Legal & Tax · 5 min read
Spanish tourist licence 2026: how holiday-let registration works on the Costa Blanca
8 February 2024 · Hansson & Hertzell
Everything about the tourist licence in the Valencian Community: which homes count, how to register, the town-hall report, community approval, technical requirements, guest registration, tax and fines. Updated October 2026.
Thinking about buying a home on the Costa Blanca and letting it to tourists? Then you need to know the rules for tourist homes, what most people call the tourist licence. This guide covers the rules in the Valencian Community, where the Costa Blanca is, as they stand in October 2026.
This is general information, not legal advice. The rules change often, so always check with a lawyer or gestor before buying to let.
1. What is the tourist licence?
A tourist home (vivienda de uso turístico, VUT) is a home let to tourists for money. In the Valencian Community you register it by filing a responsible declaration (declaración responsable) with the Registro de Turismo de la Comunitat Valenciana. You then get a registration number that must appear in all advertising, including on Airbnb and Booking.com, together with the exact location of the home.
2. Which homes count as tourist homes?
Under the Valencian tourism law (Ley 15/2018, amended by Decreto-ley 9/2024), a home is a tourist home when:
- the whole home is let, ready to use;
- it is let for money for tourist purposes;
- the same guest stays for no more than 10 nights in a row.
A tourist purpose is presumed if the home is marketed through tourist channels, for example online. Lets of 11 days or more are not tourist lets, and letting by the room is prohibited.
3. Private owner or company?
The rules apply to private owners and companies alike. According to the regional tourism authority, anyone with five or more tourist homes counts as a management company (empresa gestora). Each home has one registered holder.
4. How do you get the licence?
- The town hall's report. You need a favourable report from the town hall confirming that tourist use is compatible with the zoning plan (informe de compatibilidad urbanística). In Torrevieja the town hall issues it for a fee.
- The neighbours' approval. Since 3 April 2025, in a building with an owners' community (comunidad de propietarios), you need the community's express prior approval. Three fifths of the owners and of the shares can approve, limit or prohibit tourist lets.
- An online declaration. The application is filed electronically with the Registro de Turismo de la Comunitat Valenciana, with the home's unique cadastral reference.
- Validity. Registration lasts five years and must be renewed in the month before it expires. Homes registered before 8 August 2024 must renew by 8 August 2029.
- New owner. If you buy a home that already has a licence, you must file a new declaration with a new town-hall report. The licence does not transfer automatically with the sale.
5. Technical requirements
Among other things, the home must have:
- an occupancy licence (licencia de ocupación or equivalent) and an energy certificate;
- civil liability insurance;
- air conditioning and heating, at least in the living room;
- internet and a TV;
- a wardrobe in every bedroom and a washing machine;
- a kitchen with a fridge, an oven or microwave, an extractor and an iron;
- a first-aid kit and information on the nearest medical centre;
- a list of emergency numbers on display and a phone line answered 24 hours a day;
- the official red plaque at the entrance showing the registration number, and complaint forms (hojas de reclamaciones).
Key boxes on the public street are prohibited. Homes registered before 8 August 2024 have until 8 August 2029 to meet the new requirements.
6. I have my licence: what now?
Correct advertising. The registration number and the location of the home must appear in every advert.
Guest registration. Every guest must be reported electronically to the Ministry of the Interior through the SES.Hospedajes system, within 24 hours of the booking, the cancellation or the arrival.
Tax. As a non-resident owner you pay Spanish non-resident income tax (IRNR) on the rent: 19 % if you live in the EU or EEA, with expenses deductible, and 24 % for everyone else, including UK residents. From 2026 income onwards, rental income is declared annually on Modelo 210, between 1 and 20 April of the following year.
Fines. Letting or advertising a tourist home without registration is a very serious infringement under Ley 15/2018, with fines of €100,001 to €600,000. Leaving the registration number out of an advert is a serious infringement (€10,001 to €100,000).
7. The national register
From 1 July 2025 Spain also required a national registration number for short-term lets (Real Decreto 1312/2024). In May and June 2026 the Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo) annulled the parts of the decree that created the register, after appeals by the Valencian Community among others. In the Valencian Community it is therefore the regional registration number that matters in adverts.
8. Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa
Town halls in the Valencian Community can cap tourist homes per building or zone, and several Costa Blanca towns, including Alicante city, Finestrat, Altea and Jávea, have at times suspended new registrations since 2024. We have not found any such suspension in Torrevieja or Orihuela as of October 2026, but always check the position in the town where you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to let my home in Spain?
Yes, if you let the whole home to tourists for 10 nights or fewer at a time. Lets of 11 days or more are not tourist lets and follow other rules.
Can I let on Airbnb without a licence?
No. The registration number must be shown in the advert, and advertising an unregistered tourist home can lead to heavy fines.
Does the licence transfer when I buy a home?
No. For purchases since 8 August 2024 the new owner must file a new declaration with a new town-hall report.
Can my neighbours stop me letting to tourists?
In a building with an owners' community, since April 2025 you need the community's approval to start letting to tourists.
Would you like help?
We can put you in touch with lawyers and gestores who handle the registration, and help you find a home where tourist letting is possible. See also our guide to earning rental income from a Costa Blanca property or contact us.
First published in February 2024 (Swedish original), republished and updated on 16 October 2026 to the rules in force: Ley 15/2018 as amended by Decreto-ley 9/2024, Decreto 10/2021, Decreto 1/2022, the Spanish Horizontal Property Law after Ley Orgánica 1/2025, Real Decreto 933/2021, the 2026 Supreme Court rulings on Real Decreto 1312/2024 and the non-resident tax rules. The earlier text relied on 2018 rules that no longer apply.
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