What your booking terms, invoice (factura) and guest registration mean

Terms used

• Fianza — The fianza is a deposit you pay the host as security, returned at the end of the stay if there is no damage.
• Factura — A factura is a full official invoice showing the issuer's tax details, the IVA and the total.
• IVA — IVA is Spain's value-added tax, added to the price of most goods and services.
• NIF — The NIF is the tax identification number of a person or company in Spain.

Key rules

• Written terms: Get price, dates, deposit, cancellation terms and the host's identity in writing before you pay.
• Factura: You can ask a professional host for a full factura instead of a simple receipt.
• Guest registration: Your host must send your identity data to the Ministry of the Interior within 24 hours of your arrival.
• Platform invoice: A platform invoices only its own fees, so the host still issues the factura for the stay.

Get the terms in writing before you pay

Ask the host or operator to confirm these by message, email or contract before any money moves:

• Guest names, number of guests, check-in and check-out dates and times, and the full address.
• The total price and what it includes (utilities, cleaning, tourist tax, IVA), plus any extras.
• The deposit or fianza: the amount, when it is due and how it is returned.
• The payment schedule and accepted payment methods.
• Cancellation and refund terms, including deadlines.
• The host's or operator's full name or company name, tax ID and contact details.
• For tourist lets, the regional tourist registration number. For short-term lets, also the national registry number.
• House rules (noise, smoking, pets, visitors, community rules) and an inventory with the condition of the property.
• How your guest data will be handled.

Also ask whether the stay is a tourist let, a seasonal let or a habitual-residence lease. The legal rules differ for each, so the label matters.

The checklist below lists the paperwork to keep as proof of your stay.

How to get a factura

You can ask for a factura instead of a simple ticket or receipt. A business or professional must issue one if you ask, and must always issue one if you are a business. A private host who is not a professional may not need to.

A proper factura shows:

• the issue date and invoice number;
• the issuer's name or company name, tax ID (NIF) and address;
• your name, NIF and address, if you need them for tax purposes;
• a description of the service, the taxable amount, the IVA rate and amount, and the total.

Give your details when you ask, and ask at the time of payment. You can still request it later, but only within 4 years.

The host or operator who provides the stay issues the factura. A booking platform issues its own invoice for its own fees.

Accommodation is normally charged 10% IVA. Whether IVA applies depends on the service. Tourist-use rentals can carry IVA, while genuine residential leases are exempt. Check the IVA line against what you were quoted.

Why the host registers you

Hosts in Spain must collect identity data from every guest aged 14 or over. They must send it to the Ministry of the Interior within 24 hours of your arrival. This applies to hotels, tourist lets, and rooms or homes rented for short and seasonal stays. It does not apply to ordinary habitual residential leases.

Expect to be asked for:

• your name, sex, nationality and date of birth;
• your ID or passport number;
• your home address, phone and email;
• the check-in and check-out dates and number of travellers;
• how you are paying, and the relationship to any minors with you.

Hosts keep this data for 3 years. A host can refuse you accommodation if you will not provide it, so this is not a request to push back on. Do ask how your data will be handled, as listed above.

Booking paperwork to keep as proof of your stay

• Written confirmation or contract showing both parties' full names and ID or company tax number, the exact property address and unit, check-in and check-out dates and times, number of guests, total price and what it includes, deposit, payment schedule, cancellation terms, type of let and house rules. A platform booking confirmation, or an email or WhatsApp message from the host, counts as writing. A verbal promise does not: it is very hard to prove the agreed price, deposit or end date, and it gives you nothing to use in a dispute or a refund claim.

• Registration numbers: the regional tourist licence number from the host, issued by the tourism register of the autonomous community, and the national registration number, which has been required since 1 July 2025 and is issued under the Ministry of Housing's national registry. An acceptable answer is a number given promptly, in the right format, that matches the register and the listing address. Unacceptable: no number, a claim that none is needed, or a number that is not found or does not match the address.

• Host or operator identity (name, ID or company tax number, contact), given by the host. An acceptable answer has the same name on the contract, the ID and the payment account. Unacceptable: a different name on the bank account, payment to a third party or another country, or pressure to pay by transfer, cash or crypto or to move off the platform.

• Exact address and unit, from the host or platform before you pay. An address that is only given after payment is a red flag. It lets you check the property in the Catastro (property register), but it does not prove the host has the right to rent it.

• A receipt or factura for each payment, including your deposit, from the host or operator (platform fees come from the platform). It proves what you paid and to whom, not the quality of the stay. A refusal to give a receipt or written terms is a reason to stop and not pay.

• House rules from the host and, for longer stays, the energy certificate and the community rules where relevant.

• If the host will not confirm in writing: insist on booking and confirming through the platform, or by email or WhatsApp, and pay nothing until you have written terms. If the host still refuses, walk away, because it is a strong warning of a scam or an unlicensed let. If you have already paid, keep all messages and proof, ask your bank or card issuer for a chargeback quickly, and report a scam to the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil.

• Cross-check each item independently: the regional tourist register for the licence, the national rental registry run with the Colegio de Registradores for the national number, the Registro de la Propiedad (a nota simple, which the owner can supply) and the Catastro for the property, platform verification for the host, the town hall for whether a registration is allowed, and your bank for payment safety. Report unlicensed lets to the regional tourism authority or your town hall's consumer office (OMIC).

• As a limit on what a booking proves: a short tourist booking usually cannot be used to register your address (empadronamiento) with the town hall, because tourist-licensed flats cannot legally serve as a residence. A longer seasonal or room rental with a written contract or the owner's signed consent often works, depending on the town.

• If you are not an EU citizen: keep a confirmed booking showing your name, dates and address, or a signed lease, for border checks and visa applications. Screenshots without name, dates or address, or cancelled refundable bookings, are commonly not accepted. Long-stay visas often need a lease or rental contract of several months, and the residence card (TIE) appointment usually asks for an empadronamiento certificate rather than a booking.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask for a factura instead of a simple receipt?

Yes, if the host or operator is a business or professional. Ask for a full factura showing the issue date, invoice number, the host's name, tax ID (NIF) and address, a description of the stay, the IVA rate and amount, and the total. A private host who is not a professional may not need to issue one.

How much IVA should I expect on the invoice?

Accommodation is normally charged 10% IVA. Genuine residential leases are exempt, and a platform issues its own separate invoice for its fees.

What extra details will the host ask for besides my ID?

Expect to give your address, phone, email, nationality, date of birth, the number of travellers and the payment method. If minors travel with you, the host also records how they are related to you.