Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Starting July 1, Spain has introduced new regulations for tourist accommodation, which will have significant implications for both travelers and property owners. These changes mandate that all short-term and holiday rental properties must have a registration code to legally operate. This update is designed to align Spain with broader European Union regulations and improve transparency within the growing tourist accommodation sector.

The new rules affect various types of tourist accommodation, such as holiday homes, seasonal lets, room rentals, and even unconventional options like motorhomes and boats. These properties, commonly booked through platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, and others, will now be required to display an official registration number. The government is introducing these changes to address Spain’s ongoing housing crisis, which has been exacerbated by the rise in short-term rentals, driving up prices and making it harder for residents, especially young people, to find affordable long-term housing.

For property owners, the new regulations require them to register their properties and obtain an official registration code. This code must be prominently displayed on all online listings. If a property does not have this registration number, it cannot legally be rented out on online platforms, effective July 1.

This law is part of Spain’s efforts to bring greater oversight to the booming tourist accommodation market, which has been rapidly expanding in recent years. According to Spain’s Ministry of Housing, over 199,000 registration applications have been processed, the majority of which relate to holiday rentals. As of now, more than 90,000 of these applications have been approved, while over 92,000 are still under review.

Spain is the first European Union country to implement such a comprehensive system, setting an important precedent for other nations. The government’s goal is to provide more clarity and transparency in the tourist accommodation sector while ensuring that short-term rentals do not further fuel the housing crisis. To support this, property owners will also need to submit monthly rental activity data to Spain’s “single digital window,” which centralizes registration and monitoring.

For travelers, these new rules mean that it is now essential to check whether the tourist accommodation you are booking has a valid registration number. Listings without this registration code could be operating illegally, which could lead to cancellations or other issues during your stay. Travelers should take extra care, especially when booking short-term tourist accommodation for last-minute trips, to ensure the property complies with the new regulations.

This shift will help improve the quality of the tourist accommodation market in Spain and provide more assurance to tourists. Regions like Barcelona, Málaga, and the Balearic Islands, which are major hubs for Spain tourism, will benefit from greater oversight, ensuring that properties listed for rent comply with legal standards and do not exacerbate local housing shortages.

Rental platforms such as Airbnb are also subject to the new regulations. They are now responsible for ensuring that property owners provide their registration numbers and display them clearly in listings. Additionally, these platforms must perform random checks to ensure compliance and report any irregularities. These measures are aimed at ensuring that the tourist accommodation market remains legal and transparent.

The new registration requirements mark a significant step in Spain tourism’s evolution, providing clearer guidelines and greater transparency within the short-term rental market. These changes are designed to protect both tourists and residents. Travelers will benefit from knowing that their chosen tourist accommodation is operating legally, while property owners will have clear rules to follow when listing their properties.

As the first EU country to implement such regulations, Spain is setting an important example for other countries grappling with similar challenges in the short-term rental market. By balancing tourism growth with local housing needs, Spain is leading the way toward a more sustainable future for its tourist accommodation sector.

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