EU Registration Number for Vacation Rentals: Mandatory with Misappropriation Ordinance – Procedure Must Be in Place Before May 20
The latest article in the Norderneyer Morgen from January 16 regarding the registration requirement for vacation rentals treated the topic too superficially from the perspective of the FDP Norderney. The fact is: The FDP parliamentary group has been pointing out for over a year in all consultations on the misappropriation ordinance that an EU regulation has immediate practical consequences for the rental of vacation properties on Norderney – effective May 20, 2026.
Clear Connection: Registration Number Only with Housing Protection Measure
The EU regulation applies to digital marketing when a municipality introduces housing protection measures. For Norderney, this means specifically: If a misappropriation ordinance is adopted, an EU registration number will be required for the online marketing of vacation rentals. If there is no misappropriation ordinance, there is no requirement for an EU registration number.
Digital Marketing Without Number Effectively No Longer Possible
Platforms such as booking.com, Traum-Ferienwohnungen, as well as regional and smaller rental sites must display or request a registration number for listings in areas with housing protection measures. Failure to do so will result in severe sanctions. The consequence is foreseeable: Vacation rentals without a registration number will no longer be published or will no longer be marketable.
Consequence for the City: Registration Must Be Available Before May 20
This establishes that: If Norderney adopts a misappropriation ordinance, the city must provide a functioning registration procedure – and in time before May 20, so that owners can already have received their number. Otherwise, there is a risk of a severe disruption in marketing and thus significant tourism and economic damage to the island.
Registration Must Not Be Linked to Building Law
Equally important: The registration number is not a building law approval instrument. The number serves to identify properties in digital offerings. It must therefore in no way be made dependent on whether the use as a vacation rental is “approved” under building law. On Norderney, it is known that only a portion of the currently offered vacation rentals are clearly permissible under building law. Linking the registration number to building law would abruptly destabilize the market – with direct consequences for guests, businesses, and employment on the island.
Statements from FDP Norderney
Manfred Hahnen, FDP Council Member / Parliamentary Group Leader: “Anyone who adopts a misappropriation ordinance must simultaneously enable registration – in such a way that the numbers are available before May 20. Anything else is an incalculable risk for Norderney as a tourism destination.”
Hans Vollmer, Chairman of FDP Norderney: “Registration is a technical prerequisite for digital marketing. It must not be used as a lever to decide on building law matters. These must remain separate.”
Gerd Kleemann, Member of the Building Committee Norderney: “We must not first adopt a misappropriation ordinance and then be surprised that immediate concrete consequences arise: Without a timely available registration procedure, all vacation rentals will become invisible online – ultimately affecting the entire island economy. The problem is foreseeable and solvable if we act now. By May 20 at the latest, every vacation rental must be able to obtain its number.”
FDP Demand
The FDP Norderney demands that the city administration immediately prepare and politically secure a practical procedure for applying for and issuing registration numbers, so that it is operational before May 20 – parallel to further consultations on the misappropriation ordinance.