Licensing by country

Whether you need a licence to work as a tour guide depends entirely on where you guide — and the gap between countries is huge. This index covers the rules, exam costs, issuing bodies, and the penalties for guiding without a licence, one country at a time. Each guide follows the same structure, so you can compare two countries side by side.

Western Europe

Austria

Austria treats guiding as a regulated trade requiring qualification. The training route, regional nuances, site access, and what guides earn.

Belgium

Belgium regulates tourism by region, but no region legally requires a guide licence — recognition is voluntary everywhere. Rules, costs and earnings.

France

France's guide-lecturer card (carte de guide-conférencier) explained: the qualification route, national-monument access, and what guides earn.

Germany

Germany rarely requires a national guide licence, but cities and sites set their own rules. Training, certification, city permits and earnings.

Ireland

Ireland requires no licence to guide, so anyone can start. The recognised qualification is the Fáilte Ireland / QQI national or regional badge.

Netherlands

The Netherlands has no tour-guide licence — only business registration with the KVK. Voluntary certification, museum badges, costs and earnings.

Switzerland

Switzerland has no federal tour-guide licence, and the common 'Geneva permit' claim isn't in current law. Voluntary qualification, costs and earnings.

United Kingdom

The UK has no legal licence to guide, but the Blue Badge is the recognised professional qualification. Training, costs, site access and earnings.

Southern Europe

Croatia

Croatia regulates guiding: you need an authorisation, a professional exam and a B2 guiding language. Requirements, penalties, EU rules and earnings.

Greece

Greece strictly regulates guiding at archaeological sites via licensed guide schools. The qualification, site access rules, and what guides earn.

Italy

Italy requires a licence to work as a tour guide. Exam, costs, issuing bodies, penalties for unlicensed guiding, and what guides really earn.

Portugal

Portugal's tour guide rules explained: professional qualification, site access, the tourism boom's effect on demand, and what guides earn.

Spain

Spain regulates tour guiding by region. The qualification, exams, monument access, penalties for guiding unlicensed, and what guides earn.

Northern Europe

Denmark

Denmark has no tour-guide licence — only free business registration. Voluntary certification, the VAT threshold, costs and what guides earn.

Norway

Mainland Norway has no tour-guide licence — only business registration. But Svalbard now requires an approved guide from 2027. Costs and earnings.

Sweden

Sweden requires no licence to guide — only mountain guiding is regulated. The recognised 'authorised guide' credential is voluntary. Costs and earnings.

Central Europe

Czechia

Czechia needs no qualification to guide, but since 2021 a national tour-guide card is mandatory. The two card grades, fees, penalties and earnings.

Poland

Poland deregulated city and area guiding in 2014 — most guiding needs no licence. Only mountain guides stay regulated. Rules, costs and earnings.

North America

United States

No federal licence to guide in the US — unregulated almost everywhere. NYC still licenses guides, DC's exam was struck down, and parks need a permit.

Oceania

Australia

Australia has no tour-guide licence — guiding is unregulated. The real gate is a national-park commercial permit. Accreditation, permits and earnings.

East Asia

Japan

Japan's guide-interpreter licence explained after deregulation: the national exam, who needs it now, costs, and demand from inbound tourism.

New to guiding? Start with Starting out for the universal steps that apply wherever you guide.