Lodging Tax

Lodging Tax

Since July 1, 2015, the City of Dresden collects a lodging tax. Details on the tax, the amount and the purpose can be found in different languages under the following links:

For persons for whom the accommodation facilities are exclusively used for professional purposes or who are on vocational training, there is an exemption from the tax duty. This should be the case if you attend Interspeech for professional reasons (as an employee of your university of company, or as a freelancer) or as a student (vocational training). The exemption can either be claimed beforehand by bringing a letter which certifies this reason from home, or by asking a reimbursement of the tax after having paid it at the hotel. We strongly recommend that you bring an exemption letter from home, as the reimbursement procedure afterwards requires filling in forms with the tax authorities which are apparently available only in German.

For getting the exemption prior to the stay, please consider if you belong to the following categories:

  • Employees and persons in vocational training or further training: For this group of persons, an informal attestation from the employer or the training institution is sufficient. This attestation must expressly refer to a business-related reason for the stay or to vocational training and include at least the following information:
    • the name and address of the employer or the training institution and
    • the name and the date of birth of the guest and
    • the length of the stay.
  • Self-employed/freelance persons: Anyone who is self-employed on a freelance or commercial basis can certify the professional necessity for his/her accommodation by a self-attestation on the officially required form (you can find a sample form on the website of the state capital Dresden).
  • Children or guests under 18: Here an indication of the age on the registration form that the parents or accompanying adults complete, thus confirming the information, is sufficient, for example. The important thing is that, on request, an adult contact (parents) can be named who confirms that the tax exempt guest was a minor during his/her stay.
  • Severely disabled persons/companions: Here, the presentation of the corresponding disabled person’s pass is sufficient.

Please bring this material with you in case you want to get an exemption from the tax, and present it to the hotel upon arrival.

Interspeech 2015 is not responsible for any tax exemptions or reimbursements.