What is a host agency agreement?
Independent travel advisors usually book through a host agency: the host holds the supplier relationships and agency identifiers, pays out commission and provides booking tools, training and back-office support. The advisor brings the clients and the selling. It works well until someone leaves, a supplier claws back commission, or there is an argument about whose clients they really are. Putting the arrangement in writing at the start avoids most of that.
This template sets the advisor up as an independent contractor using the host's identifiers and tools, with a percentage split of the commission the host actually receives, an optional membership or technology fee, and a payout deadline with statements. It covers commission recalls, service fees, how client money is handled, who owns the client relationships, seller-of-travel registrations and insurance, honest selling and travel insurance offers, confidentiality, and leaving: notice, continuing commission on existing bookings, moving future bookings and a no-poaching promise about other advisors.
- Best for
- Host travel agencies onboarding independent and home-based advisors
- Signed by
- The host agency and the travel advisor
- Money
- Advisor's percentage of commission received, optional host fee, payout deadline
- Length
- About 3 pages, initialled on every page
When to use a host agency agreement
- A new home-based advisor joining a host agency for supplier access
- An experienced advisor moving their book of clients to a different host
- A host agency replacing informal onboarding emails with a signed agreement
- A small agency taking on independent contractors alongside its own staff
- An advisor with a niche, such as cruises or destination weddings, joining a specialist host
What you fill in
16 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: host agency, travel advisor.
1 The parties
- Date of this agreement*
- Host agency (legal name)*
- Host agency address
- Travel advisor (person or business)*
- Advisor's trading name (optional)
- Advisor address
2 Supplier access
- Booking tools and support the host provides*
3 Money
- Advisor's share of commission (%)*
- Currency*
- Fee the advisor pays the host (optional)
- Fee is charged per month · per year · once, on joining
- Host pays the advisor's share within (days of receiving the commission)*
- Service fees the advisor charges clients* belong to the Advisor in full · are split in the same way as commission · are not allowed without the Host's approval
4 Clients
- Who owns the client relationships?* the Advisor · the Host
5 Leaving
- Notice to leave or end the agreement (days)*
- Governing law*
6 Who signs
- Host agency signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The person signing for the host travel agency.
- Travel advisor signature and date, initials on every page · The independent advisor, signing personally or for their own travel business.
What the host agency agreement covers
- Affiliation
- Supplier access and tools
- Commission and fees
- Client money
- Clients
- Licences, insurance and conduct
- Confidentiality
- Leaving the Host
- General
Using the host agency agreement, step by step
1 Name the parties
Enter the host agency and the advisor, and the advisor's trading name if they use one.
2 List tools and set the split
Describe the booking tools, supplier programmes and support the host provides. Enter the advisor's percentage of commission, any host fee and how quickly the host pays out after receiving commission.
3 Decide client ownership and service fees
Choose whether the advisor or the host owns the client relationships, and whether service fees the advisor charges are theirs alone, split or need approval.
4 Set notice and sign
Pick the notice period and governing law, then send for signature. Both parties initial every page and the signed copy is stored in your vault.
Tips before you send it
- Registration rules for sellers of travel differ widely. Some places require registration, a licence, a bond or a consumer fund contribution. Check what applies where each of you is based and where your clients are.
- Commission is only real once the supplier pays it. Make sure the advisor understands that recalls after cancellations come off later payouts.
- Keep client card details inside approved booking systems. Storing them in email or spreadsheets is a common way data gets lost.
- Agree what happens to future bookings when an advisor leaves before they do. Supplier rules on transferring bookings between agencies vary.
Sign it online in minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Host agency agreement: frequently asked questions
Is a host agency advisor an employee?
Not under this template. The advisor is an independent contractor who controls their own hours, methods and marketing, and handles their own taxes. Whether that holds in practice depends on the real relationship and local law.
Who keeps the clients if the advisor leaves?
You choose. With the advisor owning the relationships, they can take their client list with them. With the host owning them, clients the advisor lists in writing within 30 days of signing stay theirs.
Does the advisor still get paid on trips booked before leaving?
Yes. The host keeps paying the advisor's share when it receives the commission, unless the agreement ended because of the advisor's dishonesty.
Can the host charge a monthly fee?
Yes. Add an optional fee per month, per year or once on joining. The host can deduct an unpaid fee from commission.