Guest registration for short-term rental hosts in Spain: the full compliance picture

More than one system

If you have read about SES Hospedajes and assumed it is the only registration obligation in Spain, you are most of the way there. But the full picture depends on where your property is located. Spain has one national system and several regional systems that run alongside it. Depending on your autonomous community, you may need to submit to two separate authorities for every booking.

The national baseline: SES Hospedajes

SES Hospedajes applies everywhere in Spain. Under Real Decreto 933/2021, you must submit traveller data to the Secretaría de Estado de Seguridad within 24 hours of each guest's arrival. This is the floor. Every host in every region must do this.

Catalonia: two systems in parallel

Hosts in Catalonia face an additional registration obligation. The Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police force, operate a separate traveller registration system that predates SES Hospedajes and continues to run alongside it. Catalonian hosts must submit to both: SES Hospedajes at the national level and the Mossos system at the regional level.

The data requirements for each are similar, but the portals, credentials, and submission flows are separate. A host in Barcelona with a single apartment is making two distinct submissions per booking. Managing this manually is where errors and missed deadlines concentrate.

The Basque Country: Ertzaintza alongside SES Hospedajes

The same dual obligation applies in the Basque Country. The Ertzaintza, the Basque regional police, operate their own traveller registration system. Hosts in the Basque Country submit to the Ertzaintza system and to SES Hospedajes for every booking.

As with Catalonia, the national and regional systems are separate. Submitting to one does not fulfil the obligation to the other.

Tourist tax: which regions charge it and what that means

Guest registration and tourist tax are independent obligations. The tourist tax situation across Spain varies considerably by region and municipality.

Catalonia has one of the most developed tourist tax frameworks. Barcelona charges a surcharge on top of the regional rate, making it one of the higher combined rates in Spain. The Balearic Islands apply the Ecotaxa, a regional environmental levy on overnight stays. The Canary Islands apply a version through the IGIC structure, though the mechanics differ from mainland tourist tax schemes.

Madrid has no tourist tax. Seville has no tourist tax. Malaga has no tourist tax. Hosts in these cities have a full SES Hospedajes obligation and no tourist tax obligation. The absence of one does not reduce the other.

Valencia, Andalusia, and several other regions have been actively considering tourist tax frameworks since 2024. Hosts in these regions should monitor local authority announcements, as new schemes can apply quickly once enacted.

Tourist tax developments in the Basque Country and Galicia

The Basque Country is introducing a regional tourist tax framework. The Eusko Jaurlaritza, the Basque Government, has approved legislation setting rates between €0.75 and €7.50 per night depending on accommodation type and municipality. Bilbao falls into the higher-rate tier. Implementation is expected in 2026, but the rate that applies to your property depends on your municipality's decision. Check the Bilbao tourist tax page for current rates. Galicia has enacted its tourist tax through Law 5/2024. The regional framework authorises municipalities to apply a surcharge, and both A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela have done so — A Coruña from 29 September 2025, Santiago de Compostela from 1 October 2025. If your property is in either city, the obligation is already in force. See the A Coruña tourist tax page and the Santiago de Compostela tourist tax page for current rates and collection rules.

What booking platforms handle

No booking platform handles SES Hospedajes registration on behalf of hosts. Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo process reservations, payments, and in some cities tourist tax collection. The registration obligation sits with you.

Airbnb collects tourist tax on behalf of hosts in Barcelona and the Balearic Islands through direct agreements with local authorities. Where these agreements are in place, the tax is collected from the guest at booking and remitted to the authority. Where they are not, you collect it yourself.

Booking.com does not collect tourist tax on behalf of hosts in Spain. If your guests book through Booking.com in a tourist tax region, you are responsible for collecting it at check-in and remitting it to the local authority.

For any regional registration system beyond SES Hospedajes, including the Mossos and Ertzaintza, no platform handles submissions. These are always the host's responsibility.

The day-to-day workflow without automation

A host in Barcelona on a typical week receives three bookings through different platforms. Each booking triggers: a SES Hospedajes submission within 24 hours of arrival, a Mossos d'Esquadra submission for the same booking, tourist tax collection from the guest at check-in, and manual remittance of collected tax to the municipality on the relevant schedule.

A host in Madrid does the SES Hospedajes submission only, but still needs a consistent process for collecting document data, meeting the 24-hour deadline, and keeping records in case of inspection.

Without a structured process, these obligations pile up. Missed deadlines in Spain carry fines of up to €30,000 for serious infractions.

How Trippz manages the full picture

Trippz connects to SES Hospedajes and, where applicable, the Mossos d'Esquadra and Ertzaintza systems. When a booking arrives, Trippz routes the submission to the correct system or systems for your property's location automatically.

Tourist tax collection is built in for regions where it applies. Trippz applies the correct rate, collects from the guest at booking, and pays the tax out to you for remittance to the local authority. For properties in Madrid, Seville, or any other city without tourist tax, the tax module simply does not activate.

You configure your properties once. Trippz applies the right rules for each location from that point forward.

See how Trippz manages Spain's compliance requirements