For eighteen months Spain ran two counters for the same thing. Owners who went through the Property Registry for the state procedure ended up holding a number nobody asks them for any more, alongside their autonomous community’s, which was the one that mattered all along.
None of it touches Royal Decree 933/2021, the other obligation this gets confused with weekly, since both involve tourist rentals and data.
Hence the two questions that arrive every week: which number goes on the Airbnb listing, and what becomes of last year’s paperwork.
What the tourist accommodation registration number is
It is the code that proves your accommodation is legally registered as a short-term tourist rental (vivienda de uso turístico, VUT) with your autonomous community. The name varies by region:
- Número de inscripción in the Registro de Empresas Turísticas (Community of Madrid) or the Registro de Turismo de Castilla y León
- Número de inscripción RTA (Andalusia, Registro de Turismo de Andalucía)
- Número de inscripción en el Registro de Turismo (Valencian Community, Canary Islands)
If you already hold a tourist licence from your autonomous community, that number is the one you need. Registration happens, and has always happened, at the regional level. The national single registry meant to consolidate them was annulled by the Supreme Court.
Why Airbnb, Booking, and VRBO require the registration number
EU Regulation 2024/1028 on short-term accommodation rentals entered into force in 2024. It requires major online platforms to collect, verify, and share host registration data with public authorities, and the registration number is the piece the whole system turns on.
From 20 May 2026, platforms are required to1:
- Request the registration number from every host listing a tourist accommodation in the EU.
- Verify it against the official registry of the relevant autonomous community.
- Suspend or remove listings where the number is absent or invalid.
- Share reservation data with the competent authorities.
Airbnb and Booking have been asking for the registration number in their listing forms for years in many Spanish regions. What changes in May 2026 is that verification becomes mandatory: if the number is missing or does not match, the listing comes down. The exact format each region expects is in which registration number goes on Airbnb and Booking.
What happens without a tourist registration number
- Your listing can be removed from platforms from May 2026 onwards1.
- Your autonomous community can fine you for operating an unregistered tourist rental. The amounts are set by each region’s tourism act and are not symbolic: in Catalonia a serious infringement runs from €3,001 to €60,0002, and in the Valencian Community from €10,001 to €100,0003. The full region-by-region table is in renting without a tourist licence.
- Your SES.HOSPEDAJES setup may be incomplete. The establishment code (código de establecimiento) required for SES.HOSPEDAJES submissions is separate from the tourist registration number, but most regions require active tourist registration before you can legally operate.
Where to apply for the registration number in each region
Registration is managed by each autonomous community. There is no single national process. Key regions:
| Region | Registry name | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Andalusia | RTA | Junta de Andalucía (Ventanilla Virtual) |
| Valencian Community | Registro de Turismo de la Comunitat Valenciana | GVA Turisme |
| Catalonia | Registre de Turisme de Catalunya | Departament d’Empresa i Treball |
| Canary Islands | Registro General Turístico de Canarias | Gobierno de Canarias |
| Balearic Islands | Registro Insular de Empresas, Actividades y Establecimientos Turísticos | Relevant Consell Insular |
| Community of Madrid | Registro de Empresas Turísticas | Comunidad de Madrid |
| Basque Country | Registro de Empresas y Actividades Turísticas | Basque Government |
Documents typically required to register a tourist rental
Requirements vary by region, but the core is consistent:
- Responsible declaration (declaración responsable) or registration application form.
- Cadastral reference (referencia catastral) of the property.
- Proof of ownership or entitlement (title deed, land registry note, or rental agreement if subletting, where permitted).
- Floor plan or habitability certificate (cédula de habitabilidad; varies by region).
- Public liability insurance (required in Andalusia, Canary Islands, and others).
- Energy performance certificate (required in some regions).
In most communities registration works via responsible declaration: you submit the documents and receive your registration number immediately or within a few working days, and you can operate straight away. If there are irregularities, the authority can revoke the registration retroactively.
NRUA and RD 933/2021: two separate obligations
Easy to confuse since both relate to tourist rentals and data. The key difference4:
| NRUA / Tourist registration number | RD 933/2021 / SES.HOSPEDAJES | |
|---|---|---|
| What it registers | The property (the accommodation) | The guests (person by person) |
| Who manages it | Autonomous community | Ministry of the Interior |
| How often | Once (registration) + renewals where applicable | Every guest check-in |
| Where it is used | OTA listings, advertising | SES.HOSPEDAJES |
Both are mandatory. One does not replace the other.
What happened to the state single registry (RD 1312/2024)
Royal Decree 1312/2024 created a state single registry processed through the Property Registry5. In May 2026 the Supreme Court annulled it for encroaching on regional powers: ruling 620/2026 removes the obligation to obtain that state number6, while keeping the digital single window and the platforms’ data obligations.
For accommodation managers, the practical impact is simple: the only number you need is your autonomous community’s. If you already obtained the state number, there is nothing to do for now. Keep the documentation until the Ministry clarifies the situation.
FAQ
Is the NRUA still mandatory in 2026? The NRUA is no longer mandatory in 2026. Spain’s Supreme Court annulled the state single registry under RD 1312/2024 in ruling 620/2026, in May 2026, for encroaching on regional powers. What remains mandatory is the tourist registration number from your autonomous community: that is the number Airbnb, Booking, and the other platforms verify. The state procedure through the Property Registry disappears.
Which registration number do Airbnb and Booking ask for? Airbnb and Booking ask for the registration number from your autonomous community’s tourist registry (RTA in Andalusia, Registre de Turisme in Catalonia, and so on). From 20 May 2026, EU Regulation 2024/1028 requires platforms to request it from every host, verify it against the official regional registry, and suspend or remove listings where the number is missing or invalid.
Is the tourist registration number the same as SES.HOSPEDAJES? The tourist registration number is not the same as SES.HOSPEDAJES: they are two separate, cumulative obligations. The tourist registration number identifies the property, is managed by your autonomous community, and is processed once per accommodation. SES.HOSPEDAJES registers the guests person by person, is run by the Ministry of the Interior, and applies at every check-in under RD 933/2021. One does not replace the other.
What should I do if I already obtained the annulled state number? If you already obtained the annulled state number, there is nothing to do for now. The ruling removes the obligation to hold that state number, while keeping the digital single window and the platforms’ data obligations. Keep the documentation until the Ministry clarifies the situation, and make sure your autonomous community’s number appears correctly on your listings.
Pre-season checklist: tourist registration, listings and guest reports
- Hold the registration number from your autonomous community’s tourist registry.
- Publish it correctly on your Airbnb, Booking, and VRBO listings.
- Have your lessor code (código de arrendador) and SES.HOSPEDAJES credentials (how to get them).
- Collect the RD 933/2021 guest data before arrival through digital check-in.
- Submit guest reports to SES.HOSPEDAJES within the legal deadline4.
Tourist registration is handled by your autonomous community and is usually done once per accommodation. After that, RegistroViajero helps with the recurring work: digital check-in, RD 933/2021 required data, SES.HOSPEDAJES credentials, and guest-report submission to the Ministry without copying information by hand.
Sources
-
Regulation (EU) 2024/1028, on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services (EUR-Lex). ↩ ↩2
-
Catalan Tourism Act 13/2002, of 21 June, whose penalty regime places a serious infringement between €3,001 and €60,000, consolidated text (BOE, in Spanish). ↩
-
Valencian Act 15/2018, of 7 June, on tourism, leisure and hospitality, whose penalty regime places a serious infringement between €10,001 and €100,000, consolidated text (BOE, in Spanish). ↩
-
Royal Decree 933/2021, of 26 October, on documentary registration and information duties for lodging activities (BOE). ↩ ↩2
-
Royal Decree 1312/2024, of 23 December, on the Single Rental Registry and the Digital Single Window (BOE). ↩
-
Royal Decree 1312/2024, consolidated text: the official notes mark articles 5, 8 (Registro único de arrendamientos), 9 and 10, letters f) and i) of article 2, letters b) and c) of article 12 and the second additional provision as “(Anulado)” by the Supreme Court judgment of 19 May 2026 (BOE, in Spanish). ↩
