You can get help here!

Billing and legal issues

If you have any questions regarding the billing of the guest contribution and legal matters, please contact the Gerolstein municipal administration. Your contact persons are Ms. Kreutz and Ms. Hoffmann at gaestebeitrag@gerolstein.de | Tel.: 0 65 91 13 18 10.

Registration system and guest card

For questions about the manual or digital registration procedure and the guest card, please contact Ms. Wiesen or Ms. Weimer at meldesystem@gerolsteiner-land.de | Tel.: 0 65 91 13 3050.

The guest contribution is a municipal tourism fee that is primarily used to finance tourist experience facilities, events and infrastructure.

The guest contribution is paid by guests of private and commercial accommodation within the municipality of Gerolstein. In the municipality of Gerolstein, persons over the age of six are liable to pay the contribution. All guests aged 0-5 years or staying in accommodation for business or educational purposes are exempt from the obligation to pay the contribution.
Note: Persons with special needs/impairments are not exempt from the contribution.

The guest contribution is calculated per night and person liable to pay the contribution.

The guest contribution has been in force since 01.01.2024 and is levied on the basis of the guest contribution statutes of the Gerolstein municipality dated 13.10.2023. In addition to this, the town of Hillesheim (including the districts of Bolsdorf and Niederbettingen) and the local municipality of Stadtkyll (including the district of Schönfeld) are subject to further contribution statutes from 01.01.2024.

Due to the different contribution statutes, there are different contribution zones within the municipality of Gerolstein.

These are divided as follows:

• Accommodation with the allocation to the municipality of Gerolstein charge a guest contribution of 0.75 Euro per overnight stay and person liable to pay the contribution.
  
• Accommodation with the allocation to the town of Hillesheim(including the districts of Bolsdorf and Niederbettingen) charge a guest contribution of 1.50 euros per overnight stay and person liable to pay the contribution.
  
• Accommodation with the allocation to the Municipality of Stadtkyll(incl. Schönfeld district) charge a guest contribution of 1.50 Euro per overnight stay and person liable to pay the contribution.
  
• Accommodations that belong to the Tourism Association Vulkaneifel e.V.charge a guest contribution of 1.50 Euro per overnight stay and person liable to pay the contribution.

According to the guest contribution statutes of the Gerolstein municipality, accommodation operators are obliged to collect the guest contribution and transfer it to the Gerolstein municipality. The guest contribution statutes are based on the Municipal Code (GemO) and the Municipal Tax Act (KAG).

The obligation to cooperate arises automatically for accommodation operators without the need to conclude any contracts. Exemption from this obligation is not possible.

Irrespective of contractual arrangements with Touristik GmbH Gerolsteiner Land, the statutory obligation to cooperate in the registration system applies. This applies to all accommodation providers in the municipality of Gerolstein in accordance with the guest contribution statutes.

As an accommodation provider, you are obliged to collect the guest contribution from your guests. However, you cannot be obliged to compensate for an unpaid fee. If a guest refuses to pay, this must be reported to the Gerolstein municipal administration.

Here you will find all statutes on the guest contribution

Accommodation providers in Germany, including hotels and vacation apartments, are legally obliged to record certain information about their guests and pass it on to investigative and administrative authorities. The reporting obligation applies regardless of whether you rent privately or commercially. Further information: BMG - unofficial table of contents (gesetze-im-internet.de)

According to the Federal Registration Act, all guests of an accommodation are required to register, even if they are exempt from paying the guest contribution. A registration form, whether digital or manual, must therefore be completed for each guest filled out and signed by the guest.

For accommodation providers who do not comply with their obligation to register, the municipal administration will estimate the number of overnight stays of guests liable to pay the guest contribution in accordance with the applicable guest contribution statutes and charge the amount set.

The transmission of guest reports to the municipality of Gerolstein does not replace the reports to the Rhineland-Palatinate State Statistical Office.

You can currently use a manual/analog or digital/electronic registration procedure for guest registration. A combination of both methods is not permitted. In the medium term, only the digital registration procedure will be used.

Yes, all guests must be registered using the manual or digital registration procedure. Business and educational travelers do not receive a guest card or a coupon booklet with preferential benefits.

At the three tourist information offices in the Gerolsteiner Land vacation region you will receive a three-page carbon copy form, the manual registration form. This is filled out by you or your guests by hand.

The last page, which contains the GeroCard (guest card), is filled in at the same time as the first page. You hand this and the coupon booklet to the guest.

The first page remains with you. Keep it for one year in compliance with the statutory data protection regulations and then destroy it within three months.

In order to enable billing with the Gerolstein local authority, a predetermined billing form must be completed for each quarter and sent to the local authority. On this basis, an invoice for the quarterly amount of the guest fee will be issued so that you can transfer the amount.(Link to the quarterly invoice)

You can obtain the registration forms and accounting forms from all three Tourist Information Offices in Gerolstein, Hillesheim and Stadtkyll. You can also download the billing forms here .

The registration form is filled out by you as the accommodation provider or by the guest themselves. Please ensure that the data provided is complete and correct.

No, you do not have to fill out a separate registration form for each guest. You can enter the number of accompanying persons in an extra field. If, for example, a family of 4 people is arriving, you must fill in the registration form with the main person's details and enter 4 in the total number of people.

The first page remains with you as the host.

The second page, including the GeroCard, is given to the guest.

The registration form must be kept for one year in compliance with the statutory data protection guidelines and then destroyed within a three-month period.

The settlement form must be submitted to the Gerolstein municipal administration. You can submit it by post or e-mail. Gerolstein Municipal Administration

Department I - Organization and Finance
Kyllweg 1
54568 Gerolstein
or
gaestebeitrag@gerolstein.de

The settlement forms (and registration forms) must be submitted after each quarter by the 15th of the following month. (April 15, July 15, October 15, January 15).

Bookings that exceed one quarter will be invoiced in the following quarter by the municipality of Gerolstein.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to combine both reporting procedures, as this would result in double reporting.

You will need a computer or tablet PC with a connected printer and internet access. You should also be able to hand over the printed registration forms and guest cards to your guests at the accommodation. If you have a valid e-mail address for the guest, you can also send the guest card by e-mail using the DigiCard to go and SelfCheck-in module.

You can log in to the AVS-Meldeschein version 7.15 digital reporting system using your access data.

As soon as you select the "Create" option in the left side menu, the input mask for collecting the data opens. Blue fields are mandatory, gray fields are optional. You can only create and print a registration form if all mandatory fields have been completed. Save the registration data by clicking on the "Save" button at the bottom left of the screen.

The "Printout" option is then displayed in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Click on it and the registration form is immediately saved as a PDF file in the download folder of your computer and can be opened. Depending on your computer's system settings, the document is automatically displayed after saving and can be printed out on ready-made print templates. The guest cards and the registration form are created on the print template. The guest cards can simply be detached after printing.

If you have a valid e-mail address for the guest, you can also conveniently send the guest card by e-mail. To do this, enter the e-mail address in the corresponding line. Then click on "DigiCard to go". A tick will now appear here. Then save the registration form. A blue "Send DigiCard to go" field now appears at the bottom right. This must be clicked and the guest card will be sent to the guest at least 5 days before arrival.

The registration data is automatically transmitted to the Gerolstein municipal administration. At the end of the quarter, they will create the guest fee invoice based on this data and send it to you with a request for payment.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note that the registration form is an official, official document and may only be printed out with the guest cards on the special template paper, otherwise the validity of the documents will not be recognized!

You can obtain the paper templates from the Gerolstein, Hillesheim and Stadtkyll Tourist Information Offices. The quantity of paper sheets issued is documented in the registration system and paper that can no longer be used must be returned to Touristik GmbH Gerolsteiner Land for verification purposes.

Questions about the digital registration procedure and system can only be directed to Touristik GmbH Gerolsteiner Land.

You can reach us at meldesystem@gerolsteiner-land.de | Tel.: 06591 13 3050

In principle, all registration data required by the Federal Registration Act must be entered in the system. So that you can print out the guest cards and the registration form, it is sufficient to fill in the blue mandatory fields in the registration system.

• You will find a "Manual" button in the top menu bar of the reporting system on the far left. Click on the button to open the operating manual for the AVS GmbH digital alarm system.
• You can use the link to watch an AVS GmbH instruction video with the most important operating features of the alarm system.

You can obtain the print templates from the Tourist Information Offices in Gerolstein, Hillesheim and Stadtkyll. Please note that the print templates are official documents and the quantity issued is documented in the registration system. Paper that can no longer be used must be returned to Touristik GmbH Gerolsteiner Land for verification purposes.

As the digital registration procedure will become mandatory for all accommodation providers in the medium term, they will all be entered into the Gerolstein municipality's registration system and given access to the system.

With the commissioning of the registration system at the beginning of 2024, the access data for the digital registration system has already been sent to the already known accommodations by e-mail by Touristik GmbH Gerolsteiner Land.

If you need to register your accommodation for the registration procedure, please send the details of your accommodation in writing to Touristik GmbH Gerolsteiner Land(meldesystem@gerolsteiner-land.de). You will then receive your access data and instructions with the first steps.

The most important details include...

• The name and registration address of your accommodation
• Your registration address (if different from the accommodation address) and the name of the legally responsible person and, if applicable, the company for the billing address
• The number of beds in your accommodation
• Your telephone number and e-mail address for contacting you

If you have forgotten your password, you can contact Touristik GmbH Gerolsteiner Land. We can reset your password and assign you a new one.

Contact: meldesystem@gerolsteiner-land.de | Tel.: 06591 13 3050

You can change your password using the "Change password" button in the top menu bar of the system.

The registration form must be entered on the day of arrival at the latest, otherwise guests will not receive a GeroCard (guest card). You are welcome to enter the registration form before the guests arrive, provided you have the necessary registration data.

No, when using the digital registration system, you do not need to submit a billing form. The local authority takes all the necessary registration data for your accommodation from the registration system.

There is no plausibility check of the names in the digital registration system, the registration data must be entered in accordance with the law. If necessary, it is still possible to enter the missing details on the registration form when the guests arrive.

Since 02.02.2026 there is a self-check-in function for your guests. This allows your guests to transmit their registration data to the registration system themselves before arrival and initiate the automated delivery of their digital guest card. To do this, you generate a link in the AVS system and send it to the guest by email.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to combine both reporting procedures, as this would result in double reporting. A decision must be made in favor of one procedure.

By assigning your guests to a specific category, you determine in the registration system whether a guest is registered as liable to pay contributions or not.

You can assign your guests to four different categories based on the contribution statutes of the Gerolstein Association of Municipalities.

• Adult > All persons aged 18 and over.
• Child, adolescent > All persons aged 6-17 years.
• Exempt > All children up to the age of 5.
• Business traveler > All persons traveling for business or educational reasons.

Accommodations that have a so-called property management system (PMS) or a channel manager can transmit their guests' booking data directly to the digital registration system via an interface connection.

We will be happy to advise you on the interface connection at meldesystem@gerolsteiner-land.de | Tel.: 0 65 91 13 30 07.

Larger groups of 4 or more people can be entered in the digital registration system under "Create registration form" using the group registration form selection option. First enter the main person with all the necessary registration data and then simply enter the number of fellow travelers using the predefined category fields. You can also create several group registration forms for groups.

Changes to your master data can only be made by Touristik GmbH Gerolsteiner Land. If you wish to make a change, please notify us at meldesystem@gerolsteiner-land.de | Tel.: 0 65 91 13 30 50

In principle, every person liable to pay the guest contribution is entitled to their own guest card with benefits.

Persons liable to pay the guest contribution who do not pay their guest contribution will not receive a guest card with benefits.

Persons who are not required to pay the guest contribution will also not receive a guest card with benefits.

With the manual registration procedure, one GeroCard (guest card) is issued per registration form. With the digital registration procedure, each guest usually receives their own GeroCard (guest card). However, if you select the group registration form as the registration form type in the digital registration procedure (this is only possible for groups of 4 or more people), the entire group will only receive one guest card.

This should be adapted to the prevailing situation. The number of benefit booklets issued must be sensibly adapted to the respective group constellation.

Example:
For a family of 4 people (2 adults & 2 children), it can be assumed that this group of people will visit the benefit providers together during their stay to redeem their benefits. In such a case, the issue of a guest card with a coupon booklet is sufficient. The benefits are then also granted to all those subject to the guest contribution who belong to this group.

Yes, all persons liable to pay contributions are entitled to use the vouchers. Discounts such as 10% on all main courses apply to all persons in the group with a guest card.

The benefits can only be redeemed once during the entire stay; this also applies to extensions of the length of stay.

These can be obtained from the three tourist information offices in Gerolstein, Hillesheim and Stadtkyll. The issue quantity is documented.

From spring 2026, there will no longer be a printed version of the benefits booklet! The benefits can then be viewed online . Upon presentation of the guest card to an advantage provider, the discount will then be granted without further ado.

Each benefit provider is responsible for checking the benefits themselves. Multiple use is not permitted!

Touristik GmbH Gerolsteiner Land has been commissioned by the Gerolstein municipal administration to survey all accommodation establishments in the municipal area. This is an ongoing process and we endeavor to involve ALL accommodation providers in the obligation to participate in the guest contribution. There are certain limits to the search for accommodation, so that some businesses have so far evaded their obligation.

Knowledge of such accommodation operators should not be criticized in secret, but should be reported in the interest of the general public. Report at meldesystem@gerolsteiner-land.de | Tel.: 0 65 91 13 30 50.