From 1 July 2025, tourist and seasonal flats advertised on platforms such as Airbnb or Booking need a number from the single rental register. What it means for owners.
Royal Decree 1312/2024 created the single rental register and the digital single window for rentals, run by the Spanish Association of Registrars. From 1 July 2025, anyone wishing to advertise a short-term let on an online platform, whether tourist, seasonal or by the room, must first obtain a registration number, processed through the Land or Movable Property Registry at a cost of about €27 plus tax.
How it works
To obtain the number, owners must provide details of the property and of themselves and, for tourist flats, the licence or permit from the regional government and the city council. The number must appear in the listing, and platforms must check that it is valid. If the registry detects errors and they are not corrected within seven working days, the number is suspended and the platform must remove the listing. Owners must report stays every year.
The system anticipates the EU regulation on short-term rental data, which has applied across the Union since May 2026, and aims to let authorities know how many homes are used in this way.
What happened in the first months
The Consumer Affairs Ministry ordered Airbnb to remove more than 65,000 tourist-flat listings without a licence or with false or incorrect numbers, a decision later upheld by the courts, and identified tens of thousands more without a registration number. The government also announced the revocation of thousands of numbers granted on invalid data. Some regions and the industry challenged the system for encroaching on regional powers.
What to review
If you let a home by the day or by the season, it is worth checking that you have the registration number, that the details match those in the Land Registry and the cadastre and, for a tourist let, that the licence is valid, which in Barcelona and much of Catalonia is heavily restricted. A listing taken down in high season can cost more than the paperwork. Ask your adviser how to regularise your case.
Letting by the day now requires the paperwork in order before the first listing goes up.
This article is general information. It is not legal, tax or investment advice, and it does not take anyone’s particular circumstances into account.
