Holiday rentals in Andalusia in 2026: requirements, the VUT code and limits in Seville and Cádiz

Updated 8 November 2026

If you rent a home to tourists on the Costa de la Luz, in Seville or anywhere else in Andalusia, Decree 28/2016 of the Junta de Andalucía and its 2024 and 2025 amendments apply to you. This guide sums up the rules in force in November 2026, with the official sources at the end. It is not legal advice: for a specific case, ask your town hall or your accountant.

It is no longer VFT: it is VUT

Since Decree 31/2024 (published 2 February 2024, in force since 22 February 2024), the old «viviendas con fines turísticos» are called «viviendas de uso turístico». The Andalusian Tourism Register code changed automatically: VFT/CA/00000 becomes VUT/CA/00000 and VFT/SE/00000 becomes VUT/SE/00000. According to the Junta, you only need to change the letters in your advertising, listings and websites.

Main requirements after Decree 31/2024

The adaptation periods for already registered homes ended in August 2024 and February 2025, so today they apply to everyone:

Whole home: up to 15 guests. Rooms only: up to 6, and the owner must live and be registered (empadronado) there.
Up to 4 guests per bedroom, with at least 2 in beds that are not bunks.
14 m² built per guest, with a minimum of 25 m² (or more, if local planning says so).
Two bathrooms from 6 guests and three from 9.
Cooling in bedrooms and living rooms if the home operates between May and August, and heating if it operates between December and March.
24-hour phone assistance, complaint forms and the equipment in the annex (smoke detectors, extinguisher, first-aid kit…).
Public-protection housing, and homes whose building statutes forbid it, cannot be VUT.

What changed in 2025: municipal licence first

Decree-Law 1/2025 (published 3 March 2025) added two important changes:

You need the municipal licence or the declaration of change of use before filing your declaration with the Andalusian Tourism Register.
Town halls can suspend licences and declarations for new VUT while they change their planning, across the whole town or by area, for up to 3 years.
If the declaration contains an essential falsehood or inaccuracy, the registration is cancelled and you cannot apply again for 1 year.

How to register and what it costs

Registration is an electronic responsible declaration (declaración responsable) on the Junta's e-office, with a digital certificate, before you start renting. It includes the cadastral reference, the operator, planning compatibility and operating periods (if none are given, the home is assumed to operate all year). The receipt number of the filing is not the registration number: the valid one is in the registration decision. The Junta's FAQ said the procedure is free; we found no confirmation after Decree 31/2024. Junta information line: +34 900 10 15 70.

Where the VUT code must appear

In all advertising, by any means, platforms included, and also on the payment receipt and the guest contract. Since May 2026, EU Regulation 2024/1028 also lets platforms remove listings without a valid registration number.

Put the VUT code on your website, next to the property's name.
Check it is the same on Booking, Airbnb and every other platform, with no old «VFT» left anywhere.
Include it in the booking confirmation and the contract.

Seville and the province of Cádiz: where new rentals are paused

According to the Junta (Governing Council, 16 July 2025), Seville, Cádiz, Chiclana de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María are among the towns that have suspended new VUT while they change their planning. Details:

Seville: since June 2022 its general plan also treats VUT as a tertiary lodging use; for homes registered after 8 June 2022 the planning office requires declarations of first use and change of use. A decision published in the BOE in March 2026 confirms that without this, the short-term rental registration number can be refused.
Cádiz city: in May 2025 the council unanimously approved the planning change to suspend new VUT registrations citywide, and 441 homes that did not meet planning rules were removed. We could not confirm whether the suspension is still in force in November 2026.
Tarifa, Conil, Vejer and Barbate are not on the Junta's July 2025 list and we found no official limits; still, ask your town hall before registering a new home.

Fines

Advertising or renting without having filed the responsible declaration is «clandestine activity», a serious offence under Andalusia's Tourism Law 13/2011. According to the Junta's official publication «Derecho del Turismo», serious offences carry fines of 2,001 to 18,000 euros (minor, up to 2,000; very serious, 18,001 to 150,000). The Junta cancelled more than 9,200 VUT between 2024 and the first half of 2025, 1,064 in Cádiz and 1,087 in Seville.

What about hotels, hostales and tourist apartments?

All tourist accommodation registers with the Andalusian Tourism Register after its responsible declaration. The law requires showing the classification in advertising and keeping the registration details available to guests; we found no article that literally requires the number in listings, but showing it consistently everywhere helps.

Guest registration

Besides the tourism register, Royal Decree 933/2021 requires reporting guest details to Spain's Interior Ministry online within 24 hours and keeping them for 3 years.

Why this also matters for AI

When a traveller asks ChatGPT or Gemini about a place to stay in Vejer or Seville, the AI cross-checks what it finds online. A VUT code that matches on your website, on the platforms and in the Andalusian Tourism Register is a clear sign that the property is real and legal. An old VFT code in one place and VUT in another raises doubts.

How iQuota helps

The official page iQuota publishes for each property shows its registration code and includes it in the structured data search engines read. It does not replace any legal procedure, and we cannot guarantee that an AI will recommend you.

Want an official page with your VUT code and direct booking? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a new code if I had a VFT one?

No. The change from VFT to VUT is automatic; you only need to change the letters in your listings and on your website.

Can I register a new VUT in Seville or Cádiz city?

According to the Junta, both towns had suspended new VUT in July 2025 while changing their planning. Ask your town hall whether it still applies.

How much does registration cost?

The Junta said the procedure is free. We found no confirmation after 2024; the municipal licence may carry fees.

Is there a tourist tax in Andalusia?

We found no official rule creating one as of November 2026.

Sources

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