Pasporta Servo: free stays with Esperanto speakers

Pasporta Servo ("Passport Service") is a free hosting network for Esperanto speakers. Its website reported more than 2,400 hosts in 121 countries and 1,801 cities in March 2026, a figure still on its home page on 7 October 2026. Hosts offer a bed, a sofa or a floor to travelling Esperanto speakers at no charge; guest and host talk in Esperanto. The network is run by the World Esperanto Youth Organisation (TEJO) and has existed since 1974, first as a printed book and since 2009 as a website.

#What is Pasporta Servo?

It is a directory of people who accept guests in their homes for free. Since 1974 it has helped people make contact across differences of language, culture and age. Two conditions apply to everyone who uses it, as host or guest: you must be at least 16 years old, and you must know Esperanto. The service sets no exam and no fixed level.

Hosts do not have to offer a bed. The site lists other ways to take part: cooking a meal for a visitor, showing the town, or meeting for a coffee to practise Esperanto.

#How did Pasporta Servo start?

The idea came from the Argentine psychologist Rubén Feldman González, who proposed a "Programo Pasporto" in 1966. The first directory in its present form appeared in 1974, with about 40 hosts, under the French Esperantist Jeanne-Marie Cash. Sources give 39 or 40 hosts for that first year.

The directory grew slowly through the printed years and roughly doubled between 2008 and 2026. In 2008 TEJO's board announced a web version that would follow services such as CouchSurfing; it went live in March 2009 as Pasporta Servo 2.0, programmed by the Valencian Esperantist Joan Català, and was inaugurated at the 65th International Youth Congress in Liberec.

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19801990200020102020

Show the data

Year	Hosts	Countries	Note
1974	39–40	19	First directory
1980	360	48
2000	1,075	76
2008	1,225	90	Before the website
2017	974	81	Last printed book; only confirmed hosts
2026	2,400+	121	Website, 1,801 cities

The figures are not strictly comparable: the printed books counted hosts whose data had been confirmed for the edition, while the website counts registered hosts. A new printed edition, the first since 2017, is planned for 2026 by TEJO with the Universal Esperanto Association, and the network is recruiting volunteer country organisers to keep host data up to date.

#How does it work?

1. Register on the website. Registration is free for hosts and guests; you can also create an account without listing a home.
2. Search by country, region or city, or browse the map. Each host profile shows the conditions: for example "no smoking", "pets welcome", the number of guests, the length of stay or the notice needed.
3. Write to the host in advance. Guests must announce themselves before they come. Say who you are, which nights you need and when you will arrive. A few hosts accept guests without notice, but only a few.
4. Agree the details. Host and guest settle the nights, the arrival time and any other help, such as meals or a guided walk.
5. Stay, talk, say thanks. The stay is unpaid. A hand-written note or a small gift from your country is a polite way to thank a host.

A first message might read:

Saluton! Mi nomiĝas Anna kaj en Majo mi vojaĝos tra Pollando. Ĉu vi povus gastigi min dum du noktoj, de la 3-a ĝis la 5-a de Majo? Mi lernas Esperanton jam unu jaron. – "Hello! My name is Anna and in May I will travel through Poland. Could you host me for two nights, from the 3rd to the 5th of May? I have been learning Esperanto for a year."

#What are the rules?

The site's terms and FAQ set these rules:

• Free accommodation. Guests may stay overnight without paying, by agreement. Hosts may not charge for the bed.
• Meals and extras are agreed separately. A host does not have to offer food and may ask for the cost of meals; settle this before you arrive.
• Hosts can say no. A host may refuse any request without explaining. If one declines, ask another.
• Guests follow the host's conditions as given in the profile and agreed in messages.
• No help with paperwork. Hosts are not expected to arrange visas or invitation letters. Guests deal with permits themselves.
• Only for hosting. The service may not be used for requests for help, pen friends, invitation letters, advertising or recruiting.
• No guarantees. The terms say the team cannot guarantee that the information is correct or accept responsibility for misuse. Users should report abuse to the team.

#How good must my Esperanto be?

The terms ask only for knowledge of Esperanto, with no test. In practice you need to introduce yourself, arrange dates in writing and keep up a simple conversation over a meal. In our estimate that is a realistic aim after finishing a beginner course such as our free 12-lesson course plus some speaking practice; see how long it takes to learn Esperanto. Learn the vocabulary of travel phrases before you go.

Hosts differ, so say your level in the first message and ask them to speak slowly. The site notes that hosts often help guests with transport and getting to know the place.

#How is it different from Couchsurfing?

Pasporta Servo is much smaller, so a small town may have no host. Its advantage is that every host speaks the language you are learning.

#Is Pasporta Servo safe?

Staying in a stranger's home always carries some risk, and the site does not promise protection. It provides profiles, the right of both sides to refuse and a team that takes abuse reports. Sensible habits help:

• Read the host's profile and write several messages first.
• Tell a friend where you will stay and send them the host's contact details.
• Consider a first meeting in a café; the site names this as one way for hosts to take part.
• Trust your instincts and leave if you feel uncomfortable.

Beware of scams. On 10–12 December 2025 criminals created several accounts, bypassing the protection against automated sign-ups, and sent fraudulent messages through the site, mostly in Esperanto, to steal credit card details. The team's advice: real confirmation requests arrive as direct emails, official links point to pasportaservo.org, and you should never enter personal or payment details on a page another user asks you to visit.

#How do I become a host?

Click "Register" on the site, complete your profile with a description, address, phone number and public email, and set your conditions. The full details are not shown to everyone without your consent. Being a host is voluntary and free, and you can mark dates when you are unavailable. You do not need to host in order to be a guest.

If you do not speak Esperanto yet, start with the free resources. Other ways to meet speakers first are clubs and events such as the World Esperanto Congress.

#Common questions

#Is Pasporta Servo free?

Yes. The service asks no money from hosts or guests, and hosts may not charge for lodging. A host may ask you to share the cost of meals, so agree this beforehand. Donations to TEJO are welcome but optional.

#Do I need to be fluent to use Pasporta Servo?

No official level is required, but both sides expect to speak Esperanto. If you can introduce yourself, make a request and talk simply for an evening, you can start. Say that you are a beginner in your first message.

#How many hosts does Pasporta Servo have?

More than 2,400 hosts in 121 countries and 1,801 cities, according to the website (announcement of 18 March 2026, still shown on 7 October 2026). Earlier figures were lower: 974 confirmed hosts in the 2017 printed book.

#Who runs Pasporta Servo?

The World Esperanto Youth Organisation (TEJO), with volunteers. TEJO is a youth organisation with an upper age limit of 35, but Pasporta Servo is open to adults too; the only age rule is a minimum of 16.

#How long can I stay with a host?

It depends on the host. Each profile states a limit: some hosts accept one night only, others do not mind how long you stay. Agree the number of nights before you come.

#Sources

• Pasporta Servo (home page and news of 18 March 2026: more than 2,400 hosts, 121 countries, 1,801 cities; retrieved 7 October 2026), with its About, FAQ and Terms pages
• Pasporta Servo news: Cyber-criminals attacked Pasporta Servo (12 December 2025) and Become a country organiser (30 May 2026)
• Vikipedio: Pasporta Servo (history and yearly statistics) and Wikipedia: Pasporta Servo
• Vikipedio: TEJO
• Wikipedia: Couchsurfing (launch, for-profit status, 2020 membership fee)