Check before you rent - the official registry of tourist apartments in Spain

More and more Poles are owning houses and apartments in Spain - some treating them as a place for their own vacations, others choosing to rent them out to tourists. Both solutions, however, involve responsibilities that are not always obvious. A key tool, for both owners and tourists themselves, are the official registries of housing and tourist businesses, maintained by each autonomous community.

Registry in Valencia - an example for the Costa Blanca

In the Valencia region, where the popular Costa Blanca is located, there is a Llistat oficial d'empreses i establiments turístics, available at: cindi.gva.es

Thanks to him:

• owners can verify that their apartment or house has been properly registered, thus avoiding heavy fines, as well as gaining credibility in the eyes of tourists and the right to participate in support programs,
• tourists can make sure that the property they want to rent really exists and meets minimum standards of security and legality, which protects them from scams.

Registries in other communities

Spain is a country of autonomous communities - each with its own regulations and registration systems. Here are some examples:

• Catalonia - Registro de Turismo de Cataluña is in operation. Any premises intended for short-term rentals must have a NIRTC number.
• Madrid - Registro de Establecimientos y Empresas Turísticas, which lists all facilities legally offering tourist rentals, is in operation.
• Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands - have their own procedures and registries, often requiring the so-called Declaración Responsable, or formal notification of the start of tourism activities.

Starting in 2025, an additional Número de Registro Único de Alquiler (NRUA) was introduced - a nationwide number that every owner of a tourist apartment must obtain and include in ads on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.

Why is it important?

For owners: the registry is a guarantee of legality, protection from fines and greater confidence of tourists. Failure to register can mean fines of up to thousands of euros.

For tourists: the opportunity to verify that the selected apartment operates legally and meets the required standards.

Official tourist housing registries are tools that increase market transparency and protect both parties - hosts and guests. For Poles who own property in Spain, as well as for tourists going on vacation, these are sites worth knowing and checking regularly.