The Rules for Getting a Tourist Licence

If you're looking to rent out your property to tourists in Spain on a site such as Airbnb, it's important to know all the rules and regulations. Find out all the requirements you'll need to get a tourist licence in each region in Spain.

Many people looking to buy in Spain may want to buy a Spanish property as an investment and rent it out on Airbnb or similar. Or perhaps they want to use it as a holiday home and then rent it out to tourists during the rest of the year.

If this is your plan, you need to be aware that in most cases you will need a tourist licence in order to legally rent your property out short term.

As with many rules and regulations in Spain, it will depend on where in Spain your property is located. Each of Spain’s 17 regions has its own slightly different rules when it comes to renting out to tourists. Sometimes it will even depend on what city or town you live in as these rules can also differ from the wider regional laws. This is usually the case for big cities that are popular with tourists such as Barcelona, San Sebastian and Valencia.

In order to obtain a tourist licence, in most instances you will need to go to your local town hall or ayuntamiento to find out your local regulations and fill out the necessary paper work. Be aware, however that getting a tourist licence for all locations may not be possible. For example, the city of Barcelona no longer issues any tourist licences, so the only way to be able to rent out in the city is to buy a property that already has a licence.

Here are the requisites that the regions of Valencia and Murcia and what they require in order for you to be able to get a licence, if it’s legally available.

Murcia

Decree No. 256/2019 which regulates homes for tourist use in the region of Murcia has the following rules:

Individual rooms may be rented out, as long as the owner resides and is registered in the house.
It must be rented out temporarily, although the maximum period is not determined.
It must have hot and cold water.
It must have a fire extinguisher.
A statement of responsibility is required.

Valencia

Law 15/2018 of the Generalitat of Valencia, on tourism, leisure and hospitality states:

Tourist properties require a favourable report of urban compatibility issued by the town hall of the municipality they’re located in.
Properties must be rented out temporarily, although the maximum period is not determined.
The entire house will have to be rented.
A statement of responsibility is required.

You need to register any tourist accommodation in Valencia with Valencia’s Tourism Register by submitting a formal notice to the Territorial Tourism Service of the province where your apartment is located and state your intention to use the property for tourist accommodation. You can find out more about Valencia’s tourism accommodation laws here.

Once you have been granted your licence you must display your registration number on your Airbnb listing.

In June 2018 the Municipality of Valencia issued various limitations for tourist apartments in the city. These are:

The tourist accommodation must be located on the ground floor or the first floor.
The apartment must not be located above or on the same landing as another private residential dwelling.
The building must not have more than 50 percent of tourist accommodation.
In the Ciutat Vella, you can only rent your apartment out to tourists for a maximum of 60 days.
In January 2019 a municipal decree for Valencia city was introduced which requires you to renew your tourist licence every five years.