What happens to tourist apartment licences in Barcelona from 2028?

They end. On 9 November 2028 the transitional period of Decree-law 3/2023 closes, and Barcelona City Council has announced it will neither grant nor renew any tourist-use licence. Until that day your licence is fully valid; from that date the apartment cannot be let for stays of up to 31 nights.

Do I need any other number or registration besides the HUT licence?

No. The national rental register procedure was annulled by the Supreme Court. Adverts for a tourist apartment in Catalunya only need to show the licence's NIRTC.

My HUT licence in Barcelona in 2028

Q: Where do I find my tourist licence number?

It is the registration number in the Catalan Tourism Register (NIRTC), which in Barcelona takes the form HUTB followed by digits. It must appear in every advert for the apartment and in a visible place inside the dwelling. If you do not have it to hand, it is on the City Council's authorisation notice or in your listings.

Q: If I sell the apartment before 2028, does the licence pass to the buyer?

The authorisation is municipal and tied to the dwelling, and the change-of-holder procedure exists on the Generalitat's Canal Empresa portal. What does not change is the date: the activity ends on 9 November 2028 whoever the holder is. Before signing, confirm with Barcelona City Council how it handles changes of holder during the transitional period.

If you own a tourist apartment in Barcelona, the question is not whether the licence will end, but what you need to know and do about it before it does. This page answers the practical questions about the licence itself. The timeline and sources are in the decree explained, date by date, and your options in the guide for owners.

What exactly is the HUT licence, and where is the number?

In Catalunya a tourist-use dwelling (HUT) is an apartment let as a whole, for a price, for stays of up to 31 nights. It cannot be let room by room, cannot house more people than the places on its habitability certificate, and never more than fifteen.

The authorisation is granted by the municipality. Once authorised, the apartment is entered in the Catalan Tourism Register and receives a registration number, the NIRTC, which in the city of Barcelona takes the form HUTB followed by digits. That number must appear in every advert for the apartment and in a visible place inside the dwelling. If you do not have it to hand, it is on the City Council’s authorisation notice and in your listings.

Two checks worth doing today: that the number appears in every listing, including on the platforms, and that the habitability certificate is in force. Those are the first two things an inspection looks at.

What happens to my licence on 9 November 2028?

It ceases to have effect. Decree-law 3/2023 gave apartments that already held a licence five years, from 9 November 2023, to obtain the new municipal planning licence or cease the activity. Barcelona City Council announced in June 2024 that it will neither grant nor renew any, and the Constitutional Court upheld the decree in judgment 64/2025 of 13 March.

Until that day the licence is fully valid and you can operate normally. From that date the apartment cannot be let for stays of up to 31 nights. Tourist bookings must end before 9 November 2028.

Can I apply for an extension?

On paper, the decree allows a single extension of the transitional period, of up to five more years, if the holder proves to the municipality that the transitional regime does not compensate for the loss of the licence. The request can be filed from 9 November 2027 and before 9 November 2028, and the municipality decides.

In Barcelona, the City Council has said in advance that it will not renew any licence. You can file the request when the window opens, but it is not prudent to plan 2029 around it.

If I sell the apartment before 2028, does the licence go with it?

The authorisation is municipal and tied to the dwelling, not to the person, and there is a procedure for changing the holder: the application is submitted online on the Generalitat’s Canal Empresa portal, and the municipality reports the change to the Tourism Register. What does not change is the date: the activity ends on 9 November 2028 whoever the holder is.

If you are thinking of selling with the licence active, do two things before signing: confirm with Barcelona City Council how it handles changes of holder during the transitional period, and make clear to the buyer, in writing, that they are buying an apartment with an activity that ends on a known date.

What can I do with the apartment afterwards?

The same options as for any home without tourist use:

Seasonal letting, from 32 nights. No tourist licence is needed. The contract must state and document the purpose of the stay: for leisure or holidays, with the tenant’s habitual residence elsewhere, the rent can be set freely; where the stay covers a housing need, the reference price applies. We explain it in “Letting your apartment monthly without a tourist licence”.
A long-term residential lease, with the price capped in Barcelona.
Selling, like any other home.

These three options, plus operating to the end, with what each involves, are in the guide for owners, and the comparison between tourist and seasonal letting in “Tourist or seasonal letting: which is more profitable?”.

What you do not need to do

You do not need any national register number. The national rental register procedure was annulled by the Supreme Court. Adverts only need the NIRTC.
You do not need to apply for a new licence in Barcelona. The City Council has announced it will not grant any.
You do not need to rush into a change of regime. The licence is valid to the end. The change is planned with months to spare, not in a hurry.

Rental regulation in Catalunya is changing. We follow every change closely and, if anything on this page stops being true, we will update it and inform the owners who work with us.

Sources

Decree-law 3/2023 of 7 November, on urgent measures regarding the planning regime of tourist-use dwellings (DOGC of 8 November 2023; BOE-A-2024-281).
Constitutional Court judgment 64/2025 of 13 March (BOE-A-2025-7430).
Frequently asked questions on tourist-use dwellings, Departament d’Empresa i Treball, Generalitat de Catalunya (definition, NIRTC, advertising, habitability certificate, places).
Procedure “Habilitació d’habitatges d’ús turístic” (registration, change of holder, modification and closure), Canal Empresa, Generalitat de Catalunya.