Are you looking to rent out your vacation home on Airbnb and wondering what the requirements are for obtaining a Spanish tourist license? This guide covers all the requirements that vary by Spanish region.
To apply for the tourist license, you will need to submit a form with your information and the property’s information. You must also provide a map of the exact location, as well as other documents like photographs and descriptions.
After you have submitted the required documentation, the local government will issue a tourist license number (usually for autonomous communities), which you must always show when renting out your home. This is an essential step for any property that wants to be rented as a vacation rental and must be obtained before it can be advertised or booked.
What happens if I rent out without a tourist license?
Failure to comply with this requirement may lead to administrative sanctions or even criminal liability. Therefore, it is important that you thoroughly review the regulations of each Community, which we will do in this article, where you will be able to solve many of your doubts.
In general, in Spain there are different types of housing for tourist use. Although these may vary depending on the Autonomous Communities (for example, “Masía” in Catalonia or “Caserio” in the Basque Country) there are usually two types of housing:
- Rural houses: Independent housing consisting of one or more bedrooms, and at least one kitchen and one bathroom
- Rural apartments: Unlike rural houses, these do not have to be independent. It can be a bedroom with a bathroom, for example. This type of accommodation is not always accepted when granting a tourist license in all Communities, as we will see later.
There are also other terms to refer to tourist homes and “holiday homes” (“casas de vacaciones”) such as mixed tourist developments, tourist accommodation, youth hostels, holiday homes, seasonal apartments, etc.
What requirements must be met to obtain a tourist home?
Depending on the Spanish autonomous community (comunidad autónoma), there may be different requirements to obtain tourist properties. Normally, the owner must provide proof of ownership (for example, a deed), a valid tax identification number and an energy efficiency certificate.
Also, you may have to apply for a rental license from the town hall in order to legally advertise your property and rent it out.
Tourist license by autonomous community
Tourist housing license in Andalusia
If you want to have a tourist home in Andalusia you must meet the following main requirements:
- Present a responsible declaration of your tourist home.
- Obtain a tourist housing license from the municipal government.
- Register in the Andalusian public tourism registry.
- Have your property certified by an accredited energy efficiency evaluator.
- Have valid civil liability insurance that covers damages that may be caused to third parties during the use of your rental.
If you want to see the complete requirements, click here.
Tourist housing license in Aragon
If you want to have a tourist home in Aragon, you must meet the requirements below. The requirements are a little different from those of other autonomous communities.
- Responsible declaration of housing for tourist use.
- Obtain the corresponding license from the Provincial Council (Diputación Provincial).
- Check with your town hall and meet the requirements you may have for tourist homes.
- Have valid civil liability insurance that covers damages that may be caused to third parties during the use of your rental.
If you want to see the complete requirements, click here.
Tourist housing license in Asturias
To list your vacation rental property in Asturias, you must meet specific regulations and obtain the corresponding license. The primary requirements are as follows:
- Standard Responsible Declaration (Declaración Responsable).
- List of rooms, detailing the surface, squares and services they are equipped with.
- Plans of interior distribution of the plant in which the destination and surface of each dependency will be indicated.
- Copy of the title that certifies that the house is available.
- Accreditation of compliance with municipal regulations: Municipal opening license, Taking due to the activity [Toma en razón de la actividad], Certificate of Conformity or Resolution [Acta de Conformidad o Resolución] as determined by municipal regulations, in the name of the natural or legal person declaring the activity.
If you want to see the complete requirements, click here.
Tourist housing license in the Balearic Islands
If you are hoping to get a tourist license for the Balearic Islands, keep in mind that on February 14, 2022, the Habtur law came into force. This moratorium will last for four years, and no new tourist licenses will be granted during this time.
The changes proposed by the government will have a significant impact on vacation rental businesses, despite the denial of any negative consequences.
If you want more information, click here.
Tourist housing license in the Canary Islands
Decree 113/2015, the law that regulates vacation rentals in the Canary Islands, requires the owner of the house to obtain a tourist license in order to ensure that their activity is legal and authorized.
However, a peculiarity of the Canary Islands is that the rules differ slightly according to each local government. In general, you need the following to obtain a tourist license:
- Responsible declaration of your tourist home (the models vary depending on the island).
- Declaration of occupation of property or facilities in accordance with article 166-bis of the Territorial Planning Text of the Canary Islands [Texto de Ordenación del Territorio de Canarias].
- Copy of the title that certifies possession.
- Energy Efficiency Certificate.
- Liability insurance.
If you want to start the process, click here.
Tourist housing license in Cantabria
Cantabria’s tourist home regulations are described in decree 225/2019. The following new features have been introduced:
- It cannot be a Protected Home [Vivienda Protegida].
- You must have a telephone number for immediate connection.
- It must have a certificate of occupancy.
- As a Cantabrian particularity, a fire extinguisher must be available for each floor of the tourist accommodation.
- Notify the concierge that the tourist housing activity is beginning.
If you want to start the process on the official website of the Cantabrian government, click here.
Tourist housing license in Castilla La Mancha
To be able to both get a tourist license and rent your home for tourist purposes in Castilla La Mancha, your home must abide by the minimum requirements set in Decree 36/2018.
This Decree was put into place on May 29th and it establishes how tourist apartments and houses will be managed in Castilla-La Mancha. These requirements are:
- Valid rental license number.
- Responsible declaration in standardized model.
- Copy of the Title that proves the possession or use of the property.
- Certificate or Document of a Technical Professional that certifies that it complies with the legal requirements and guarantees its good state of conservation and maintenance.
If you want to consult in more depth the official document by which the apartments and tourist homes of Castilla La Mancha are ordered and regulated, click here.
Tourist housing license in Castilla y León
If you want to rent your property or the one you manage on a vacation, you have to know that in Castilla y León there are also a series of particular requirements to obtain a tourist license. However, most of these meet common criteria such as:
- Responsible declaration of houses for tourist use in standard model.
- Communication regarding modifications and cessation of activity.
- Present the data incorporation model.
- Copy of the title that proves the possession or use of the property.
- Certificate or Document of a Technical Professional that certifies that it meets the legal requirements and guarantees its good state of conservation and maintenance.
If you want to access the process or find out about the requirements, click here.
Tourist housing license in Catalonia
To obtain a tourist license in Catalonia, you must follow these steps:
- Submit a responsible statement in a standardized model.
- That your home is approved in the VUT registry (Homes for tourist use).
- That you have an opening license, which will be granted by the municipal government after verifying that all the requirements are met. In Catalonia, the municipalities have their own regulations.
If you want to rent your Barcelona property for vacation use, you will first have to check the requirements of PEUAT. PEUAT is the law that governs tourist licenses in Barcelona. In fact, there are areas of town where granting licenses is not allowed at all anymore.
If you want to find more official information, click here.
Tourist housing license in the Valencian Community
Decree 10/21, from the year 2021, regulates holiday homes in the Valencian Community and imposes a series of requirements to obtain a tourist license. This decree also makes changes regarding its predecessor:
- All regulations are unified.
- Now you have to have insurance according to maximum admissible places.
- In addition, it is no longer allowed to grant tourist licenses to accommodations that only rent rooms.
- All communications will be online.
If you want more information, click here.
Tourist housing license in Extremadura
The law in Extremadura that controls the tourist licenses is called Regulation 2/2011. This was last changed in 2018. The Tourist Regulations have many categories of accommodation which you can look at here.
- In general, if you want to obtain a tourist license in Extremadura you must meet the following requirements to obtain said license:
- You will have to choose the form of accommodation that best suits your property in Extremadura, as there is a difference between the types available.
- You must register the property in the LAU.
- You must present documents such as the deed of the house, responsible declaration, long-term lease contract, NIF/DNI of the applicant.
- In addition, you must show a plate at the entrance of your holiday home.
- As in other communities, you must also have civil liability insurance.
Tourist housing license in Galicia
In Galicia, if you want to obtain a tourist license for your holiday apartment, you must apply for it using procedures TU986D and TU984F.
What sets Galicia community apart is that it regularly grants licenses to those who wish to become tourism professionals. In Galicia, the decree regulating the granting of tourist licenses is 12/2017.
Some of the requirements to register your home in Galicia as holiday accommodation are the following:
- You must have an adequate heating system, especially in winter.
- This rental property must be rented per unit, and it cannot be divided into rooms. It must also have an independent entrance.
- You must prove the certificate of occupancy, as well as the deed or lease document.
- It must be properly furnished and equipped for the enjoyment and comfort of guests.
- Regular documentation must be presented (responsible statement, NIF of the owner and/or manager, of the legal entity of the company, etc.).
Tourist housing license in La Rioja
To get a tourist housing license in La Rioja, you need to meet the same standards as the rest of Spain. This includes agreeing to a responsibility declaration for all tourist homes, being open about any changes or stopping of activity, presenting data incorporation forms and having a title copy that proves you own or can use the home.
The Decree that regulates the management of tourist homes in La Rioja is dated 10/2017. Here you can request the start of the process.
Tourist housing license in the Community of Madrid
To obtain the tourist license in the Community of Madrid you must present the following documents:
- Form duly completed (below we indicate the link so you can make the request).
- NIF/DNI of the applicant.
- Deed of incorporation of the company, if necessary.
- A document that proves that the property for which the tourist license is requested is managed or owned (deed, lease or assignment contract).
- DNI or Passport of the administrator of the company.
Request the start of the tourist license process here.
Tourist housing license in Navarra
The decree that regulates tourist apartments in the Foral Community of Navarra, as well as the applications, is 230/2011. This decree specifies a series of conditions for the granting of tourist licences:
- A unique difference in Navarra is that there are two types of tourist housing: “apartments” and “tourist flats”.
- The tourist flats will be classified into several categories, according to their quality and services.
- You must register said home in the Tourism Registry of the Foral Community of Navarra.
- It is not allowed to rent your home only for a short period of time (for example, San Fermines) without complying with the regular regulations.
- In addition to the standard documents (ID, responsible statement, lease, property deed…), you must also submit a civil liability insurance contract.
If you want to start the process to obtain a tourist license in Navarra, click here.
Tourist housing license in the Region of Murcia
The regulation that controls tourist housing licenses in the Region of Murcia is 256/2019. This Decree includes several additions concerning the former Tourism Law:
- You must present a Responsible Declaration to obtain your tourist license.
- The Murcia region has a tourist registration process that is unique in that all homes up for registration must be submitted in Excel format. The cadastral reference must also be included.
- Regular documentation: civil liability insurance, lease or property deed, DNI/NIF of the applicant.
- Documentation referring to the legal personality of the owner or of the Company, if it has been established.
To start the process of your tourist license, click here.
Tourist housing license in the Basque Country
Decree 101/2018 regulates the obtaining of tourist licenses in the Basque Country. What makes this decree different from others is that you must have civil liability insurance, in addition to the standard required documents.
It’s important to keep in mind that, similar to Catalonia, town halls can also pass legislation at the municipal level. Some town halls, Bilbao for example, have specific requirements for obtaining a tourist license.
Consequently, a set of documents is required:
- Responsible declaration of the beginning of the tourist activity.
- Liability insurance.
- Registration in the register of companies and tourist activities of Euskadi.
- Municipal tax paid.
- DNI/NIF of the applicant.
If you want to consult information officially, click here.
Conclusion
In order to understand what you need to do, search for the requirements of the Spanish autonomous community that is applicable to you. However, once you do, you can apply for your tourist license number which is necessary to rent out a vacation rental apartment in Spain.
Just because you don’t know the law, doesn’t mean you’re exempt from following it. For this reason, it is recommended that if you have any questions regarding obtaining a tourist license, you consult professional experts in the field. This way you will ensure that you are on the right track and that you have all the documentation in order.
Your.Rentals is a property management system with deep roots in Spain. We have a native Spanish team and other co-official languages in Spain that will allow us to help you in the cumbersome process of obtaining a tourist license as well as provide you with certain information.
Furthermore, the Spanish Your.Rentals team will help you post your listings on numerous platforms for more significant exposure and bookings.
Every day we help thousands of vacation rental owners and managers in Spain to increase their reservations and business management, model.
Even though we have a native and experienced team in Spain, this guide does not exempt you from consulting with a professional who has the legal knowledge and can help you obtain the tourist license.
We hope that reading our article has resolved many of the questions you had.
