“Before my first rental, what do I have to declare, and where?” That’s the very first thing an owner asks me before listing their property online. Declaring a short-term rental in Martinique is nothing to be afraid of, but it’s changing in 2026 with the arrival of a single national online service. As a concierge company based on the island, we put these files together every day, from Fort-de-France to Sainte-Anne. Here’s how to do it, step by step, with the specific points to watch for in France’s overseas departments and regions (DROM).
Why declaring your tourist rental is mandatory
Martinique is a French overseas department (DROM): the Tourism Code applies there exactly as it does in mainland France. Anyone offering a furnished tourist rental — a furnished home rented to passing guests who do not make it their permanent residence, for a maximum of 90 consecutive days per guest — must declare it to their town hall. This isn’t optional, and it doesn’t depend on the platform you use.
Two situations to distinguish from the outset:
- Your main residence (which you occupy at least 8 months a year): you may rent it short-term for a maximum of 120 days per year.
- A second home or a rental investment: no day cap, but stricter rules, including the possible change-of-use authorization in the most strained towns such as Fort-de-France.
In both cases, the declaration is the mandatory foundation. It’s what makes your activity legal and what reassures the traveler: a declared home is a controlled, insured home held to safety standards.
The registration number: what changes in 2026
Until now, only certain tourist towns required an online declaration generating a registration number to display on listings. That landscape is being dramatically simplified.
The new national “Declaloc” online service
The law of 19 November 2024 (known as the “Le Meur law”) establishes a single national registration system for short-term rentals. In practice, an online service called Declaloc (declaloc.fr) must be fully operational by 20 May 2026 at the latest. It replaces the patchwork of local procedures with a single online portal.
What this changes for you, an owner in Martinique:
- Registration becomes mandatory in every town, not just in big cities or strained areas.
- It applies to all tourist rentals, whether a main residence or a second home, held in your own name or through a company.
- Once the declaration is complete, the online service issues a 13-character alphanumeric registration number.
- This number must appear on each of your listings (Airbnb, Booking, personal website). Without it, the platform may remove the listing.
Good news for those already compliant: registration numbers already issued by the towns remain valid during the transition. If you already rent in a town that applied online declaration, you don’t have to start from scratch overnight.
Why this reform particularly affects the overseas territories
This is where Airbnb regulation in Martinique takes on a local flavor. Housing pressure is intense in the overseas territories, where tourist demand sits alongside a limited housing stock. Making registration universal gives Martinique’s town halls a monitoring tool they didn’t always have. Anticipating means avoiding finding yourself suddenly outside the law while your villa was running beautifully.
How to declare, step by step
Here is the concrete path we follow for every property we take under management.
- Check the property’s status: main residence (120-day cap) or second home (stricter rules). This conditions everything else.
- Ask the town hall about the existence of a change-of-use procedure and any potential compensation rule, especially in Fort-de-France for a second home.
- Gather the supporting documents (see the list below).
- Submit the declaration online through the national service, or via your town hall’s portal until Declaloc takes over. For a second home in a town without online declaration, the Cerfa form no. 14004 remains the classic route.
- Retrieve the registration number issued automatically.
- Display this number on all your listings, without exception.
- Keep the acknowledgment of receipt: a municipal inspection can occur, and a complete file keeps you covered.
The documents to prepare
Before getting started, gather:
- a proof of identity (or a Kbis extract if you rent through a company);
- a proof of ownership or occupancy: title deed, recent property tax notice, or the landlord’s written authorization if you are a tenant;
- the change-of-use authorization if your town requires it;
- a valid energy performance certificate (DPE). Since 20 November 2024, new changes of use toward tourist rental require a DPE rated between A and E; energy-inefficient homes (F and G) are gradually excluded.
The declaration itself now takes a few minutes from home. It’s preparing the documents — especially the DPE and any change of use — that calls for planning ahead.
