VFT Tourist Licence Renewal in Andalusia: Duration, Expiry and How to Keep Your Registration Current in 2026

Andalusian VFT registrations do not run on a fixed renewal clock, but they can be cancelled for cause. Here is how the lifecycle works and what happens when a registration is revoked.

An Andalusian VFT (vivienda de uso turistico) registration does not expire on a fixed annual or biennial cycle. Under Decreto 28/2016, as rewritten by Decreto-ley 1/2025 (Disposicion final sexta), the registration in the Registro de Turismo de Andalucía stays active for as long as the owner meets the declared requirements and actually provides the tourist service. The Junta de Andalucía has nonetheless cancelled nearly 10,600 VUT registrations since February 2024 for non-compliance, so the practical question for owners is not when to renew but how to keep the registration alive and what to do if it is revoked.

Does an Andalusian VFT registration have a fixed renewal date?

No fixed renewal date exists. The registration is initiated by a declaracion responsable filed electronically with the Consejeria competente en materia de turismo, as set out in Decreto 28/2016 Article 9 (rewritten by Decreto-ley 1/2025, Disposicion final sexta). Once filed, the vivienda is inscrita de oficio in the Registro de Turismo de Andalucía and can be advertised as a tourist let from that moment. There is no provision in the Decreto requiring the owner to re-file the declaration on a calendar cycle.

The owner does have ongoing obligations. Article 9.2 of the Decreto requires the owner to communicate any alteration to the declared data. Decreto 31/2024 (Disposicion adicional primera, paragraph 2) added the duty to communicate the periods of functioning within six months of its entry in force, and if the owner does not, the period is understood to be the full year. The practical upkeep of a VFT registration is therefore about keeping the declared data accurate and current, not about periodic renewal.

What can cause the Junta to cancel a VFT registration?

The cancellation regime was substantially tightened by Decreto-ley 1/2025. Under the rewritten Article 9.2 of Decreto 28/2016, the Consejeria can cancel the inscription when it finds a material inaccuracy, falsehood or essential omission in any data, manifestation or document in the declaracion responsable, or when the conditions for registration are no longer met, or when the service is not being effectively provided in the terms of Article 3.1, or when required sectorial declarations, licences or authorisations (especially urbanistic ones) are missing.

The same Decreto-ley added a new paragraph 4 to Article 38 of Ley 13/2011 (Disposicion final quinta). This provision says that the comprobacion of an incorreccion, inexactitud or falsedad of essential character in the declaracion responsable can determine the impossibility of continuing the activity and the cancellation of the inscription, previa audiencia of the interested party. The resolution of cancellation can also bar the owner from filing a new alta for the same object for one year. The provision expressly states that any information about the legal identity of the titular or explotador and about compliance with urbanistic legality, if incorrect, inaccurate or false, is considered of essential character.

The most common cancellation triggers in practice are:

1. Urbanistic incompatibility. Decreto-ley 1/2025 Article 6 allows municipalities to require that a tourist let be compatible with the urbanistic plan and to suspend new registrations while a plan is being drafted. If a town hall informs the Consejeria that a vivienda does not conform to its urbanistic rules, the Consejeria proceeds to cancel the inscription (Decreto 28/2016 Article 9.3, rewritten).

2. Community-approval failure. The rewritten Article 9.1.g of Decreto 28/2016 requires the owner to declare that the comunidad de propietarios has expressly authorised the activity in the terms required by state legislation. If this declaration is false or the approval was never obtained, the registration is cancellable as a material inaccuracy.

3. Non-provision of the service. If the owner is not actually offering the property as a tourist let in the terms of Article 3.1, the Junta can cancel the registration even if no false data was declared.

Cancellation trigger	Legal basis	Consequence
Material inaccuracy or falsehood in the declaracion responsable	Ley 13/2011 Art 38.4 (added by Decreto-ley 1/2025 DF quinta); Decreto 28/2016 Art 9.2 (rewritten)	Cancellation of inscription; 1-year bar on new alta for same property
Urbanistic incompatibility communicated by the town hall	Decreto 28/2016 Art 9.3 (rewritten by Decreto-ley 1/2025 DF sexta); Decreto-ley 1/2025 Art 6	Cancellation of inscription
Community of owners approval not obtained or falsely declared	Decreto 28/2016 Art 9.1.g (rewritten)	Cancellation as material inaccuracy
Service not effectively provided (Art 3.1)	Decreto 28/2016 Art 9.2 (rewritten)	Cancellation of inscription

How many VFT registrations has the Junta cancelled?

The consejero de Turismo y Andalucía Exterior, Arturo Bernal, confirmed on 18 September 2025 that the Junta had cancelled nearly 10,600 VUT registrations since February 2024. The cancellations form part of an enforcement strategy that includes a specialised unit of the Cuerpo Nacional de Policia Adscrita working alongside tourist inspectors, collaboration agreements with eight municipalities (Sevilla, Málaga, Granada, Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Almería, Alhaurín el Grande and El Puerto de Santa Maria), and an improved IT system in the Registro de Turismo de Andalucía that issues preventive warnings when an owner attempts to register in a zone with urbanistic restrictions.

The Registro now issues automatic preventive warnings when an owner attempts to register in a zone with urbanistic restrictions, informing them of the legal consequences and the immediate opening of a cancellation procedure. This means a cancelled registration in a restricted zone is unlikely to be reinstated unless the underlying urbanistic incompatibility is resolved.

What is the reinstatement procedure after a cancellation?

There is no dedicated reinstatement form. The mechanism is a new declaracion responsable, filed through the Junta’s electronic sede, subject to the one-year bar under Ley 13/2011 Article 38.4. The owner must first resolve the cause of cancellation. For an urbanistic incompatibility, that means obtaining the required municipal licence or declaracion responsable de cambio de uso (Decreto 28/2016 Art 6.1.a, rewritten by Decreto-ley 1/2025 Disposicion final sexta, paragraph uno). For a community-approval failure, that means securing the express authorisation of the comunidad de propietarios under the terms of state legislation (Decreto 28/2016 Art 9.1.g, rewritten).

The Junta’s VUT information page lists the electronic procedures available: inicio de actividad (declaracion responsable), modificacion de titular or representante, modificacion de otros datos, and cese de actividad. An owner whose registration was cancelled for a false declaration cannot simply re-file immediately; the one-year bar applies.

How do you keep the registration current without a renewal cycle?

The practical upkeep obligations, drawn from Decreto 28/2016 as amended by Decreto 31/2024 and Decreto-ley 1/2025, are:

1. Communicate any change to the declared data (Article 9.2 of the Decreto). If the owner, explotador, number of plazas or periods of operation change, the owner must file a modificacion through the electronic sede.

2. Maintain the physical and service requirements of Article 6 and the Anexo. Decreto 31/2024 added new requirements on minimum surface per person, number of bathrooms and climate control, with a one-year transitional period for existing registrations (Disposicion adicional primera).

3. Keep the urbanistic licence or declaracion responsable de cambio de uso current. Under the rewritten Article 6.1.a, the owner must comply with municipal urbanistic rules and hold the applicable licence or declaracion when one is required by Decreto-ley 1/2025 Article 6.

4. Retain the community authorisation. If the community of owners revokes its approval or the title constitutive prohibits tourist lets, the owner must cease the activity or face cancellation.

5. File the cese de actividad when stopping. The electronic sede has a specific communication procedure for this. If the service is not provided and no cese is filed, the Junta can cancel the registration under Article 9.2.

What is the fine for operating without a VFT registration?

Operating a tourist let without presenting the declaracion responsable is defined as actividad clandestina under Ley 13/2011 Article 30.4 and classified as an infraccion grave under Article 71.1. Grave infringements carry fines of EUR 2,001 to 18,000 under Article 78.2, with a possible accessory sanction of suspension of the service or temporary closure for up to six months. Very grave infringements, including recidivism, carry fines of EUR 18,001 to 150,000 under Article 78.3, with possible closure of six months to three years. The Junta has stated its enforcement objective explicitly: a tourist who books in Andalucía has the right to find a safe, legal dwelling that complies with the rules.

How does this compare to the application process?

The application process for a new VFT registration is covered in detail in our guide to obtaining a tourist licence in Andalusia. The renewal and cancellation lifecycle described here is the post-registration counterpart. Owners who want the broader Costa del Sol short-let rules, including the 3/5 community veto mechanism, should read our 2026 short-let rules guide. For the tax side, the short-let rental tax compliance guide covers Modelo 210 filing and deductible expenses, and non-resident owners will find the practical framework in our non-resident rental guide. Owners who delegate day-to-day management can review our property management company guide for the compliance split between owner and manager.