# AI tells someone renting a private apartment or Airbnb in Austria that address registration (Meldezettel) is only for long-term residents, or that private stays are registered automatically the way hotel check-in is

- **ID:** `policy/meldezettel-registration-required-within-3-days`
- **Domain:** policy
- **Category:** administrative_barrier
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 85%

## Root Cause

Austria's Meldegesetz 1991 requires anyone taking up accommodation in a private dwelling to register with the Meldebehoerde within three days (Sec. 3 Abs. 1), regardless of nationality or how short the intended stay is. Only guests of a licensed Beherbergungsbetrieb (hotel/guesthouse) get the simplified path: the operator itself must record them within 24 hours (Sec. 5 Abs. 1). A private Airbnb, sublet, or staying with friends is not a Beherbergungsbetrieb, so the resident must register in person (or via oesterreich.gv.at with the landlord's digital co-signature) - it is not handled automatically. Missing the deadline risks a fine.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| any | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **If renting privately (not through a licensed accommodation business), register in person at the local Meldebehoerde (Meldeamt, or the Magistratisches Bezirksamt in Vienna) within three days of moving in, with the landlord co-signing the Meldezettel form - or complete it online via oesterreich.gv.at if the landlord can digitally confirm with an ID Austria account** (90% success)
   ```
   Bring the signed Meldezettel and ID/passport; the landlord's signature confirming you actually live there is required on the same form.
   ```
2. **Before assuming registration is someone else's job, confirm whether the accommodation is a registered Beherbergungsbetrieb (which self-registers guests) or a private rental (where the guest must self-register)** (70% success)

## Dead Ends

- **Assume a short private-apartment stay (Airbnb, sublet, staying with a private host) in Austria doesn't need personal registration because 'accommodation providers handle it automatically'** — Section 3 Abs. 1 of the Meldegesetz 1991 puts the registration duty on the resident for any private dwelling (Wohnung); only a licensed Beherbergungsbetrieb gets the simplified operator-registers-you path under Sec. 5. A private host or Airbnb listing is ordinarily not a registered Beherbergungsbetrieb, so nobody registers the guest unless the guest does it themselves within three days. (75% fail)
- **Tell a hotel or guesthouse guest in Austria that they personally must visit the Meldeamt within three days like a private tenant** — Section 5 Abs. 1 of the Meldegesetz 1991 puts the registration duty on the accommodation provider (Beherbergungsbetrieb), who must record the guest within 24 hours of arrival - the guest does not need to visit a registration authority themselves. (50% fail)