OYO and unmarried couples: what the policy actually says in 2026

The 2026 status, in one box

OYO accepts unmarried couples across India, the way it has for years: through properties tagged “OYO welcomes couples” and its couple-friendly booking features. The exception is Meerut, where since January 2025 partner hotels may require all couples to show valid proof of relationship at check-in and may decline unmarried couples at their discretion. OYO said at the time it might extend the policy to other cities based on feedback. Eighteen months on, we can find no announcement extending it anywhere, no announcement withdrawing it, and no follow-up statement from OYO at all. That silence is the current policy.

The full timeline, dated

• 2016 to 2017: OYO launches couple-friendly booking, documents its app’s Relationship Mode (the support article, still live, was last updated in October 2016), and builds the “OYO welcomes couples” tag.
• December 2019: the Madras High Court (Justice M.S. Ramesh) states plainly that “there are no laws or regulations forbearing unmarried persons of the opposite sex to occupy hotel rooms as guests,” and calls the sealing of premises over an unmarried couple totally illegal.
• First week of January 2025: OYO directs partner hotels in Meerut, with immediate effect, to require valid proof of relationship from all couples at check-in, including online bookings, and gives those hotels discretion to decline unmarried couples “in line with local social sensibility.” OYO’s statement, from its North India region head: “OYO is committed to upholding safe and responsible hospitality practices. While we respect individual freedoms and personal liberty, we also recognise our responsibility to listen to and work with the law enforcement and civil society groups in the micro markets we operate in. We will continue to review this policy and its impact periodically.”
• Mid-January 2025: ground reporting from Meerut (CNN) finds hotel managers split, some relieved to have cover, some plainly saying unmarried couples are not welcome.
• February 2025 to July 2026: nothing. No expansion, no rollback, no new statement, no reported enforcement incidents that we could find. OYO’s national couples page stays live throughout.

Relationship Mode and the couple filters, as OYO documents them

OYO’s support site still documents Relationship Mode in three steps: open My Account, set marital status to Single, and switch on Relationship Mode (the purple heart at the bottom). It also describes a “Localite” option for booking in the city your ID comes from. One honest caveat: that documentation was last updated in 2016, and we cannot verify how the toggle appears in current app builds. The mechanism OYO promotes most consistently today is simpler: search with the “OYO welcomes couples” filter and book properties carrying that tag, which commit to hassle-free couple check-in with valid IDs, including local IDs.

Your rights, and the sentence that limits them

The law is on your side: no Indian law prohibits two adults from sharing a hotel room, and the Madras High Court said so in terms in 2019. But there is a second sentence that matters just as much, and it comes from OYO’s own couples page: checking in a couple “is at the discretion of the hotel owners / managers.” A hotel is a private establishment with a right of admission. Legal to stay does not mean a specific hotel must host you. That gap between your rights and a desk clerk’s discretion is exactly why booking a couple-tagged property beats walking in, and why our booking-apps comparison exists.

What to expect at check-in

If you are refused at the desk

Stay calm and ask whether the refusal is the hotel’s policy or a document question, because those have different fixes. Escalate to OYO support from the lobby: a prepaid booking a partner hotel refuses to honour is exactly what their support process is for, and ask for rebooking or a refund on the spot. Then book smarter next time: the couple-tagged properties, or the hourly platforms whose whole model is couple acceptance. Our comparison of Bag2Bag, Brevistay, OYO and FabHotels shows which to open first, and our city guides list couple-friendly stays in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Goa.

Common questions

Is OYO banning unmarried couples in India?

No. The proof-of-relationship rule applies only to partner hotels in Meerut, announced January 2025. Everywhere else, OYO’s stated policy is unchanged: couples welcome at tagged properties, valid photo ID for both guests. Individual hotels always retain check-in discretion.

Does OYO ask for a marriage certificate?

Not nationally: no marriage proof is part of OYO’s standard policy anywhere outside Meerut. In Meerut, partner hotels may require “valid proof of relationship,” and OYO has never publicly defined which documents qualify, so call the property and ask.

Is Relationship Mode still available in the OYO app?

OYO still documents it on its support site, but that documentation dates to 2016 and we cannot verify current app builds. The reliably available mechanism is the “OYO welcomes couples” search filter.

Which cities require proof of relationship at OYO hotels?

Only Meerut, as of July 2026. OYO said expansion would depend on ground feedback; in eighteen months, none has been announced.

Can a hotel legally refuse an unmarried couple?

A private hotel has a right of admission, and OYO’s own page says check-in is at the owner’s discretion. Your stay is legal; their obligation to host you is not automatic. Booking couple-tagged properties closes that gap in practice.

Is it illegal for an unmarried couple to share a hotel room?

No. The Madras High Court said in 2019 that no law forbids unmarried adults from occupying a hotel room as guests. A refusal is hotel policy, not the law.