Holiday-Rental Licence (ETV) on Mallorca

What is the ETV licence on Mallorca?

The ETV (Estancias Turísticas Vacacionales) is the Balearic holiday-rental licence — also called a tourist licence, vacation-rental licence, short-term-rental permit or licencia turística. Without it you cannot legally rent a Mallorca property to holiday guests on a nightly or weekly basis.

What share of Mallorca listings come with an ETV licence?

Only about 4% — more than 1,500 of over 37,000 for-sale listings are advertised with an ETV holiday-rental licence (measured 17 September 2026). Licensed stock is genuinely scarce: new tourist places have been frozen since 2022, in multi-family buildings, holiday letting has needed the owners' association's consent since 3 April 2025. That scarcity is exactly why an already-licensed property is so valuable.

Do I need a licence for every rental?

No — only for tourist letting. A residential tenancy under the Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos (permanent home, or a seasonal contract with a documented non-tourist reason such as work or study) needs no ETV. What decides is not the length of the contract but the purpose and the channel: stays of days or weeks, at most one month, marketed on holiday platforms are tourist stays and need the licence — a “seasonal” contract does not change that.

How do I check if a property has an ETV licence?

The listing should state the licence; verify the ETV number against the Consell de Mallorca / ATB tourism registry before you buy to let. A valid, transferable licence materially raises a property's value.

What are the fines without a licence?

Illegal holiday letting without an ETV is costly — serious breaches €20,001–40,000, very serious up to €400,000–600,000. New licences are heavily restricted/frozen, so an already-licensed property is especially valuable.

Does the licence transfer to me when I buy?

The ETV is attached to the property, not to the person. On a change of owner it continues and is re-registered — but it is not newly granted. The only reliable source is the Consell de Mallorca register: number, status and the number of guest places. Ask to see that entry before you pay a deposit, not at the notary.

How many guests may I host?

Every licence states a fixed number of places (plazas). It caps how many guests may stay at once and therefore what occupancy you can reach. Two licensed houses are not worth the same: six places carry a different calculation than four.

What does "advertised with a licence" mean?

We reproduce what the agency states. If the listing names a licence, the property appears in our filter — that does not mean we verified it, and we do not claim we did. Verification belongs before the purchase contract and runs through the register, not through a portal. That is why we say "advertised with a holiday-rental licence" and never "valid licence".

Four questions for the agent before you go further

• What is the ETV number, and which address is it registered to?
• How many places does the licence cover?
• Are there conditions from the town hall or the owners' association?
• Is there a current register confirmation, no more than a few months old?

Find ETV-licensed properties

On Property Guys you filter for every Mallorca listing advertised with a holiday-rental licence in one click — aggregated from hundreds of brokers, free for buyers.