Spain · Regulatory Updates
Traveler registration in SES.HOSPEDAJES: complete guide
What data to report, within what timeframe, and how to avoid penalties. Everything about the obligation that applies to every booking at your vacation rental.
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Tourist license in Andalusia: step-by-step requirements
Andalusia is home to one of Spain's largest vacation rental markets. Registering your property is simpler than it sounds, but the details matter — here is the complete process, with nothing hidden in the fine print.
↓Andalusia, alongside Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, has one of the highest volumes of vacation rentals in Spain — and it is also one of the regions that has tightened its regulations most significantly over the past two years. If you own a property in Málaga, Seville, Cádiz, or anywhere else in the region and you want to rent it out to tourists, you need to register it. This is not optional, and the consequences of skipping that step are no longer theoretical: platforms remove listings that lack a registration number, and fines can reach 600,000 euros.
The good news is that the Andalusian process is, compared to other regions, relatively straightforward: rather than requiring a prior license that could be denied, it uses a responsible declaration that activates the rental activity from the moment it is submitted. The catch is that there are prior requirements worth verifying in advance, because discovering them too late can cost you your entire investment.
What exactly is a VUT in Andalusia
The category is a tourist-use dwelling (VUT). Until Decree 31/2024 it was classified as a tourist-purpose dwelling (VFT), which is why many older registrations and listings still display the VFT code. It is governed by Law 13/2011 on Andalusian Tourism and Decree 28/2016, as amended by Decree 31/2024 and Decree-Law 1/2025.
A VUT is any dwelling located on residential land that is regularly offered for tourist accommodation with a profit motive, marketed through tourism channels such as Airbnb, Booking, or your own website. The word "regularly" matters: if you rent to the same tenant for more than two consecutive months, the property no longer qualifies as a VUT and instead falls under the Urban Leasing Act as a seasonal rental.
- Maximum capacity: 15 guests per property, with a maximum of 4 guests per bedroom.
- Rental mode: the entire property or individual rooms may be rented (in the latter case, the owner must reside in the property).
- Scope: residential land only; properties on tourist-zoned land follow a different regulatory framework.
The requirements your property must meet
Before submitting anything, your property must be up to standard. These are the requirements the authorities may verify during an inspection, and it is worth having them in order from day one:
- Occupancy license or habitability certificate — current and valid. Without this document, a VUT registration is not possible.
- Climate control: air conditioning if renting between May and September; heating if renting between October and April. If you operate year-round, you need both.
- Public liability insurance covering damage to guests.
- Energy performance certificate.
- First-aid kit and fire extinguisher.
- Local tourist information: guides, maps, leisure options, and transport.
- Official complaints forms available to guests.
- 24-hour contact phone number for incidents.
- Cleaning on arrival and departure, sufficient bed linen and kitchenware, with a spare set.
The two permits almost nobody checks in time
This is where most projects fall apart. Two authorizations that do not depend on the regional government and that should be verified before you buy or invest in renovation:
The homeowners' association agreement
Since April 2025, the reform of the Horizontal Property Act requires the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the owners (representing three-fifths of the participation shares) to authorize a vacation rental activity in an apartment. And if your building's bylaws already expressly prohibited uses other than residential, that prohibition applies to you without any new vote being needed. Before anything else: request the bylaws and speak with the building manager.
Your municipality's zoning regulations
The regional government enables the activity, but local councils have the final say on where it is permitted. Decree-Law 1/2025 grants them the power to restrict or suspend new licenses by zone for periods of up to three years, and several Andalusian municipalities with high tourist pressure have already done so. A quick call to your town hall to ask whether your street allows tourist use could save you months of wasted effort.
The process, step by step
Once the requirements are in place, the registration itself is quick. It is done online and the activity is authorized from the moment of submission:
- Step 1 — Gather your documents: deed or proof of ownership, occupancy license, ID/NIE of the owner, cadastral reference, and insurance details.
- Step 2 — Submit the responsible declaration through the Junta de Andalucía's Digital Single Window, addressed to the Registro de Turismo de Andalucía (RTA). You will need a digital certificate or Cl@ve.
- Step 3 — Receive your code. The RTA assigns a number in the format VUT/[province]/[number] (for example, VUT/MA/12345 for Málaga).
- Step 4 — Display the code on all listings. Airbnb, Booking, Vrbo, and your own website must show it. Without it, platforms are required to remove the listing.
- Step 5 — Place the identification plaque at the entrance to the property.
The responsible declaration activates the activity from the moment it is submitted, but it does not exempt you from meeting the requirements: the authorities can inspect at any time and, if something falls short, revoke the registration.
Day-to-day obligations
Registering your property is the beginning, not the end. Once you are operating, there are three ongoing obligations that inspectors check regularly:
- Guest registration: submit each guest's details to the SES.HOSPEDAJES platform run by the Ministry of the Interior within 24 hours of their arrival, and retain the records for three years. This has been mandatory since December 2024, with no exceptions.
- Taxation: income is subject to personal income tax (IRPF) as real estate capital income (or as business income if you provide hotel-style services). The primary residence rental tax reduction does not apply. Platforms report your bookings to the tax authorities.
- Maintaining compliance: keeping your insurance current, your climate control operational, and your complaints forms available.
What happens if you do not register your property
The Andalusian inspection service cross-references data with the tax authorities, the cadastre, and the platforms themselves, so detecting an unregistered property is now only a matter of time. The penalty framework under Law 13/2011 provides for fines of up to 600,000 euros in the most serious cases, as well as the immediate cessation of the activity. On top of that comes the most immediate practical consequence: listing removal, which means losing the accumulated review history and platform ranking — something that can take months to rebuild.
Frequently asked questions
Can I rent out the property while the registration is being processed?
The responsible declaration activates the activity from the moment it is correctly submitted — meaning there is no need to wait for a formal decision. However, submitting it without actually meeting the requirements is an infraction, not a shortcut.
Is the old VFT code still valid?
Yes. Registrations obtained under the VFT category remain valid; the change in name to VUT does not require re-registration, although it is worth checking that your details in the RTA are up to date.
What about the national registry that was so widely discussed?
The Número de Registro Único de Arrendamientos, which was mandatory from July 2025, was struck down by the Supreme Court in May 2026. The Andalusian regional registry, however, remains fully in force and is the one you need.
In summary
Andalusia does not put a prior license in your path, but it does set out a list of requirements that deserve to be taken seriously, along with two checks — the homeowners' association and local zoning rules — that should always be your first step, not your last. Once those are done, registration is a matter of days.
A word of caution: vacation rental regulations change quickly and vary by municipality. What is permitted on your street today may be restricted tomorrow. Verify before you invest, and when in doubt, consult a professional.
"At Fee4Me we handle registration, regulatory compliance, and the day-to-day management of your property."
Fee4Me Team · Property OwnersMore about Regulatory Updates
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