Short-term letting in Spain: the rules.
In Spain, everything happens at regional level: the licence depends on the autonomous community, and several of them have turned off the tap. Here is where things stand.
The number you need
Where to apply: The authorities of your autonomous community
A licence that depends on your region
There is no single Spanish licence but seventeen separate regimes. The acronym changes with the autonomous community: VUT in Andalusia and Madrid, HUT in Catalonia, ETV in the Balearics. Conditions, timeframes and quotas change with it.
- You apply to the autonomous community, not the town hall
- The number you receive must appear on every listing
- Some municipalities add restrictions of their own
The regions that have turned off the tap
Several regions no longer issue new licences, or ration them. Catalonia has begun phasing out licences in Barcelona by 2028 and caps their duration in hundreds of municipalities. The Balearics apply a moratorium with a quota of places allocated by ballot. The Canaries have capped the share of tourist accommodation per area.
The national register, a story still unfolding
A national registration number was introduced in 2025, with an obligation on platforms to verify it. The Supreme Court, however, annulled the procedure behind this register in May 2026. The regional licence remains indispensable in every case: that is what to focus on, while checking the status of the national register at the time of your application.
Penalties
Letting without a licence exposes you to regional fines reaching several hundred thousand euros in the most serious cases, and to the immediate removal of your listings by the platforms.
And once you're compliant
Your number, your instructions, your rules: in the same place as everything else.
The welcome book shows what your guests need to know, in their language: the house rules, the recycling instructions, the quiet hours, and the registration number if you want to display it.
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