Spain has introduced a new Registro Único de Arrendamientos (Unique Rental Registry) alongside a national Ventanilla Única Digital de Arrendamientos (a type of digital rental-registry portal), in line with EU Regulation 2024/1028. From 1 July 2025, a unique registration number will be mandatory for properties offered on short-term rental platforms that enable online booking and payment, such as Airbnb, Booking.com, or Vrbo, as mandated by Spain’s Royal Decree 1312/2024, of the 23rd of December 2024.
The stated goal is to increase transparency, facilitate oversight, and combat fraud in the digital short-term rental market, though not all government and bureaucratic claims should be taken at face value.
Who must register?
You only need to apply if you offer your property on a digital platform that allows bookings and payments. This includes both:
- Tourist rentals (viviendas de uso turístico)
- Mid-term or seasonal rentals (alquileres de temporada) such as rentals to students, temporary workers, or medical patients
You must apply for a registration number if:
- You currently list or plan to list your property on a booking-enabled platform
- You offer the entire home or individual rooms
- Your property is a primary residence, second home, or investment property
Who is excluded?
You do not need to register if:
- You rent out your property short-term through non-digital channels (e.g. personal contacts, printed ads, and traditional agencies if they don’t advertise your property at a booking-enabled platform)
- And possibly not if you only use classified ad sites such as Idealista, Fotocasa or thinkSpain, which do not enable bookings or payments. Idealista maintains that it is not affected by the new rules, arguing that it operates solely as a “showcase” for properties and does not facilitate the remote conclusion of rental contracts. However, some legal experts have questioned this interpretation. A request for clarification has been submitted to the Ministry of Housing, and a response is still pending.
So if you never advertise or transact rentals online via a platform, this regulation does not apply to you, though the question of advertising at listing portals like Idealista is still open to interpretation.
What qualifies as a “platform”?
A platform is only included if it lets guests book and pay online. This includes:
✅ Airbnb
✅ Booking.com
✅ Vrbo
✅ Other portals with integrated reservation and payment systems
It does not include (subject to further clarification):
❌ Idealista, Fotocasa, thinkSpain (classified ad portals)
❌ Personal or agency websites without booking functionality
❌ Offline or direct bookings
What do you need to do?
If you are affected, follow these steps:
1. Prepare your information
You will need:
- The cadastral reference and exact address
- Whether you rent the whole property or individual rooms
- The maximum occupancy
2. Apply for your registration number
- Submit your application at the Colegio de Registradores’ online portal here*
- Use your digital certificate (if you have one) to log in and complete the form, or authorise someone with a certificate to do it on your behalf
- A temporary number will be issued immediately
- It becomes permanent after your documents are verified
*If the link changes search the portal for “Short-term rental accommodation Registration Number” in English or “Número de Registro de Alquiler” in Spanish.
3. Include the number in your listings
- Once you receive your number, add it to every listing on platforms that allow booking
- Platforms will verify it and may block listings without a valid number from 1 July 2025
Ongoing obligations
- You must file an annual report (from July 2026) declaring basic activity data
- You must update your information if anything changes (e.g. occupancy or use)
- You can request cancellation of the registration at any time
What are the consequences of not registering?
Failure to comply can result in:
- Your listings being removed by platforms
- Fines or sanctions from authorities
- Suspension of your ability to rent legally online
Why this matters
This initiative is part of a broader European effort to bring greater transparency and regulation to the short-term rental market. By targeting only rentals offered through online platforms that handle bookings, it avoids burdening private owners who rent out occasionally or through informal channels.
Spain is the first EU country to implement this regulation, which aims to support housing access while allowing responsible use of digital rental platforms.
Summary
| Situation | Need to Register? |
|---|---|
| Renting on Airbnb or Booking.com | ✅ Yes |
| Renting through a personal website without bookings | ❌ No |
| Renting through property listing sites (no booking function) | ❓ Maybe not |
| Renting to a seasonal tenant without advertising online | ❌ No |
| Renting with a local agency, no online listings | ❌ No |
If you plan to list your property on a digital platform that allows bookings and payments from 1 July 2025 onwards, you will be required to obtain a registration number through the new system. If you don’t, the new requirement does not apply—though if you advertise on classified listing sites like thinkSpain, Idealista or Fotocasa, you might consider registering anyway, just to be on the safe side, or at least until the doubts have been cleared up.
