Marbella Holiday Rental Licence Check
Renting a villa or apartment in Marbella, Puerto Banús, Nueva Andalucía or San Pedro? Check the tourism registration number before you pay.
Enter the regional tourism registration shown on the accommodation listing, exactly as it appears. If you enter a recognised national ESFCTU identifier, we’ll explain what type of number it is. Different registration types have different levels of public-data availability, so a “not found” result does not necessarily mean the accommodation is unregistered.
How to check a Marbella rental in four steps
- Find the registration number in the advert. Marbella holiday-rental adverts should display an Andalucían tourism registration number, usually in the VUT/MA/00000 format. Older listings may still show a VFT code.
- Enter the code in the checker. Type or paste the code into the search box on this page. Spacing and separators are normalised, so VUT/MA/39777 and VUT MA 39777 both work.
- Compare the record with the advert. Check that the municipality, property type and guest capacity in the record are consistent with what the advert claims. A mismatch is a reason to ask questions before paying.
- Ask the host or agent for confirmation. A legitimate Marbella host will confirm the registered address and capacity in writing. Refusal to provide the registration number is itself a warning sign.
Red flags when verifying a Marbella villa rental
- No registration number anywhere in the advert or in the host's replies.
- A number that does not appear in our Málaga province records at all.
- A record for a different municipality than the one advertised — for example an inland town when the advert says Puerto Banús.
- Advertised sleeping capacity higher than the capacity recorded for the property.
- Pressure to pay by bank transfer outside the booking platform before the number is confirmed.
What the registration does and does not prove
An Andalucían registration entry shows that the property has been declared for tourist use. It is not a discretionary licence and it does not confirm municipal planning compliance, community-of-owners approval, property standards or the authorised guest capacity for that specific home. Our VUT number explainer sets out how the code is structured.
Buying rather than booking?
If you are purchasing a Marbella property with holiday-rental income in mind, the registration number is only the starting point. The Marbella holiday rental licence guide covers planning, community statutes, capacity and buyer due diligence, and the Marbella coverage page shows what we currently hold.
Frequently asked questions
How do I verify a villa rental in Marbella?
Ask for the Andalucían tourism registration number shown on the advert, then check it against the published registration data. Confirm that the municipality, property type and guest capacity match the advert, and confirm the registered address with the host in writing before paying.
Does every Marbella holiday rental need a VUT number?
A dwelling offered for payment on a habitual basis for tourist purposes in Marbella will normally fall within Andalucía's vivienda de uso turístico regime and must satisfy the regional registration requirements. Hotels and tourist apartment establishments are registered under different categories.
Does a valid VUT number mean the rental is legal?
No. Registration records the property in the regional register. It does not confirm municipal planning compliance, community-of-owners approval, capacity limits, property standards or national guest-registration obligations.
What if the Marbella number is not found here?
Our coverage is close to complete for Málaga province holiday-rental homes (VUT and VFT), but tourist apartment and hotel categories are only published in part by the official open-data service. A missing result is a prompt to ask the host for evidence, not automatic proof that the property is unregistered.
Is Marbella banning holiday rentals?
We have not identified an official Marbella Town Hall document establishing a general ban. Measures have been announced and reviewed, but until an instrument is formally approved and published it should not be treated as an existing prohibition.
Renting elsewhere on the Costa del Sol? See how to check a Spanish holiday rental licence or the Airbnb licence check and Booking.com licence check pages.