If you own a Costa Blanca property and want to rent it out to tourists, sooner or later you arrive at the same two questions: how do I actually get the VT number — and is my municipality still open for new registrations? This guide walks you through the 2026 process one step at a time, with every law, fee and sanction your gestor won’t have time to spell out in a 10-minute call.
The procedure was fundamentally rewritten in 2024–2026: by Decreto-ley 9/2024 of 2 August 2024 (in force since 8 August 2024) and the reform of the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal on 3 April 2025. On top of that, the new state-level unique rental register (NRUA) has been mandatory since 1 July 2025 for any listing on Airbnb, Booking, Vrbo or Expedia.
Answer capsule: VUT registration in the Comunitat Valenciana in 2026 runs in 9 steps: apply for the Informe de Compatibilidad Urbanística (ICU) at the town hall → Licencia de Segunda Ocupación → civil-liability insurance → where required, 3/5 community-of-owners authorisation → Declaración Responsable on GVA.es (procedure SIA 687823 / GUC 19207) → receive your VT-#####-A number → apply for the NRUA at the Ventanilla Única Digital → register as host on SES.Hospedajes → set up Modelo 210 for tax. The ICU is the bottleneck (4–12 weeks); the DR takes effect immediately. Registration is valid for 5 years.
The 2026 Regulatory Stack — What Just Changed
Seven layers of rules apply:
| Level | Norm | Date | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomic law | Ley 15/2018 de turismo, ocio y hospitalidad CV | 2018 | Tourism framework law, modified 2024 |
| Autonomic regulation | Decreto 10/2021 Alojamiento turístico | 2021 | Minimum standards, mandatory civil-liability insurance (art. 26) |
| Autonomic regulation | Decreto 92/2009 (partly still in force) | 2009 | Equipment requirements Annex I |
| Autonomic decree-law | Decreto-ley 9/2024 del Consell | 8 Aug 2024 | Full overhaul: 5-year validity, 10-day-max stay, whole-unit rental only, compulsory ICU, heavier sanctions |
| Autonomic law | Ley 6/2024 | Dec 2024 | Lets municipalities suspend VUT licences |
| EU/state | Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 + RD 1312/2024 | 1 Jul 2025 | Creates the NRUA and Ventanilla Única Digital |
| State | LO 1/2025 LPH reform | 3 Apr 2025 | 3/5 community-of-owners majority for NEW VUTs |
| State | RD 933/2021 SES.Hospedajes | Since 2 Dec 2024 | Digital guest register, 24-hour reporting |
Most recent development: On 16 April 2026 the TSJCV (Valencia Community’s High Court) partially annulled the city of València’s 2024 moratorium — the suspension of “licencias de cambio de uso” for VUTs was struck down; the suspension of new hotel / tourist-tertiary construction licences was upheld. The ruling is not final (the case can be appealed to the Supreme Court in cassation).
Step 1: Check If Your Municipality Is Still Registering
Alicante city: Moratorium in force. Passed by the Pleno on 13 January 2025, extended on 3 July 2025 to cover entire blocks and tourist hostels, cemented in December 2025 via PGOU modification No. 52 for saturated zones (Casco Antiguo-Santa Cruz, Mercado Central, parts of San Blas, Benalúa, beach zones). A February 2026 court ruling upheld the moratorium. No new VUT licences are issued in Alicante city until around January 2027.
Other Alicante province municipalities: Variable. Since October 2025 a growing number of smaller Costa Blanca municipalities are considering or enacting moratoriums. There is no central public register of municipal moratoriums — you have to ask each Ayuntamiento individually before buying or registering. Dénia, Torrevieja and Orihuela are currently open. Benidorm, Calpe and Jávea are operationally open but with longer processing times.
Step 2: Informe de Compatibilidad Urbanística (ICU)
The ICU is the municipal document certifying that your property is zoned for tourist use. It is the real bottleneck in the whole process. Without a favourable ICU, the Tourism Register cannot register you (Decreto-ley 9/2024).
The ICU must state:
- Full address and cadastral reference
- Land classification
- Permitted urban use
- An express favourable decision
Application documents (typical):
- Municipal application form
- Façade photo
- Location plan
- Title deed (Escritura)
- Valid Cédula de Habitabilidad or Licencia de Segunda Ocupación
Fees and processing times by municipality (as of 2026):
| Municipality | ICU fee | Processing |
|---|---|---|
| Torrevieja | €54.10 | 4–12 weeks (streamlined form since 2025) |
| Dénia | €60–65 + Licencia de Segunda Ocupación ~€200 | 4–8 weeks |
| Alicante city | Not currently issued (moratorium) | — |
| Orihuela (incl. Costa) | Fee not published centrally | ~3 months |
| Benidorm / Calpe / Jávea / Moraira | €50–150 (estimated from comparable municipalities) | 6–12 weeks |
Many Alicante province Ayuntamientos let SUMA Gestión Tributaria collect the urban-service fee. Exact amounts come from the local ordenanza fiscal.
Expect 2025/2026 delays province-wide because of the DR wave triggered by the new law — build in a buffer.
Step 3: Licencia de Segunda Ocupación / Cédula de Habitabilidad
Required even for pre-existing homes when rented to tourists. If your current licence is more than 10 years old, it needs to be renewed. Issued by the same Ayuntamiento. Costs €150–250 depending on municipality, processing 2–4 weeks.
Step 4: Civil-Liability Insurance (art. 26 Decreto 10/2021)
An active civil-liability policy is legally required. The capital scales with capacity — commonly cited band: €150,000–€2,000,000 depending on occupancy. For a 4-person unit, a minimum of €300,000 is typical. Note: the exact bands in the decree text should be verified with your insurance broker — secondary sources report different thresholds.
Step 5: 3/5 Community-of-Owners Approval (NEW from 3 April 2025)
The reform of the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal rewrote the rules:
- New VUTs in buildings under horizontal-property regime require express approval of the Junta de Propietarios.
- Qualified majority: three-fifths (3/5) of owners representing 3/5 of participation quotas — both thresholds required.
- No need to amend the título constitutivo or estatutos (overrides prior Supreme Court case-law).
- The community can also limit, condition or prohibit VUTs by the same 3/5 majority and may impose a special share of common expenses of up to +20 % on VUT units.
- Non-retroactive: VUTs legally operating before 3 April 2025 are unaffected.
- From the 2030 renewal cycle onwards, Decreto-ley 9/2024 additionally requires an updated certificate from the community confirming no statutory prohibition exists.
Detached villas: The GVA has not expressly clarified whether detached villas (not under horizontal-property regime, common on Costa Blanca urbanisations with independent titles) are ever subject to community approval. The consensus of Valencian law firms is no — but where an urbanisation is governed by an “Entidad Urbanística de Conservación” or a second-level community, the point is untested.
Step 6: Declaración Responsable on GVA.es
The actual registration runs through the GVA e-office — procedure code SIA 687823 / GUC 19207 (Autoregistro de Viviendas de Uso Turístico) at www.gva.es/es/inicio/procedimientos?id_proc=19207.
Required:
- Digital certificate (DNIe, FNMT or Cl@ve Permanente)
- The favourable ICU
- Licencia de Segunda Ocupación
- Insurance proof
- Where required, minutes of the Junta de Propietarios with the 3/5 approval
- Unique cadastral reference
- Self-declaration of capacity and equipment
Effect: The DR takes effect the moment it is submitted (that is the whole point of a DR — compliance is presumed subject to post-hoc inspection).
The VT number is typically issued immediately to within a few days after a complete DR. Format: VT-#####-A (A = Alicante province), VT-#####-V Valencia, VT-#####-CS Castellón. Minimum 4–5 digits. Agent-managed blocks use the format EGVT/number/province.
The VT number must appear in every advert and at the entrance of the property. Activity must start within 2 months of submitting the DR, otherwise the registration can be voided.
Verification: the public register at cindi.gva.es lists every registered VUT in the Comunidad Valenciana.
Step 7: NRUA — Unique Rental Register (state layer)
Since 1 July 2025, Airbnb, Booking, Vrbo, Expedia and other platforms are required to reject listings without a valid NRUA. The NRUA is in addition to the VT number — not a replacement.
- Portal:
https://www.mivau.gob.es/vivienda/ventanilla-unica/alquiler-de-alojamientos-de-corta-duracion - Legal basis: Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 and RD 1312/2024
- From January 2026 (Orden VAU/1560/2025): an annual informational return is due each February on prior-year activity.
Step 8: SES.Hospedajes — Guest Registration
National guest register at the Ministerio del Interior, mandatory since 2 December 2024 (RD 933/2021).
- 17 mandatory data fields per guest
- Transmission within 24 hours of check-in
- You have to register as a host on the SES.Hospedajes platform
Step 9: Tax — Modelo 210
Rental-income tax is declared via Modelo 210 (Impuesto sobre la Renta de No Residentes — IRNR).
- EU/EEA residents: 19 % on net rental income (allowable deductions: finance costs, community fees, insurance, IBI, depreciation, maintenance, management commissions)
- Non-EU residents (UK, US, Canada, etc. post-Brexit): 24 % on gross rental income, no deductions
- Filing frequency: Historically quarterly (within the first 20 days of April, July, October, January). A 2024 state order allows annual aggregation in some cases. For tourist rental with short-term guests, quarterly is the norm — confirm with your gestor.
Separate obligations: IBI (property tax), Tasa de Basuras (rubbish tax), any local tourist levy (ITAE), IVA on furnishings purchased.
Penalties for Operating Without a VUT
The sanction regime was substantially tightened by Decreto-ley 9/2024:
| Severity | Examples | Fine range |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Late/incomplete SES.Hospedajes data; minor advertising defects | €100–600 (SES) / up to €10,000 (tourism law) |
| Serious | Operating without a VT number; missing VT in advertising; refusing to identify holders/documentation (new 2024 infraction) | €10,001–€100,000; SES serious €601–€30,000 |
| Very serious | Room-by-room rental (new 2024 very-serious infraction); repeat unlicensed operation; material falsehoods | €100,001–€600,000 |
Plus state-level sanctions:
- Operating or advertising without NRUA on platforms: €10,000–€100,000
- SES.Hospedajes serious breaches: up to €30,000
Total Project Costs
Municipal and state fees:
- ICU: €50–150
- Licencia de Segunda Ocupación: €150–250
- Cadastral complement: ~€170 + ~€160 certificates
- Ventanilla Única NRUA: free
- SES.Hospedajes registration: free
Gestoría / professional fees (2025–2026 market rates):
- VUT registration via gestor: €250–1,050 + IVA (median €250–450)
- Técnico-drafted proyecto de adaptación (where needed): €300–3,000 (median €1,700)
Civil-liability insurance: €150–400/year depending on capacity.
Equipment Obligations (Annex I Decreto 92/2009)
For the minimum “Estándar” category:
- Fridge
- Hob: min. 2 burners up to 4 guests, 3 burners over 4 guests
- Oven OR microwave
- Extractor hood
- Washing machine (unless communal laundry exists)
- Air conditioning AND heating in the living area
- Hot water in all bathrooms
Superior and Primera categories have additional minimums (dishwasher, specific m² per person).
The 5-Year Cycle — Plan the Renewal
- Validity: 5 years from the DR submission
- Renewal DR must be filed in the month before expiry, with a fresh ICU
- VUTs registered between 7 July 2018 and 7 August 2024 remain valid until 2030, but must be adapted to the new quality standards before then
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between VT and NRUA?
The VT number is the regional tourism registration issued by the Comunidad Valenciana. The NRUA is the nationwide unique register under EU rules. You need both. You can’t apply for an NRUA without a VT. Without an NRUA, platforms have been forbidden from listing you since 1 July 2025.
Can I rent the flat room by room?
No. Decreto-ley 9/2024 classifies room-by-room rental as a very serious infraction. You must rent the whole unit.
How long can a guest stay?
A maximum of 10 consecutive days per contract. Longer stays fall under the LAU (residential lease law) and are no longer tourist rental.
What if my community won’t approve me?
If you’re registering after 3 April 2025, you need the 3/5 vote. If it’s refused, you can’t register. If you were registered before 3 April 2025, you’re not affected (no retroactivity).
Can I do this myself or do I need a gestor?
Technically you can do everything yourself — in practice, a gestor handles the ICU application, the DR and the NRUA setup for €250–450, much faster and with fewer mistakes. Especially worthwhile for non-residents and first-time registrants.
What if the TSJCV ruling on València is appealed?
The April 2026 ruling can be appealed to the Tribunal Supremo in cassation. Until that’s final, the legal position in the city of València is uncertain. Alicante province is not directly affected (moratoriums are municipal).
Does this matter when I sell the property?
The VT registration is attached to the owner, not the property. On sale the buyer must register independently (procedure GUC 14752 for title change). Missing documentation can depress the sale price or put off buyers.
Costa Blanca Habitat Handles the Paperwork
We coordinate the entire VUT registration for expat owners from Dénia down to Orihuela Costa: ICU application, Declaración Responsable, NRUA, SES.Hospedajes, civil-liability insurance, Modelo 210 setup. Our fees sit at the lower end of the gestoría market, and the first assessment — is your property actually registrable — is free. Get in touch.
— Allan, Costa Blanca Habitat