In closed towns, the licence is part of what you are buying.
Alicante city is closed to new tourist licences until 2027. Javea has apartments suspended. Parts of Denia are closing permanently. In those places a property that already holds a live licence carries something a neighbouring property cannot get: legal permission to earn. This guide covers how that asset transfers, and the three traps that catch buyers.
Reviewed 8 July 2026.
The three traps, in order of expense
Trap 1: the licence in the advert no longer exists
During 2025 the regional registry removed tens of thousands of registrations that failed the new requirements. Listings do not update themselves. The first check is always the official registry, by cadastral reference, not the agent's word. Our free checker runs exactly that lookup against the official data.
Trap 2: the 5-year clock is nearly up
Licences renew every five years, only within the month before expiry, and with an updated town hall report. A licence close to its date in a restricted town carries real renewal risk, and that belongs in the price negotiation. We establish the exact expiry before you make an offer.
Trap 3: the community paperwork
In apartment buildings the statutes and any adopted agreements shape what the activity may do going forward, especially after the 2025 reform. Reading them takes a lawyer an hour and has saved buyers from flats whose communities were already moving against tourist use.
The change of holder is a different procedure from a new licence. That single legal fact is why buying with a licence works even where new applications are frozen, and why the transfer must be filed properly after completion, not assumed.
How we run it, purchase and licence together
The firm has handled over 1,000 property transactions for non residents on this coast since 1991. When the property carries a licence, the due diligence adds the licence layer: registry verification by cadastral reference, expiry and renewal position, municipal status of the zone (our live database of town rules), community statutes, and after completion the change of holder and the compliance setup (guest registration, tax). One team, in writing, at a fixed quote before we start.
Buyer questions, answered
Does the tourist licence transfer automatically when I buy?
No. The licence relates to the property but the registration names a holder, so after completion a change of holder must be processed with the regional registry. It is a different procedure from applying for a new licence, which is exactly why it can work even in towns that are closed to new applications. We run it as part of the purchase.
Why is a property with a licence worth more in some towns?
Because in a town that is suspended or capped, a new licence is simply not available: Alicante city until January 2027, apartments in Javea, the closed central zone of Denia. There, the existing licence is scarce by law. Where a town is open, the premium is smaller, since a buyer could apply fresh.
How do I know the advertised licence is real and alive?
You check the official registry, not the listing. Spain's regional registry cleaned out tens of thousands of dead entries during 2025, so an advert saying with tourist licence can refer to a registration that no longer exists. Our checker verifies the property against the official registry data, and the full due diligence confirms holder, scope and status in writing.
What is the 5-year clock and why does it change the price?
Every licence is valid for five years and renews only within the month before it expires, with an updated town hall report. A licence one year from expiry in a restricted town carries renewal risk that a licence recently renewed does not. We put the exact date on the table before you negotiate, because it is a legitimate price factor.
The flat is in a community. Can the neighbours block me after I buy?
Activity that was already operating lawfully keeps its position, and a change of holder is not a new start of activity. But community statutes and any agreements adopted matter and must be read before you commit, especially since the 2025 reform. Statutes review is part of our pre-check.
Who handles the purchase itself?
The same firm. The conveyancing side (contracts, notary, taxes, registration) and the licence side (verification, change of holder, compliance setup) run together, which is the point: one team, one responsibility, no gap between the property lawyer and the licence paperwork.
Found a property that claims a licence?
Send us the cadastral reference and we verify it against the official registry, free, before you fall in love with the numbers.