Source A: Clause 5.3.2 provides renewal on payment of fees “within 6 months of expiry.” Source B: Clause 5.3.3 then provides notice and a further renewal process with ₹100 penalty for failure within the specified time, referring to renewal “within 3 months.” The text does not clearly establish whether the ordinary six-month window is before expiry, after expiry, or partly both, nor how the additional three-month process begins. Status: OFFICIAL SOURCE AMBIGUOUS. Authority: concerned DM/Tourism Department. Practical treatment: apply before expiry rather than relying on the ambiguous grace language.

Conflict C6 — 2022 policy refers to superseded WBIS 2015

Source A: 2022 Homestay Policy p.6 refers to three-year luxury-tax reimbursement “as per West Bengal Incentive Scheme 2015.” Source B: WBIS 2021 expressly states that it superseded incentives under WBIS 2015 and itself ran only to 31 December 2025. Status: The official sources are not aligned. Affected properties: any owner relying on the 2022 policy to price a tax incentive. Practical effect: do not model this as a receivable or guaranteed benefit. Authority: Department of Tourism and Finance Department.

Conflict C7 — live “Apply Now” page versus expired WBIS 2021

Source A: notified WBIS 2021 expires 31 December 2025. Source B: current Tourism portal in September 2026 continues to present WBIS 2021 and “Apply Now.” No final extension was located; the homepage instead advertises a new Industrial Benefit Scheme 2026 (Draft). Status: OFFICIAL PORTAL AND NOTIFIED DURATION NOT ALIGNED. Rule: the portal cannot be treated as extending a notified scheme by itself. Affected properties: any new tourism project seeking post-2025 investment incentives. Authority: Department of Tourism/WBTDCL.

Conflict C8 — old Form C terminology versus current central Form III

The West Bengal 2022 policy uses “Form C.” The 2025 central rules now call the document Form III [Earlier Form C]. This is not a substantive contradiction: the newer central law clearly identifies continuity in the form. Current reporting should follow Rule 17/Form III and the designated portal.

15 / Unresolved questions for the authority

Take the remaining questions to the authority

1. Under Clause 4 of Notification 1968-TM/1T-31/2022, is the minimum size of a single-bedded room 100 sq ft, or must every bedroom satisfy the 120 sq ft statement in Annexure C?
2. Annexure B states Guest Rooms carry a maximum of 12 marks, while the visible sub-items total 15. What is the official scoring sheet currently used by inspection committees?
3. Does Notification 1968-TM/1T-31/2022 expressly supersede Notifications 883-TW/5T-58/2017 and 2465/2468 of 2019, despite the absence of a located repeal clause?
4. Does the 2019 trade-licence attachment requirement survive for manual applications under the 2022 policy even though Annexure A no longer lists it?
5. What dates precisely define the “within 6 months of expiry” renewal window in Clause 5.3.2?
6. How does the additional three-month late-renewal process in Clause 5.3.3 interact with that six-month period?
7. Who qualifies as a “family member” for purposes of satisfying physical residence?
8. What documentary evidence is accepted to prove physical residence of an owner or family member?
9. Can a property with joint ownership be registered by one co-owner, and if so is written consent/NOC of all co-owners required?
10. Can a company, partnership firm or LLP that owns the building itself be the registered homestay owner, given the individual-person fields in Annexure A and the family-residence requirement?
11. Can a long-term lessee ever hold the tourism registration?
12. May a registered resident owner appoint a professional management company for bookings, housekeeping, staffing and guest servicing while registration remains in the owner's name?
13. Which functions, if any, may not be delegated by the registered owner?
14. Is a caretaker-only residence ever accepted where neither owner nor family resides?
15. What is the present signing/registration authority for properties in Kolkata Municipal Corporation jurisdiction, given the special inspection-committee provision?
16. What exact payment instructions should a manual applicant follow in 2026 before purchasing the DM demand draft?
17. Is there any current separate inspection fee or other charge beyond ₹1,000/₹500?
18. Does a downward inspection classification still result in no fee refund, and does upward classification require only the differential?
19. What process applies when rooms, beds, property layout or the operating arrangement changes after registration?
20. What process applies on sale, inheritance, death of registered owner, partition or change of ownership?
21. Is there a formal appeal against refusal, suspension or cancellation distinct from the classification-resolution procedure in Clause 6.2?
22. Is the ₹1 lakh assistance under Clause 9.1 currently funded and open to newly registered homestays?
23. What form is used to request the first and second instalments?
24. Are domestic electricity/water tariff and residential property-tax benefits currently implemented; if yes, under what order numbers?
25. What current instrument implements the stated land-conversion charge exemption?
26. What current instrument, if any, gives effect to the 2022 policy's reference to luxury-tax reimbursement, given supersession of WBIS 2015?
27. Does Notification 2384-TM/12/31/2022 granting industry status expressly include registered homestays?
28. Has WBIS 2021 been formally extended beyond 31 December 2025?
29. When is the West Bengal Homestay Policy 2026 Draft expected to be finalised, and will existing 2022 registrations be grandfathered?
30. While citizen online registration remains unavailable, is manual DM submission the exclusive applicant route, and are there district-specific intake counters or email/pre-scrutiny arrangements?