What did Spain’s Supreme Court annul in the Short-Term Rental Register?
The 2026 judgments struck down the core of Spain’s national registration procedure. Here is what changes, what does not, and why SES.Hospedajes remains separate.
Spain’s Supreme Court has annulled the central provisions used by Royal Decree 1312/2024 to establish the national Short-Term Rental Register procedure. The first judgment was published in the Official State Gazette on 8 June 2026, with two further rulings consolidating the annulment in June and July.
This article summarises the position published in Spain’s Official State Gazette as of 2 August 2026. It is not legal advice. For a specific filing, check the latest instructions from the registry, booking platform and competent authority.
The short version
- The Supreme Court did not annul Royal Decree 1312/2024 in full.
- It did annul the core national procedure that required hosts to use the Property or Movable Property Registry to obtain the number needed to advertise short-term accommodation.
- The judgments do not automatically remove regional or municipal licences and registers.
- They do not annul SES.Hospedajes or traveller reporting, which are based on a different rule: Royal Decree 933/2021.
- Hosts should not remove numbers or stop filing obligations based solely on a headline. Follow current official instructions.
What did Royal Decree 1312/2024 regulate?
The decree created the Digital Single Window for Rentals and developed a national procedure under which each short-term rental unit obtained a registration number. That number had to appear in listings published on online platforms.
The system was designed to implement EU Regulation 2024/1028, applicable from 20 May 2026, and facilitate data exchange between platforms and public authorities.
What exactly did the Supreme Court annul?
The judgment of 19 May 2026, published on 8 June, annulled the provisions concerning the national registration procedure and the obligation to register through the Property or Movable Property Registry to obtain the number required for offering accommodation on platforms.
The annulment includes articles 5, 8, 9 and 10, parts of articles 1, 2 and 6, certain paragraphs of article 12, the second additional provision and other references tied to the annulled national procedure.
The judgment of 21 May, corrected on 11 June, and the judgment of 1 June reached the same broad conclusion. The consolidated text of Royal Decree 1312/2024 now marks the annulled provisions.
Why was it annulled?
The issue considered by the Court was not merely technical. It concerned the central government’s legal authority to create that mandatory registration procedure by royal decree and make it a condition for advertising the accommodation.
The decision therefore removes the challenged national procedure, but it does not automatically erase tourism, housing or registration rules adopted by other competent authorities.
NRUA, the Digital Single Window and SES.Hospedajes are different systems
| System | Purpose | Position after the judgments |
|---|---|---|
| NRUA or national number | Identify a unit advertised on short-term rental platforms. | The central national procedure for obtaining it has been annulled. Follow official guidance on practical and transitional effects. |
| Digital Single Window | Exchange activity data between platforms and authorities. | The Court did not annul the whole decree, but the system is affected because the associated registration procedure was struck down. |
| Regional and local licences or registers | Authorise or supervise tourism activity in each territory. | These are not removed by the national judgments. |
| SES.Hospedajes | Report bookings and traveller data for public-security purposes. | It remains separately governed by Royal Decree 933/2021. |
Is SES.Hospedajes still in force?
Yes. SES.Hospedajes derives from Royal Decree 933/2021, which regulates documentary records and the communication of data about people using accommodation services.
The judgments concerning Royal Decree 1312/2024 do not annul that separate legislation. Spain’s Ministry of the Interior continues to identify SES.Hospedajes as the platform for these communications.
Put simply, the number attached to an online short-term rental listing and the reporting of guests who actually stay at the property are different obligations.
What should accommodation operators do now?
- Continue reporting travellers. Do not interrupt SES.Hospedajes because of news about the NRUA.
- Keep regional and local licences current. Check the rules of the autonomous community and municipality.
- Do not remove numbers prematurely. Retain the NRUA and supporting documents until the registry or platform publishes applicable instructions.
- Watch platform notices. Airbnb, Booking.com and other intermediaries may change fields and validation rules as guidance develops.
- Use dated official sources. In such a recent change, guidance written before June 2026 may already be outdated.
- Seek advice for complex cases. This is particularly important for a suspension, withdrawal, proceeding or conflict between authorities.
Has the NRUA disappeared permanently?
That conclusion would be premature. The Supreme Court struck down the central national procedure and the specific registration obligation created by Royal Decree 1312/2024, but the treatment of existing numbers, platforms and future legal mechanisms requires official instructions and potentially new legislation.
The accurate answer today is: the procedure as previously designed has been legally dismantled, but obligations based on different legislation have not disappeared.
Official sources
Traveller reporting is still mandatory
Check-in Easy helps collect guest details and automate SES.Hospedajes reporting independently of the debate surrounding the national rental number.
Automate traveller reporting