If you own an apartment or house on the Costa Blanca or in another region of Spain and are planning a holiday rental, sooner or later one key question will arise: do you need a tourist license and how do you obtain it?

In recent years, regulations in many autonomous communities have been significantly tightened. Additional regulations regarding the registration of short-term rentals were introduced in 2025 and 2026. Failure to obtain a license can result not only in high administrative fines but also in the removal of your listing from portals like Airbnb and Booking.

Therefore, if you are planning to rent a property on the Costa Blanca, it is worth understanding exactly how the tourist licensing system works and when it is mandatory.

What is a tourist license in Spain?

A tourist license is an official approval from the public administration to rent real estate to tourists for short periods of time.

Depending on the region of Spain, you may encounter different license names, including:

• VUT – Vivienda de Uso Turístico
• VT – Vivienda Turística
• VFT – Vivienda con Fines Turísticos

On the Costa Blanca (Valencian Community), the most common designation is VT or VUT , and the license is entered in the regional tourist register.

Regardless of the name, its function is always the same – to regulate the holiday rental market and ensure a minimum standard for guests.

Tourist license:

• is assigned to a specific property
• assigns a registration number, which must be visible in advertisements
• confirms compliance with certain technical requirements
• allows you to legally offer short-term rentals

Today, in practice, this is the basis for legally running a holiday rental in Spain .

What properties require a tourism license?

The obligation to have a license depends on several factors:

• region of Spain
• type of property
• rental model

In most cases, a license is required when a property is rented to tourists for short stays.

Most often, this applies to:

• apartments in multi-family buildings
• terraced houses
• villas and single-family houses
• apartments offered on booking portals

If you are planning to rent a holiday apartment on the Costa Blanca , a tourist license is in practice essential to operate legally and safely.

When might a tourist license not be needed?

There are situations where a tourist license is not required.

This applies primarily to:

• long-term rental (e.g. contracts for one or several years)
• use of the property exclusively by the owner or family
• buildings functioning as aparthotels or hotel facilities

It is worth remembering, however, that even if regional regulations allow rentals, restrictions may be introduced by housing communities .

Therefore, before purchasing an investment property, it is always worth checking:

• community statute
• building regulations
• resolutions of the owners.

Who issues the tourist license in Spain?

Spain's tourism licensing system is decentralized. This means that regulations are established at the autonomous community .

On the Costa Blanca, licenses are issued by:

Generalitat Valenciana – Registro de Turismo de la Comunidad Valenciana

However, the process often also involves:

• local municipal offices (Ayuntamiento)
• housing communities
• regional tourist institutions.

Some cities in Spain have begun to introduce restrictions on new licenses. In popular tourist destinations, this may mean limits or additional administrative requirements.

Therefore, before purchasing an investment property, it is always worth checking whether obtaining a license is possible in a given location.

What documents are needed to obtain a license?

The procedure varies depending on the region, but on the Costa Blanca the following documents are most often required:

Real estate ownership document
Most often, it is a notarial deed (escritura) or a current entry in the real estate register.

Identification document of the owner
of the DNI or NIE for natural persons, or company documents.

Property plan or floor plan
A document specifying the layout of the rooms and the maximum number of guests.

Meeting technical requirements

In many regions, the following are required, among other things:

• air conditioning or heating
• adequate space per person
• access to daylight and ventilation
• basic apartment equipment.

Declaración Responsable Statement

This is a formal declaration by the owner that the property meets all legal requirements.

Possible consent of the community

In some buildings, a community resolution is required to allow tourist rentals.

How long does it take to obtain a tourist license?

The time it takes to obtain a license depends on many factors, including:

• region of Spain
• completeness of documents
• current number of applications in offices.

In practice, the process usually looks like this:

Document preparation
may take from several days to several weeks.

Submitting an application
is most often done electronically.

the issuance of a registration number
takes place relatively quickly after submitting the declaration.

Inspection or office verification
In some cases, a technical inspection of the property may occur.

Most often, the entire process takes from several weeks to several months .

Summary – a tourist license as the basis for a safe investment

Short-term rentals in Spain can still be a very attractive investment model. However, under the current legal framework, a tourism license has become one of the most important elements of investment planning.

This is what allows you to:

• legally advertise your property on booking portals
• avoid high administrative fines
• build a stable rental income model.

Therefore, before buying a property on the Costa Blanca, it is worth carefully checking whether a given location allows you to obtain a tourist license and what requirements must be met.

A well-prepared investment strategy and knowledge of local regulations mean that holiday rentals in Spain can still be very profitable – provided they are run fully legally.