Getting a tourist rental licence in Spain

Key rules

• Registry number: Show your national registry number in every advert, or the advert can be removed and you can be fined.
• Fines: Regions set their own fines for letting without a licence, so check yours before advertising.
• Guest records: Guest details go to the police within 24 hours of arrival and must be kept for three years.
• Local bans: Some cities bar or freeze new tourist licences, so ask your town hall first.

What counts as a tourist let

A tourist let is a short-term let of a furnished home, promoted through tourist channels, for a commercial purpose. It follows tourism rules, which differ by region.

A seasonal lease is different. It is for a temporary need such as work, study or medical treatment, with a fixed term, and it is not a main residence. An ordinary lease is a main-residence lease with a minimum protected term. Seasonal lets still need a registry number (see below), but not a tourist licence.

The four things you need

You need all four before you advertise:

1. Regional authorisation. Your regional tourism authority registers or authorises tourist lets. Most regions use a declaración responsable. Catalonia requires a licence instead, and new ones are limited. Valencia, the Balearics, Madrid, Andalusia and the Canary Islands each add their own conditions, such as planning checks, caps on places or community-statute rules. Ask your regional tourism authority which route applies to you.
2. National registry number. Once you have your regional registration, apply online to the Registro Único de Arrendamientos. You must show the number in every advert, and platforms must verify it. Rules and deadlines for this registry have been challenged and changed, so confirm the current procedure before you apply.
3. Community consent. In a block of flats you need the prior consent of three-fifths of the owners. The community can also vote, by the same majority, to add a surcharge of up to 20 per cent on your community expenses. A ban voted by the community does not apply to an existing tourist flat unless you agree.
4. Local clearance. Your town hall's planning rules can bar tourist use in some zones, pause new licences or cap their number.

Where new licences are restricted

Several places have limited or frozen new tourist licences. They include Barcelona (licences phased out by 2028), Madrid (restrictions in the centre), Valencia city, Palma, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Málaga, Sevilla's centre, and parts of the Canary Islands and the Balearics. Details change often. Ask your town hall before you pay for anything.

After you start letting

Register every guest aged 14 or over through the Interior Ministry's SES.Hospedajes system. Send the details within 24 hours of arrival and keep the records for three years. If the statistics institute selects your property, you must also supply the data it asks for. Some regions also require a guest register book or tourist tax data.

What happens if you let without a licence

Fines are set by each region and vary widely, from a few thousand euros to tens of thousands. Serious cases in the Balearics can reach 400,000 euros. Missing or false registry numbers can also be fined nationally. Platforms must remove adverts without a number, and the authority can order the activity closed. You must also declare and pay tax on the income.

The steps, checklist and warnings below walk you through the order of work.

Getting a tourist-let licence, steps in order

Tourist-let licence, steps in order

• Check that your community of owners and building statutes allow tourist use, and get the three-fifths consent if your home is in a block of flats: first, before you spend money on anything else

• Check your town's planning rules for zoning bans, pauses on new licences or caps, and ask the town hall for a planning compatibility certificate: right after community consent, before you apply

• Confirm the home meets the technical requirements: habitability certificate (cédula de habitabilidad) where required, energy certificate and your region's minimum standards: before you lodge the application

• Gather your documents: ID, proof of ownership, insurance policy, community minutes, cadastral reference and the regional form: before you lodge the application

• Lodge the responsible declaration (declaración responsable) or apply for the licence with your regional or local tourism authority, usually online: once consent, planning checks and technical requirements are done

• Receive your regional tourism registration number: after the regional or local body approves your application

• Apply online for the national registry number through the Registro Único de Arrendamientos, using your regional registration and a digital certificate or Cl@ve access: after you have the regional number and before you advertise

• Show the registry number in every advert and on every booking platform: before and whenever you advertise

• Register for tax, take out insurance and register guests with the police: before your first guests arrive

• If the application is refused or the home is ineligible, do not advertise it as a tourist let. Appeal, or fix the problems and reapply: if you receive a refusal

• Ask for an optional administrative appeal against the refusal: usually within 1 month of the decision

• Go to the courts with a contentious-administrative appeal if the administrative appeal fails or you skip it: normally within 2 months of the decision

• Consider a long-term or genuine seasonal lease instead if a tourist licence is not possible: if you cannot fix the refusal

Checklist

• Ask your regional tourism authority whether you need a licence or a declaración responsable (a signed declaration that you meet the rules) and what special conditions your region has.

• Ask your town hall whether your city bars, freezes or caps new tourist licences before you pay for anything.

• Put the registry number in every advert and on every booking platform.

• Check your regional fine levels for letting without a licence before you start advertising.

What to watch out for

• Heavy fines for letting without a licence: Letting without a licence or registration is an offence under regional tourism laws. Fines run from a few thousand euros to about 40,000 euros or more, and up to 400,000 euros in serious cases in the Balearics. Get your regional registration before you advertise, and check your region's fine levels.

• Missing registry number: Missing or false use of a registry number can bring fines reported at up to 100,000 euros. Platforms must remove ads without a number, and the authority can order the activity closed. Get the number first and show it in every advert.

• Unpaid tax on the income: Income from an unlicensed let still counts for tax, and unpaid tax is a further risk on top of the fines. Declare the rental income and ask a tax adviser how to do it.

Frequently asked questions

Does a seasonal lease need a licence or registry number?

A seasonal lease does not need a tourist licence, but its owner still needs a national registry number. A seasonal lease is for work, study or medical needs with a fixed temporary term, outside tourism rules.

What happens to my guests' details after check-in?

You must send each guest's details to the police within 24 hours of arrival. This covers every guest aged 14 or over, through the Interior Ministry's online system called SES.Hospedajes.

Do I have to give statistics about my tourist let?

Yes, you must supply statistical data if the national or regional statistics institute selects your property for a tourist accommodation survey.