Fuengirola owners ask the same first question almost every week: what licences do I need, and how long do they take? In 2026, after the Supreme Court's decision in May, there is only one licence that counts. Here is the practical version.
The Andalusian VUT is the registration that matters
The VUT is the regional licence, a declaración responsable filed with the Junta de Andalucía under Decreto 31/2024. Straightforward applications can be issued inside a day; two to five days is more typical. The licence number must appear on every listing.
Fuengirola's town hall is among the more reliable on the coast for processing community-vote paperwork when it is needed. Los Boliches, Torreblanca, Centro and the paseo blocks generally follow the standard Junta procedure without complications. Higuerón is its own small ecosystem, and we factor that in to onboarding timelines for properties up there.
The 3/5 community vote rule under Ley Orgánica 1/2025 applies only to new VUT applications in community buildings, not to licences granted before 3 April 2025. If your block has an existing VUT precedent, the path is usually quick.
What happened to the national NRUA
The NRUA, introduced by Royal Decree 1312/2024 and briefly in force from 1 July 2025, was annulled by the Spanish Supreme Court in May 2026. It is no longer required. Owners who registered during 2025 do not need to maintain the number; platforms verify the regional VUT instead.
That leaves Fuengirola owners in a cleaner regulatory position than a year ago. One licence, one number, one line item on the listing.
What the timeline really looks like
A typical Fuengirola onboarding runs ten to fourteen days from contract to first bookable night, assuming the energy certificate is current and the community statutes do not prohibit short-stay use. Outside that, the most common delay is missing documents: the nota simple, a recent IBI receipt, or photos that have not been taken yet. We schedule the photographer in week one to keep that off the critical path.
For owners with existing VUTs from prior arrangements, transferring to our management is administratively lighter than a fresh application; we register the change of operator, the licence keeps its status. For owners with new properties, the community vote is the variable to watch. We check the building's voting history before accepting a property, so we know what we are dealing with.
The bottom line for Fuengirola in 2026: most properties get to bookings inside two weeks. The exceptions are predictable, and we flag them at the discovery call rather than mid-process.
Personally reviewed and approved by Maarten Glaser, owner of Glaser Group: real estate, rental management and investments.
