To obtain a tourist licence in Spain, first check that holiday rentals are permitted at your property’s address. Then prepare the documents required locally, complete any municipal permissions and follow your autonomous community’s tourism registration procedure. Your next step depends on where the property is and how you plan to rent it.
For a foreign owner, the most useful starting point is the exact address and intended rental use. A neighbour’s licence or a property advert describing a home as “ideal for Airbnb” does not establish that your application will be accepted.
What is a tourist licence in Spain?
A tourist licence, also called a holiday rental licence, is the everyday name for the authorisation or registration required under the relevant tourism rules. The formal procedure and accommodation category vary between regions.
Keep these checks separate when planning your application.
| Check | What you need to establish |
|---|---|
| Municipal planning | Whether the property can be used for tourist accommodation and which local permissions apply |
| Building rules | Whether community restrictions or an approval requirement affect the activity |
| Regional tourism procedure | Which accommodation category, standards and registration process apply |
| Advertising requirements | Which valid registration details must appear on your chosen booking channels |
How to get a tourist licence in Spain step by step
1. Check whether your property can qualify
Contact the town hall’s planning department before paying for a full application. Ask about the specific dwelling, rather than whether tourist rentals are generally allowed in the town.
Useful questions to take to that consultation are whether new tourist accommodation is permitted at the address, whether a suspension or zoning restriction affects it, and which report or permission you must obtain first. Explain if the property is rural, a converted commercial unit or part of a residential development, so the response addresses its actual circumstances.
If you are still in the process of buying a property in Spain, request this information before relying on holiday rental income in your purchase budget.
2. Check your community of owners
For properties governed by Spain’s national Horizontal Property Law, new tourist rental activity requires prior express community approval under the rules effective from 3 April 2025. The relevant majority is three-fifths of all owners, representing three-fifths of the participation quotas.
Ask the administrator for the statutes, relevant minutes and evidence of any approval. A general absence of complaints is insufficient. Owners already operating lawfully before the change have a specific transitional provision; check the dates and compliance history before relying on it. These rules appear in Spain’s Horizontal Property Law.
Where a different civil-law regime applies, obtain advice on that regime’s community rules.
3. Prepare the documents for your application
Build a working folder before opening the application form. Depending on the procedure, you may be asked for the following.
- The applicant’s identity and tax identification details.
- Evidence of ownership or the right to operate the accommodation.
- The property address and cadastral information.
- Occupancy or habitability documentation.
- Municipal permissions or a favourable compatibility report.
- Technical documents and insurance information where required.
- Evidence of community approval where applicable.
- Authority to act if a representative submits the paperwork.
Use this as a preparation checklist. Obtain the definitive list from the relevant authority, since the documents and circumstances in which they are required differ.
Keep the property description consistent across your paperwork. Before submitting, resolve discrepancies in the address, applicant or intended accommodation capacity.
4. Complete the regional tourism procedure
Your autonomous community’s official tourism portal explains the applicable process. In a declaración responsable procedure, you declare that you already meet the requirements and hold the supporting evidence.
Filing the declaration does not give you time to make an unsuitable property compliant afterwards. The administration can check the information and supporting documents. An essential omission or false statement can prevent the activity from continuing. The general framework is set out in Article 69 of Law 39/2015.
Save the submission receipt and monitor the notification channel you selected. If you appoint a representative, agree who will receive and answer requests for additional information.
5. Confirm your registration details before advertising
Check that the details you intend to publish match the accommodation’s valid registration and permitted capacity. Resolve any missing permission before accepting bookings.
Older guides may tell you to obtain a separate national NRA or NRUA through the Land Registry as a standard additional step. That advice needs updating. The Supreme Court judgment of 19 May 2026 annulled the provisions establishing that registration procedure and the associated Land Registry or Movable Property Registry obligation under Royal Decree 1312/2024. The ruling was published in June 2026.
Regional tourism requirements remain a separate matter. Before creating or changing a listing, check the competent authority’s current instructions and the platform’s registration fields. If you already have an NRA, retain the records and seek case-specific guidance before changing existing registration details.
6. Prepare to receive guests
Set up your guest reporting process before the first arrival. Spain’s accommodation reporting rules also cover relevant non-professional operators, although their record-keeping obligations differ from those of professional businesses.
Prepare a handover checklist covering access arrangements, emergency contacts, guest information, maintenance and the person responsible for resolving problems. Confirm the local requirements for complaint forms, signs and equipment as part of that preparation.
How much does a tourist licence cost in Spain?
There is no single nationwide price. For a useful budget, ask for a breakdown tied to the property and the work it needs.
| Budget item | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Administrative fees | Which municipal or regional charges apply to this application? |
| Certificates and reports | Which documents are missing, and who must issue them? |
| Property work | What must be repaired or adapted before submission? |
| Insurance | What cover is required and what does the annual premium include? |
| Professional assistance | Does the quote include eligibility checks, submission and responses to requests? |
A headline price for filing paperwork can leave out substantial preparation. Request separate figures for official charges, professional fees and any work to the property. Confirm whether VAT is included in the professional quote.
How long does it take, and when can you start renting?
Plan the timetable around the outstanding tasks. Collecting documents, obtaining municipal confirmation and arranging property work can take longer than submitting the tourism form.
Ask for separate estimates for preparation and the administrative stage. This makes a quoted timescale more useful than a single promise of a licence “within a few days”.
A valid responsible declaration can have effects from submission under the applicable rules, subject to checks. You must still meet the other conditions that apply to your activity. Confirm your lawful start date and advertising requirements for the specific property before opening a booking calendar.
Tourist licences in Costa Blanca and other Spanish regions
For a home in Torrevieja or elsewhere in Costa Blanca, consult the Valencian Community procedure together with the relevant town hall. The Generalitat requires a favourable municipal tourism-use compatibility report and supporting compliance declarations.
Its tourist-home rules cover whole-property stays of up to 10 consecutive days for the same guest; tourist room rentals are prohibited under this category. Registration generally has five-year validity, with exceptions and transitional rules. Changing ownership requires a new declaration under the applicable requirements. Check the Generalitat’s tourist-home registration procedure.
In Andalusia, the route includes a declaration for the Registro de Turismo de Andalucía, and municipal planning restrictions still matter. Rural accommodation can require a different category under the Andalusian tourist-home rules. Our guide to holiday rental licences in Andalusia develops that regional context.
For a home elsewhere in Spain, use the same initial questions but obtain the local answers. Avoid applying one region’s stay limits, forms or renewal rules to another.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreign owner apply?
Foreign ownership does not itself establish eligibility or rule it out. Check the applicant identification requirements and whether you or an authorised operator will hold the registration. A representative may assist where the procedure allows it.
Can I apply online?
Online filing is available for procedures such as the Valencian tourist-home registration. Check the accepted electronic identification and representation requirements before you start.
Does a property with an existing licence need checking before purchase?
Yes. Request the registration record and check the owner, operator, capacity and conditions. Ask what must happen after the sale; an existing registration should not be treated as a guarantee that you can continue unchanged.
Can I use Airbnb without the required tourist registration?
A platform listing does not establish that your accommodation is authorised. Meet the tourism and municipal rules that apply to the property before offering it for holiday stays.
Help with your tourist licence in Costa Blanca
If you need help identifying the next administrative step, contact Advisors Costa Blanca about your property. Include the municipality, property type and any existing tourism registration so the discussion starts with your actual situation.
