Tourist license in Spain – when is it required and how to obtain it?

You are the owner of an apartment or house on the Costa del Sol or in another region of Spain, planning to rent it out and wondering when a tourist license in Spain is mandatory, what the procedure looks like, and how much a tourist license in Spain costs? You’ve come to the right place. In 2025 and 2026, regulations in many autonomous communities have been tightened, and lacking a license can mean hefty fines and removal of listings from platforms such as Airbnb or Booking. You can read more about legislative changes on our blog.

What is a tourist license in Spain?

A tourist license in Spain is an official administrative approval for short-term rental of a property for tourism purposes. Depending on the region, it may be called, among others:

• VUT – Vivienda de Uso Turístico
• VFT – Vivienda con Fines Turísticos
• ETV, VV or other acronyms typical for the given community.

Regardless of the name, the goal is one: to regulate the vacation rental market and ensure a minimum standard for guests. That is why the tourist license in Spain has become a key element of legal rentals today.

The main features of the tourist license:

• it is usually assigned to a specific property (not just to the owner’s person), 
• it assigns a registration number that must appear in listings,  
• confirms that the property meets minimum technical and formal standards,  
• allows legal offering of short-term rentals to tourists.

In many municipalities, lack of a license means listings can be removed from portals, and the owner faces financial penalties. Therefore, a tourist license in Spain today is not an “add-on,” but a basis for a safe investment model.

Which types of properties are required to have a license?

When a tourist license in Spain is required depends on:

• the region (autonomous community),  
• the type of property,  
• the method and length of the rental.

Most often a tourist license is required when:

1. You rent out the property for short periods: usually up to 30 or 90 days at a time, depending on local regulations.  

2. The rental is “vacation”: targeted at tourists, mainly offered through booking platforms.  

3. The property is in a residential zone, not typically hotel or aparthotel.

The obligation to have a license concerns, among others:

• apartments and flats in multifamily buildings,  
• townhouses, villas, and detached houses,  
• certain premises in multifunctional buildings if they are used typically for tourism.

If you are interested in renting a house in Spain in a vacation model, a license is practically necessary to avoid problems. More about organizing house rentals can be found here: Renting a house in Spain – everything you should know before becoming a tenant

When might a tourist license in Spain not be required?

For long-term “classic” rentals (contracts for many months or years, with registration, without tourist turnover), when the property is used exclusively for the owner’s and family’s own needs or when the building falls under another regime (e.g. hotel, aparthotel with its own regulation).

Before making an investment decision, it is worth checking local regulations and the homeowners’ association bylaws to see if it is even allowed in the given residential complex — today this is one of the key questions when buying.

Which administrative bodies issue tourist licenses in Spain?

The tourist license in Spain is primarily the competence of regional authorities; each autonomous community (e.g., Andalusia, Valencia, Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands) has its own regulations and registration procedures.

Most often involved in the process are:

• regional tourism offices – they maintain the registers of tourist apartments and assign numbers,  
• municipalities (Ayuntamiento) – define local development plans, zones, restrictions, and may introduce moratoria on new licenses,  
• homeowners’ associations (Comunidad de Propietarios) – in many regions have the right to introduce bans or restrictions on tourist rentals in buildings.

In Andalusia and on the Costa del Sol it looks like this:

• the register is kept by Junta de Andalucía (Registro de Turismo de Andalucía),  
• some municipalities (Malaga, Fuengirola, or Manilva) have limited issuing new licenses,  
• the homeowners’ association may, with a specified voting majority, prohibit tourist activity in the building, which practically prevents obtaining a license.

Therefore, before purchasing an investment property, analyzing profitability alone is not enough. It is also necessary to check whether a tourist license in Spain is realistically available in the area, and whether the community has imposed restrictions.

What documents are needed to obtain a tourist license?

The list of documents varies by region, but in practice, to obtain a tourist license in Spain, most often you need:

1. Proof of ownership document: notarized deed (escritura) or current excerpt from the property register.

2. Owner’s identification document: DNI/NIE for individuals or company details and representative for legal entities.

3. Plan or layout of the property showing the area, room arrangement, and maximum number of persons.

4. Confirmation of meeting technical requirements

In many regions, required are:  

• a permanent air conditioning/heating system in living rooms and bedrooms,  
• adequate space per person,  
• windows ensuring ventilation and daylight access,  
• basic furnishings (furniture, appliances, safety measures).

5. Official declarations and forms: the so-called Declaración Responsable, which is a declaration of responsible legal operation, as well as registration forms for the tourism register.

6. Community consent (if required)

In some autonomous communities and municipalities:  

• sometimes it is enough that the community bylaws don’t prohibit it,  
• usually a positive resolution allowing tourist activity is required.

7. Registration number for the activity (NRUA / other systems): increasingly, besides the regional license, an entry in a nationwide short-term rental registry is required, integrating data from booking platforms.

It is worth remembering that obtaining the license is only the first step. There are ongoing obligations: guest registration, annual reports, tax settlements. If you plan to rent an apartment in Spain, be sure to also check how this connects with the Polish tax system:  Renting an apartment in Spain and taxes in Poland – a practical guide.

How long does the process of obtaining a tourist license take?

These are the most frequently asked questions: how long does one wait for a tourist license in Spain and how much does a tourist license in Spain cost?

The duration of the process depends on the region, workload of offices, completeness of documents, possible local restrictions (moratoria, license limits).

In practice, it most often looks like this:

1. Document preparation: from a few days to several weeks, if additional certificates or adaptation of the property to technical requirements is needed (e.g., installation of air conditioning).  

2. Submission of application / Declaración Responsable often done electronically. 

3. Assignment of registration number in many regions happens relatively quickly, but full technical verification and possible inspections may lengthen the process. 

4. Possible supplements and corrections: if the office requests missing elements, the process is extended.

On average, expect from several weeks to a few months. In places with high tourist pressure (e.g., certain parts of the Costa del Sol or Barcelona) and with tightened regulations, procedures may take longer or be temporarily suspended for new licenses.

If you wonder how to check if a property already has a tourist license or has a real chance to obtain one, in practice the best is to:

• ask for the registration number when buying (for existing licenses),  
• analyze the community bylaws and meeting minutes,  
• consult the situation with a local lawyer and real estate advisor.

Summary: tourist license in Spain as an essential foundation for a safe investment

The new legal reality makes the tourist license in Spain today one of the key elements of planning an investment in vacation rentals. It is a condition for:

• legal advertising on booking platforms,  
• avoiding fines and administrative problems,  
• building a long-term, predictable income model.

If you are considering how to rent an apartment in Spain or to build a real estate portfolio for tourist rental, start by understanding local rules and license availability. A well-prepared strategy, the right choice of location, and the support of an experienced local team make short-term rental in Spain still very profitable—provided you operate legally.

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