In listings it reads like a magic word: “with tourist licence”. In Mallorca's southeast, an ETV licence (estancia turística en vivienda) can add a very real premium to a house's price — and can also be the source of the deal's most expensive upset if nobody verifies it.
What it is — and is not
The ETV is the registration that allows a home to be legally marketed for tourist stays in the Balearics: with a registry number shown in all advertising and an authorised number of guest places. Without it, listing a house on the platforms is a serious infringement, with fines reaching tens of thousands of euros. It should not be confused with seasonal letting under the LAU, which is not tourist activity — nor a back door to becoming one.
And the framework has tightened: since April 2025 (Decree-law 4/2025) no new tourist places in apartment buildings are allowed anywhere in the Balearics, with exceptions for terraced and semi-detached houses, and renewals carry stricter quality requirements. A valid, well-documented licence is therefore worth more than ever — and a doubtful one, less.
Not all licences are equal
This is what almost nobody checks: an ETV's regime depends on when it was registered. Holiday homes from before 2006 and ETVs from 2012–2017 do not expire; those under Law 2/2005 (roughly 2006–2012) must be renewed every 6 years; single-family licences after 2017 are indefinite; and the multi-family and main-residence modalities (ETVPL, ETV60) renew every 5 years. Missing a renewal deadline can mean the end of the activity — that is, losing the licence.
A renewal missed three years ago can mean the licence in the listing simply no longer exists.
The minimum check before offering
- Full registration number and proof of the DRIAT or registration resolution.
- That the licence belongs to this home (cadastral reference), with its places.
- Its temporal regime and, if it expires, all renewals up to date.
- A valid habitability certificate — its expiry blocks renewals.
- Any history of sanctions or administrative requirements.
And a contract tip: if the ETV carries weight in the price, it must appear in the deposit contract as an essential condition, with agreed consequences if it turns out not to be in order. The full detail — types, places, zoning, taxation and how a licence can be lost — is in our free ETV guide.
