What is the rental license/tourist registration?
If you want to rent out your property in Andalusia to tourists for short stays, you must officially register it with the government. In Andalusia, this is done through the Registro de Turismo de Andalucía (RTA) as a Vivienda de Uso Turístico (VUT).
This registration creates an official tourist license or number, which you must include in your advertisements before you can rent out your property on platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, or Vrbo.
In addition, since July 1, 2025, a unique national registration number (NRU/NRA) has also been mandatory at the national level in order to advertise online.
The role of a homeowners’ association (HOA)
The urbanization (community of owners/HOA) plays a major role in tourist rentals:
Permission from the HOA
Since April 2025, you often need explicit permission from the HOA to use the property as a tourist rental — this usually means an approved decision with at least 60% of the voting rights of co-owners.
If tourist rentals are expressly prohibited in the articles of association or in a vote, you cannot obtain a license.
If a VUT license exists, in many cases it remains valid even if a ban is later adopted, as long as you update the municipal and regional registers.
This means that the HOA can directly determine whether tourist rentals are possible in a building or complex and under what conditions.
Can the license be “removed” if it is linked to a property?
License linked to the property
According to the latest interpretation by the authorities, a tourist license in Andalusia is a “right linked to the property,” not to the owner. This means that
If you buy a property with an existing license, you can continue to use it without reapplying as long as the property and registration are up to date.
You must report the change of ownership to the Junta de Andalucía.
When can the license expire?
However, the license may be revoked or become invalid if:
The property no longer complies with the rules (technical or municipal requirements)
The owner fails to fulfill legal obligations.
In other words: yes, a license can be revoked, but not simply because the registration is attached to a property; there must be legal grounds (failure to meet conditions or changes in spatial planning), not just because the owner changes.
Conclusion
The rental license in Andalusia is a strictly regulated process that ensures vacation rentals meet safety and urban planning requirements before they can be legally rented to tourists. The rules are dynamic and include regional, municipal, and even community (HOA) elements:
You need both local municipal approval and regional registration.
The urbanization rules and homeowners’ association permission are crucial and can limit rentals.
Licenses are now linked to the property, but can be lost if the property no longer complies with the rules or plans change.
Do you want to do this legally and profitably? Always start with legal advice and a check with your municipality and homeowners’ association before applying for a tourist rental license.
