Tourist license in Spain — requirements, price and process

Want to rent out your Spanish property short-term via Airbnb, Booking.com or similar platforms? Then you need a tourist license — and the rules vary markedly from region to region.

What is a tourist license?

A tourist license (licencia turística, vivienda de uso turístico or an equivalent term depending on the region) is an official permit from the regional authorities to rent out your property short-term to tourists. Without a valid license, short-term rental is illegal — and fines can be substantial (typically 10,000-300,000 EUR depending on region and the severity of the breach).

The rules are regional — not national

It is essential to understand that Spain does not have one national set of rules for tourist rentals. It is the autonomous regions that legislate, and the rules vary markedly:

Andalusia (Costa del Sol): Registration with the Junta de Andalucía is required. A relatively straightforward process, but municipalities can impose further restrictions.
Valencia (Costa Blanca): Requires registration with the Generalitat Valenciana. Municipalities such as Alicante and Benidorm have introduced quotas and zoning.
The Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Ibiza): Extremely restrictive rules with a moratorium on new licenses in many municipalities — very hard to get a new license here.
Catalonia/Barcelona: Saturation zones and a freeze on new licenses in most city districts.

Requirements for the property

Typical requirements for obtaining a tourist license include:

The property must have a valid occupancy certificate (cédula de habitabilidad / licencia de primera ocupación)
Fire safety equipment (smoke alarm, fire extinguisher) in line with regional requirements
Registration of all guests with the police (mandatory in Spain — done via a digital platform)
A visible notice with emergency numbers, house rules and the license number

What does a tourist license cost?

The registration fee itself is typically low — 100-500 EUR depending on region and property type. The cost of meeting the requirements (fire equipment, any building upgrades) can, however, exceed the fee itself. If you use a gestoria to handle the application, the fee is typically 200-500 EUR.

Check before you buy: Before buying a property specifically for rental purposes, find out whether licenses are available in that particular area. In many popular tourist municipalities the quotas are full, and you cannot expect to get a new license.

Consequences of renting out without a license

Enforcement has tightened markedly in recent years. Airbnb and Booking.com are legally required to cooperate with the authorities and share information about hosts. Fines can run into hundreds of thousands of euros, and in some cases the property can be banned from rental for a period. This is no longer something you can "risk getting away with" to the same degree as before.

Frequently asked questions about the tourist license

Can you take over an existing tourist license when buying a property?

In many regions the license is tied to the property and can be transferred on sale. This is an important point to clarify with the seller and your lawyer, and it can genuinely increase the property's market value markedly in quota-restricted municipalities.

Does the tourist license requirement apply to long-term rentals?

No — the tourist license rules only apply to short-term rentals (typically defined as under 31 days). Long-term rental is regulated by the Spanish tenancy law (Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos) and does not require a tourist license.

What is the easiest region to get a tourist license in?

Andalusia (Costa del Sol) and the Valencia region (Costa Blanca) are generally the most accessible for new licenses, although certain municipalities here have also begun introducing restrictions. The Balearics are by far the hardest.