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These information pages can help you get started in learning about some of the laws and registration requirements that may apply to your experiences on Airbnb. These pages include summaries of some of the rules that may apply to different sorts of activities, and contain links to government resources that you may find helpful.
Please understand that these information pages are not comprehensive, and are not legal advice. If you are unsure about how local laws or this information may apply to you or your Experience, we encourage you to check with official sources or seek legal advice.
Please note that we don’t update this information in real time, so you should confirm that the laws or procedures have not changed recently.*
*There is no exact legal definition of the term “sporting activities”, which would include all outdoor activities (including nautical). Some Experiences may be in a “grey zone” where it is difficult to determine whether or not they include a sporting activity. You will find below examples with a view to identify an activity which is likely to be qualified as a sporting activity as part of an Experience.
Will probably be qualified as a sporting activity;
- a “hiking on the Montagne Sainte-Victoire” type activity, involving hiking and a possible ascent to the summit
- a “mountain bike outing” type activity using mountain bikes on sporting routes
- a “jogging in the creeks” type activity involving running at least during part of the experience
Might not be qualified as a sporting activity:
- a “Cézanne and the Montagne Sainte-Victoire – discovery route” type activity involving no activity other than hiking on publicly-accessible marked trails or pavements, without a real ascent
- a “bike tour in Marseille” type activity using hybrid or city bikes, on paved roads.
- a “promenade in the creeks” type activity involving no activity other than walking on publicly accessible marked trails or roads
The following developments may concern you if, in light of the above, you plan to propose a sporting activity as part of an Experience. Also, if you’re unsure about whether your activity is a sporting activity, we recommend you check with a legal advisor.
I will personally supervise the guests during the activity
Case 1: I plan to offer a sporting activity in which I will be an accompanying supervisor. This service will be subject to a fee.
Do I need an authorisation or a certification for this?
Yes. To accompany or supervise sporting activities in return for a fee, you must hold (i) an official document (diploma) which certifies that you are competent to look after the safety of participants in the proposed activity and (ii) a professional card.
The official document guaranteeing your competence in the safety of the people practicing the proposed activity
- If the sporting activity is carried out in an environment requiring the compliance with special safety measures, you must hold an official State diploma (“diplôme d’Etat”).
- The Sporting Code lists the activities affected by this obligation: diving, canoeing, sailing beyond 200 nautical miles of a shelter, climbing, canyoning, parachuting, skiing, mountaineering and similar activities, caving, surfing, free flight (see here).
- If the sporting activity is different from the above-mentioned activities, you must hold a diploma, a title for professional purposes or a qualification certificate, guaranteeing your competence in the safety of the people practicing the proposed activity.
For further information on the diplomas, titles and certificates enabling the supervision/ accompanying of sporting activities for a fee, please check here and here.
The professional card
- Regardless of the sporting activity, you have to register with the Préfet of the department in which the activity is carried out (details here). A professional card is issued, which must be presented upon request. This registration must be renewed every 5 years.
You expose yourself to criminal sanctions (up to 1 year imprisonment and a fine of €15,000), as well as administrative sanctions (warning or withdrawal of the professional card), and possibly civil liability.
Do I have other obligations? What is my responsibility as supervisor / accompanying escort?As the organiser of a physical activity in return for a fee, you are subject to several important obligations:
- a security obligation: you must undertake all efforts to guarantee the safety of your participants during the course of your activity (equipment, safety instructions, ...);
- an information obligation: you must inform the participants in the most complete fashion of the proposed activity and the possible risks involved. For certain activities, it may be useful to recommend that the participants take out a civil liability insurance;
- an obligation of care and oversight: you must adapt the activity to the participant (condition, age, level).
Yes. It is mandatory to subscribe to a specific professional liability insurance covering the participants in the activity. If you fail to subscribe to such insurance, you expose yourself to criminal sanctions.
Are there other points that must be considered?It is recommended to ask the participants in your activity to provide you with medical certificates. This is not a legal obligation but may be required by the insurance policies that you have subscribed to.
Case 2: I plan to propose to my guests to organise an outdoor/sporting activity for which I will be the accompanying supervisor. I will not ask for any remuneration for this specific service; however the organisation of the sporting activity is part of a greater Experience for which I ask a global fee.
Am I subject to the obligations regarding the supervising of sporting activities in return for a fee (listed above)?Yes. The organisation of the sporting activity will very likely be deemed to be carried out for a fee and you will very likely be subject to the obligations regarding the sporting activities in return for a fee – see above.
I will not personally supervise the guests during the activity
Case 3: I plan to organise a sporting activity. As I am not qualified to supervise or accompany the sporting activity in question, I plan to call on a qualified provider. I plan to include the cost of this service in the price of my Experience. I wish to invoice a little more than the actual cost of the activity which I pay to the provider for my guests, to cover the time spent on the organisation of this service.
Do I need an authorisation or a licence for this?No. However, in this case it is recommended to verify with the qualified provider that he or she does hold the diploma and the professional card that is required.
*Airbnb is not responsible for the reliability or correctness of the information contained in any links to third party sites (including any links to legislation and regulations).