How to register a Vivienda con Fines Turísticos (VFT) in Andalusia in 2026: Decree 28/2016 requirements, RTA number, recent restrictions in Seville and Málaga, declaración responsable, and penalties for operating without a licence.
What a VFT is and why the label matters
In Andalusia, a property let for stays under two months is a Vivienda con Fines Turísticos (VFT), governed by Decree 28/2016 of 2 February. It is the equivalent of the Madrid VUT or the Catalan HUT, but with its own name and its own regional regime.
Andalusia is Spain’s largest region by tourism volume and, paradoxically, the latest to regulate this segment in depth. As a result, many hosts have been operating without a licence for years — a situation the Andalusian administration has been actively pursuing through inspections since 2024.
Decree 28/2016 requirements
To operate as a VFT, the property must meet the minimum requirements set by Decree 28/2016. The most relevant:
- ✓Be located on residential-use land and have a valid certificate of occupancy.
- ✓Have cooling (1 May–30 September) and heating (1 November–28 February) by fixed elements in bedrooms and living rooms.
- ✓A first-aid kit and complaint forms available to guests.
- ✓Local tourism and service information.
- ✓The RTA tourism-registry number visible in ALL advertising: Airbnb, Booking, Vrbo, own website, etc.
- ✓Furniture, kitchenware and equipment sufficient for the offered capacity.
- ✓Cleaning of the property at entry and departure of every guest.
- ✓Maximum capacity: that set by the certificate of occupancy, capped at 15 places, with 4 per bedroom maximum.
Restrictions by municipality: the game change in Seville and Málaga
From 2024 and 2025, several Andalusian city councils have tightened the urban planning conditions for new VFTs. The most relevant for 2026:
In Seville, the historic centre and other central districts are subject to a moratorium or to the independent-access-from-public-thoroughfare requirement for new licences. The moratorium has been extended progressively as the council detects saturation.
In Málaga, the General Urban Plan introduces restrictions in stressed zones (Historic Centre, La Malagueta, parts of Soho) and requires a prior urban-planning certificate. The Costa del Sol stays more open, but is also the area with the most inspections.
In Granada, Cádiz and other tourist hubs, councils have been passing local ordinances with specific conditions. Before registering a new VFT in 2026, checking the current municipal ordinance is mandatory.
How to apply step by step
Registration as a VFT in Andalusia happens through a declaración responsable, which means the activity may begin from the moment of filing, subject to later administrative verification.
- ✓1. Verify the urban-planning status of the property: certificate of occupancy, admissible residential use, current municipal restrictions.
- ✓2. Gather documentation: nota simple from the Property Registry, urban-planning certificate (if applicable), cadastral data.
- ✓3. File the declaración responsable on the Junta de Andalucía e-office.
- ✓4. Receive the RTA registry number.
- ✓5. Publish the RTA on ALL ads and channels (tourism inspection actively monitors Airbnb and Booking).
- ✓6. Register the accommodation as a SES Hospedajes obliged party so you can start filing the traveller report under RD 933/2021.
Penalties for operating without a VFT in Andalusia
Law 13/2011 of 23 December on Tourism in Andalusia classifies breaches as minor, serious or very serious. Indicative 2026 amounts:
- ✓Minor: up to €2,000. E.g. not displaying the RTA in advertising.
- ✓Serious: €2,001 to €18,000. Operating without declaración responsable, advertising more places than registered.
- ✓Very serious: €18,001 to €150,000. Repeat offences, prolonged clandestine activity, document falsification.
- ✓The administration can also order activity cessation and closure as an accessory measure.
Complying with SES Hospedajes once you have the licence
Holding the RTA is only the start. From that moment, every guest must be registered with SES Hospedajes within 24 hours under Royal Decree 933/2021. A VFT is an accommodation establishment for every legal purpose.
In practice, that means collecting the 21 mandatory fields per guest, validating the document and filing the report with the Ministry of the Interior. Doing it manually is workable at two bookings a month but unmanageable with more volume.
BookCheckin automates this second obligation: the guest completes online check-in before arrival, scans their document and signs; BookCheckin files with SES Hospedajes within the legal window and stores the receipt. For an Andalusian VFT with several bookings a week, that means going from daily manual work to zero intervention.