How to register a tourist accommodation in Madrid

Legal update · 1 October 2026

The Supreme Court annulled the state Single Rental Registry procedure established by Royal Decree 1312/2024. The judgment was issued on 19 May 2026 and published in the BOE on 8 June 2026. Obtaining the state NRA/NRUA number under that procedure is no longer required. Regional licences and registrations and guest registration obligations remain applicable. References in this article to the annulled procedure are historical information.

Official source: Supreme Court judgment.

Turning a home into a tourist accommodation in Madrid is an excellent business opportunity, but Madrid City Council and the Community of Madrid have recently tightened the rules to balance tourism with neighbourhood life, which raises the question: how do you register a tourist accommodation in Madrid?

Here is a step-by-step guide to legalising your tourist-use dwelling (VUT, vivienda de uso turístico) in 2026.

What counts as a holiday rental?

Legally, in Madrid a tourist-use dwelling is a home that is let in its entirety, furnished and equipped for immediate use, in exchange for payment and for short stays for tourism purposes, not as the guest’s usual residence.

Registering a tourist accommodation in Madrid: applicable regulations

• LEY 1/1999, of 12 March, on Tourism Regulation in the Community of Madrid (BOCM 23 March 1999).
• DECRETO 79/2014, of 10 July, regulating tourist apartments and tourist-use dwellings in the Community of Madrid (BOCM no. 180, 31 July 2014).
• DECRETO 29/2019, of 9 April, amending Decreto 79/2014, of 10 July, regulating tourist apartments and tourist-use dwellings in the Community of Madrid.

These regulations are the basis for opening and running your holiday rentals. Remember that the contracts you offer guests may always include clauses, as long as they do not contradict what the regional laws and decrees establish.

Prerequisites: how do you register a tourist accommodation in Madrid?

Before starting any procedure, check that the property meets the technical habitability rules:

• Habitability certificate (Cédula de Habitabilidad) or First Occupancy Licence (Licencia de Primera Ocupación): the basic document proving the space is fit to live in.
• Minimum layout: the home must have at least a kitchen, a living-dining room, a bedroom and a bathroom. If it is a studio, the living-dining-kitchen area must meet a minimum size set by the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU).
• Third-party liability insurance: a policy covering damage to third parties and to the community of owners is mandatory.
• It must be let in its entirety for tourist accommodation purposes.
• It must be offered in exchange for payment.
• It must hold the Certificate of Suitability for Tourist-Use Dwellings (CIVUT).

Essential: obtaining the municipal planning licence

Unlike a few years ago, informing the regional government is no longer enough. In the city of Madrid, the Special Accommodation Plan (Plan Especial de Hospedaje, PEH) sets the rules:

• Independent access: in most of the city centre (Zones 1 and 2), the accommodation must have an entrance independent from the one used by the other residents (its own street door).
• Land use: you must request an Urban Planning Suitability Report (Informe de Idoneidad Urbanística) to confirm that “accommodation” use is permitted in your building.

Important note: Many communities of owners have banned VUTs in their bylaws. Check your community’s minutes; if 75% of the owners voted against, you will not be able to register it.

Procedure with the Community of Madrid

In the Community of Madrid, a tourist-use dwelling is registered by submitting a responsible declaration (declaración responsable) to the Community of Madrid, which enters the home in the regional register. In addition, in the municipality of Madrid you need the municipal planning licence for activity and operation.

What steps must I follow to register a tourist accommodation in Madrid?

1. Check that the home can be used for tourism and that it complies with planning, safety, accessibility, health, environmental and horizontal property rules.
2. Obtain the CIVUT (Certificate of Suitability for Tourist-Use Dwellings) issued by a qualified technician.
3. Gather the basic documents: title or document proving you have the right to use the home, third-party liability insurance and, if applicable, the company’s deed of incorporation.
4. Check whether the community of owners allows the activity and keep the corresponding certificate or supporting document.
5. If the home is in the municipality of Madrid, first apply for the planning licence for activity and operation at the City Council.
6. Submit the responsible declaration of start of activity at the Community of Madrid’s e-government office, electronically or in person where applicable.
7. Once submitted, the administration enters the home in the Register of Tourism Companies and Activities of the Community of Madrid.

Key documents

The Community of Madrid’s own e-government office states that you must keep available for the Administration, among others, the document proving availability of the premises, the third-party liability insurance, the CIVUT and proof that the community of owners has not prohibited the activity.

The regional procedure does not replace municipal authorisations where they are required: in the municipality of Madrid the municipal planning licence is also required, while in other municipalities you must check the regulations of the relevant town council.

How to submit

The application can be submitted digitally with a recognised electronic signature at the Community of Madrid, or in person using the downloaded and signed form together with the documentation.

Besides registering a tourist accommodation in Madrid, you must also comply with the guest registration obligations of SES HOSPEDAJES and the annual NRUA register, to avoid fines or having your listings removed. To simplify this process, use our Registro Parte Viajeros app.

How must the accommodation service be provided?

To operate, registering the tourist accommodation with the regional government is not enough: the accommodation must also meet the operating requirements. You must operate the accommodation as a single unit, which means that rooms in the same home may not be let for different purposes; you must let the whole accommodation for holiday purposes if you do not want your licence to operate the holiday rental to be withdrawn.

Stays must be short-term and must never be considered the users’ permanent residence. Holiday rental status only applies to accommodation where the stay is paid for in some way.

The whole home being let must belong to the same person, that is, a single owner offering the holiday accommodation.