How to get out the tourist housing license (HUT) at Catalonia (guide 2026)

Policy framework of the HUT in Catalonia

The activity of housing for tourist use in Catalonia sits on three layers that at 2026 have What to conduct at once:

• Llei 13 / 2002, from 21 from June, from turisme from Catalunya. framework standard that classifies tourist accommodation establishments - including tourist apartments and and regulating the liability and registration regime Turisme de Catalunya (RTC).
• Decret 159 / 2012 from 20 from novembre, d'stability d'allotjament tourist i d'habitatges d'us turistics (Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya). That's the specific rule that defines what a HUT is, what requirements it meets and how it's entered into RTC, with a registration number (NIRTC) that should appear throughout advertising.
• Decret Llei 3/2023, de 7 de novembre, of mesures urgens on the règim urban deles habitatges d'ús turístic (DAGC). It adds an urban cape that did not exist earlier: in the affected municipalities - 262 according to initial list, those with declared problems with access to housing - assign a housing for tourist use requires, in addition to the tourist procedure, urban leave prior to town hall.

To this are added two state layers that affect any owner in Catalonia as well as for the rest of Spain:

• Ley Orgánica 1/2025, de 2 de enero, amending Section 17.12 of the Horizontal property. From 3's April 2025, the agreement by which a community of owners approve, limit, condition or prohibit the tourist use of a flat requires a vote and 3 / 5 parts and participation quotas. Without that expressly agreed, activity cannot be initiated under a horizontal ownership regime.
• A single state registry (NRA / NRUA): procedure annulled. El Real Decreto 1312/2024 creó un procedimiento de registro único estatal, operativo desde el 1 de junio de 2025, pero la 19 Supreme Court decision of May 2026 The with respect to registration proceedings as a result of a lack of public authority. The valid identifier that the platforms (Airbnb, Booking, VRBO) have to demand registration number in the RTC as referred to in EU Regulation 2024 / 1028.

Qué cambió el Decret Llei 3/2023: licencias urbanísticas de 5 años

Until November of 2023, a HUT in Catalonia was treated exclusively by the tourist track (responsible statement and registration) with the exception of municipalities that have their own Restrictive urban instrument (as Barcelona's EUAT). The Decret Llei 3 / 2023 changed this root for the rest of the territory:

1. Required prior urban leave. The municipalities concerned with challenges with access to housing declared - the statement of responsibility is no longer sufficient tourism: the town council needs to give a specific urban license for place housing for tourist use.
2. Temporary monitoring of 5 years. The great news: That urban license isn't Undefined. He's got a time limitation of five yearsExpand periods of equal duration if housing remains eligible and planning That's been allowed at the time of renewal. That means that no new HUT at these municipalities have a "forever" license: we have to renew every five years and renewal It's not guaranteed.
3. Each town council decides its own framework. The Decree Act empowers to set their own criteria (quotas, zoning, ratios), within the general framework The rule. The actual photo varies greatly from town to town.

In practice, this has transformed the Catalan procedure into a two-phase process: first get a local urban license (where there's a place and it's allowed) and only after complete the tourist procedure with the Generalitat.

Barcelona: EUAT, de facto moratorium and the 2028 horizon

If your housing's in Barcelona town, the stage's different and tougher than the rest of them. Catalonia. The town council has been without new licenses from HUT for most of the town from 2014, formalised in 2017 with (Special Urbanic Pla) d'Allotjamengs Turistics)final approval of 27 January 2017. The EUPM and, in areas with an increased tourist density, directly does not allow introduction of new tourist accommodation, including HUT.

At 2024 town hall went beyond that: No HUT license renewed existingwith the stated goal that about 10.000-10.500 floors tourism operations currently operating in town stop November of 2028, while they have their current licenses. In March of 2026 have been reported that the same logic of No renewal is being extended to municipalities of Barcelona's metropolitan environment.

The operational conclusion for an owner in Barcelona town: get a HUT license new es hoy prácticamente inviable en la mayor parte del municipio, y si ya tienes una, su fecha de caducidad efectiva —salvo cambio de política— es 2028. Conviene planificar con tiempo qué hacer con la vivienda cuando eso ocurra.

How much and how long it takes

The actual costs depend greatly on whether the municipality requires an urban license or not:

• Inhabitability figure: 50-150 € si hay que tramitarla o renovarla.
• A certificate or technical report of the housing: 150-400 €, required in several municipalities as part of the urban file.
• Municipal urban leave fees: variable by town and town and as opposed to the responsible tourist declaration (but with no relevant rate), the urban license does have an administrative cost of each town.
• Energy certificate: 60-150 €.
• State single register: The NRA / NRUA procedure was annulled by the Supreme Court in May of 2026 (STS 620 / 2026 of 19 of May, ECLI: ES: TS: 2026: 2148).
• Management fees (if supported): 250-700 € once only, somewhat higher than in other communities for dual urban and tourist processing.

En cuanto a plazos: sin licencia urbanística exigible, la declaración responsable habilita la actividad desde su presentación. Con licencia urbanística exigible, hay que sumar el plazo de resolución municipal, que varía de un ayuntamiento a otro y puede alargar el proceso a 2-3 meses o más. En modelo de alquiler garantizado con Bliss Homes, todos estos costes los asume Bliss.

Common errors that delay or prevent release

1. To assume that the responsible tourist declaration is sufficient. Since November 2023, in the municipalities affected by the Decret Llei 3 / 2023 also require permission previous urban development. To submit only the responsible statement without that licence exposes to and closure.
2. To merge Barcelona with "the rest of Catalonia." The regime in Barcelona town (EUAT + non-renewal announced) is far more restrictive than most municipalities Catalan. What's feasible in a town of the Costa Brava can be impossible in Barcelona.
3. To think that urban license's indefinitely. Tras el Decret Llei 3/2023, tiene una vigencia de 5 años. Hay que planificar la renovación con tiempo; no está garantizada.
4. Do not have permission from the owners community. Desde abril de 2025 (LO 1/2025), un piso en propiedad horizontal no puede operar como HUT sin acuerdo expreso por mayoría de 3/5.
5. Do not include RTC number in advertising. It's the identifier that have been forced to demand after the cancellation of the single state registration conduct an advertising that doesn't show.
6. Buy or rent in Barcelona by thinking about HUT in the long term. with announcement of non-renewal to 2028, any investment dependent on HUT in the capital should look at that horizon, or look for alternative models (half stay, rental) guaranteed).

Penalty regime

La Llei 13/2002 de turisme de Catalunya articula sanciones por infracciones en materia turística (ejercer la actividad sin declaración responsable, publicidad sin número RTC, incumplimiento de requisitos). A ello se suma el régimen sancionador urbanístico municipal cuando se opera sin la licencia exigida por el Decret Llei 3/2023 en los municipios afectados, que puede incluir el cese de la actividad además de la multa. Las cuantías concretas de cada tramo dependen de la calificación de la infracción; conviene consultar la fuente oficial o un profesional antes de tomar decisiones basadas en importes.

If you don't want to get into the procedure: Bliss offers guaranteed rental

The HUT regime in Catalonia has become one of the most complex in Spain: dual procedure (urban and tourist), temporary licences of 5 years and, in Barcelona, a closing horizon Announced for 2028. Many owners prefer to outsource them whole or look for a model that doesn't It's up to the HUT. That's what Bliss Homes offers with its line of guaranteed rental (rent) to rent):

• We signed a rental contract with you with monthly fixed income from 1 year, with an automatic year extension.
• Bliss checks urban viability, processes the HUT where possible and manages the Community authorisation, all at its cost.
• Where the HUT isn't feasible (Barcelona town, municipalities without squares), we evaluate alternative models of half-stay rental that do not depend on tourist license.
• You get a fixed rent on the day 1 of every month, be it occupied or empty.

If you want to get to know the model in detail, read the complete rental guide guaranteed or details how the rent to rent works step by step. And if you want to compare the Catalan regime with that of other communities, we have sister guides from VUT license at Community of Madrid and VUT license at Andalucía.

Hector Clarke

Fundador de Bliss Homes. Operamos viviendas turísticas en 8 comunidades autónomas —pisos, casas rurales y un edificio completo en Toledo—, seis de ellos alquilados con nuestro propio dinero. Meet the team →