Do I need a licence to rent my Spanish property to tourists?

The region sets the rules

Spain has no single tourist-let licence. Each autonomous community writes its own regulation, and town halls can add zoning on top. Before you take a first booking, check two layers: the regional registration and any municipal planning restriction.

What the main regions ask for

These are summaries. The rules change often, so always confirm the current text before you start.

• Comunitat Valenciana (Alicante, Valencia, Castellón): registration in the regional tourism register. Since a 2024 decree-law, a municipal report on urban compatibility is needed, registrations last five years and must be renewed, and stays of more than ten days with one tenant no longer count as tourist lets. Towns such as Benidorm, Torrevieja and Dénia apply their own limits.
• Región de Murcia: prior declaration and entry in the regional register, equipment standards and display of the number.
• Andalucía: registration in the Andalusian tourism register before advertising; since 2024 towns may limit tourist homes by area, and Málaga and Sevilla already do.
• Illes Balears: the strictest system, with a licence linked to a limited pool of beds, island-level zoning, a ban in Palma's multi-family buildings and a moratorium on new places since 2022.
• Canarias: registration with the island authorities, and a 2025 law allowing towns to zone and cap holiday homes.
• Catalunya: a municipal licence with an HUT number, renewable every five years in municipalities with housing stress; Barcelona is phasing out tourist flats by November 2028.
• Comunidad de Madrid: declaration and registration, plus a planning licence and central restrictions in Madrid city.

The national register, largely annulled

A national rental register was added in 2025, but the Tribunal Supremo annulled most of it in May 2026; only the data exchange with platforms survives, and the regional permit remains mandatory. Check the current rule. See the national rental register.

Licence and tax are separate

A licence does not file your taxes, and paying tax does not make an unlicensed let legal. Fines for advertising without registration can be heavy. Once you are licensed, the rent goes on Modelo 210, as explained in how holiday lets are taxed. Our guide to tourist licences and the single register walks through each step.