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Hotel classification in Benin

Benin replaced its old legislation with Decree 2023-494 of 26 September 2023. How it is applied remains poorly documented: no criteria grid has been published and no classification round is known since the reform. This page separates what is established from what still needs confirming.

Written by Emiliano, last updated .

At a glance

Legal basis
Decree 2023-494 of 26 September 2023
Classification authority
To be confirmed
Criteria grid
Not published
Latest census of the hotel stock
2007 data: 492 properties, 4,495 rooms

The legal framework

Beninese legislation is published in French only; the summaries on this page are our own translation.

Decree No. 2023-494 of 26 September 2023 regulating tourist accommodation establishments was adopted by the Council of Ministers together with two decrees on travel agencies and tourist guides; the official statement justified the reform by texts “dating back several decades”[1][2]. The reform was prepared from October 2021 with support from the World Bank and UN Tourism (formerly the UNWTO)[3], and a workshop on the new texts was held in Cotonou on 3 and 4 December 2024[4].

The published text is a scanned document with no machine-readable text, so its content could not be verified article by article. No implementing order setting out a classification grid has been found. An online registration service for tourism operators is based on these decrees[5].

The institutions

The government formed in May 2026 split tourism and culture into separate portfolios[7]. Conflicting reports circulated in June and July 2026 about the closure of public agencies in the sector. Which authority is now responsible for classification should be confirmed with the administration before taking any step.

The only public classification data date from the 2008 census (2007 data): 492 properties, 4,495 rooms, with 73.9% of properties unclassified[6].

Building, fire safety and accessibility

Framework Law 2025-05 on construction and housing, adopted on 11 March 2025, makes a building permit, the use of an architect and a certificate of compliance mandatory[8]. For the building categories that include hotels, the Ministry of Living Environment requires a fire safety report, a report on access for people with reduced mobility and an environmental compliance certificate[9].

Law 2017-06 of 29 September 2017 requires public and private buildings to be adapted to accessibility standards (article 45), without any deadline or penalty specific to buildings[10].

What remains to be confirmed

  • A readable text of Decree 2023-494 and any implementing orders.
  • The authority responsible for classification since 2026.
  • Any recent statistics on the hotel stock.

Frequently asked questions

Which law governs hotel classification in Benin?

Decree 2023-494 of 26 September 2023 regulating tourist accommodation establishments. Its detailed content, article by article (categories, commission, criteria grid, penalties), has yet to be verified against the official text.

Who awards hotel classifications in Benin?

The competent authority could not be confirmed at the time of writing, particularly since ministries and agencies were reorganised in 2026. It is the first question to put to the directorate responsible for tourism.

Sources

Consulted on 11 September 2026. Each source is identified by website, title and publication date. Most are published in French only: titles are given in the original, followed by our translation in square brackets.

  1. [1]Secrétariat général du gouvernement (Bénin) [General Secretariat of the Government, Benin], décret 2023-494 [Decree 2023-494], sgg.gouv.bj; Council of Ministers report of 26 September 2023
  2. [2]Le Matinal, « De nouvelles conditions pour créer et exploiter des établissements d’hébergement touristique » [New conditions for setting up and operating tourist accommodation], 26 February 2024
  3. [3]gouv.bj, installation des organes de pilotage de la réforme [launch of the reform steering bodies], 16 October 2021
  4. [4]gouv.bj, atelier d’appropriation des nouveaux textes [workshop on the new texts], December 2024
  5. [5]CatIS Bénin, service « Demande d’enrôlement d’opérateur de tourisme » [Tourism operator registration application]
  6. [6]INSAE, rapport « Réceptifs hôteliers » [Hotel accommodation report], second general census of businesses, 2008
  7. [7]Bénin Web TV and Eduactions, composition of the government, May 2026
  8. [8]La Nation, loi-cadre de la construction et de l’habitation [framework law on construction and housing], 12 March 2025
  9. [9]Ministère du Cadre de vie (Bénin) [Ministry of Living Environment], page Permis de construire [Building permits]
  10. [10]Loi 2017-06 du 29 septembre 2017 sur les droits des personnes handicapées [Law 2017-06 of 29 September 2017 on the rights of persons with disabilities], documentation-anbenin.org