Fishing licence in Spain for tourists: you don't need an NIE

You need a licence to fish in Spain, both in the sea and in rivers. The good news is that you do not need a Spanish NIE. Several regions issue licences to holders of a passport or, if you are an EU citizen, a national ID card.

The difficulty is knowing which one. Spain has no single national fishing licence: each region issues its own, and some of them cannot be obtained with a foreign document alone. This guide explains which licences you can get as a visitor and where each one is valid.

1. Sea fishing from the shore on the Mediterranean coast

This covers the Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa Brava, Murcia and the Balearic Islands.

Spanish law (article 44.3 of Law 5/2023) says that a recreational sea licence issued by a coastal region is valid in that region's waters, in Spanish external waters and in the inshore waters of the other regions on the same fishing ground. For visitors, this means that a Catalan or Balearic licence also lets you fish from the shore in the other regions on the Mediterranean fishing ground: Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Valencia region, Murcia and the Mediterranean coast of Andalusia (Almería, Granada and Málaga).

Two licences are issued to holders of a passport or EU ID card. To apply online yourself, the Balearic licence requires a Spanish digital ID; the Catalan one can currently be bought online without one (a new system, with no date yet, will require a digital certificate). We can apply on your behalf.

• Balearic Islands individual licence (the one the Balearic Government issues for Mallorca).
  • Valid for 3 years. Official fee: €16.21 online, or €26.21 in person.
  • Covers fishing from the shore and, in Balearic inshore waters, from a kayak or other floating device. It does not cover fishing from a boat.
  • Foreign addresses are accepted.
  • It is sent as a PDF by email once issued.
• Catalan recreational licence.
  • Short options for holidays: 1 day (€3.25), 2 days (€5.30), 15 days (€11.75) or 1 year (€27.65).
  • The 1-day and 2-day tourist licences let you choose the start date, up to 15 days ahead. All the others start on the day they are paid.
  • Issued online once paid.

Tip: these two licences are for fishing from the shore. For boat fishing, spearfishing or northern Spain, ask us first.

2. Rivers and reservoirs

The inter-regional freshwater licence (€25, 1 year) is valid in the rivers, lakes and reservoirs of the 10 regions in the agreement:

• Andalusia
• Aragon
• Asturias
• Castilla-La Mancha
• Castilla y León
• Extremadura
• Galicia
• Madrid
• Valencia region
• Murcia

Aragon issues it to holders of a passport or foreign ID card. The fee has to be paid with a Spanish bank card, so it is easiest if we do it for you. Local rules still apply: protected species, closed seasons and permits for specific stretches of river.

3. Canary Islands

The Canary Islands have their own licence. Without an NIE, you can get it in person at a Government of the Canary Islands office, where it is normally issued on the spot with your passport or EU ID card. Applying online requires a Spanish digital ID (Cl@ve or a digital certificate), and the online fee form only accepts a Spanish tax number. Please note: the application receipt does not allow you to fish. You need the licence itself.

In addition, under article 5.3 of the Canary Islands Fisheries Act (Law 17/2003), recreational fishing licences from other Spanish regions are fully valid in the Canary Islands for the types of fishing each licence allows, subject to Canary Islands rules.

4. Valencia region and other regional licences

The Valencia region sea licence cannot be applied for online with only a passport: you have to go in person to a regional government office.

If you don't have an NIE, it is not a dead end: for shore fishing on the Costa Blanca, the Balearic or Catalan licence is valid too (see above). More detail in our guide to the Costa Blanca sea fishing licence.

5. What you always need to know

• Carry your licence together with the same ID document you used to get it.
• The licence lets you fish. It does not replace local rules on minimum sizes, bag limits, closed seasons or marine reserves.
• An application or payment receipt is not a licence. Only the licence itself allows you to fish.
• At sea, since 20 March 2026 you must report in PescaREC, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food app, your catches of certain protected species or species under conservation measures, and the Ministry asks anglers to log each day's catches.

6. Let us do it for you

For our service fee plus the official fee, we check which licence fits where and how you will fish, apply on your behalf and send you the licence by email and WhatsApp. You also get 3 months of Pro free in the AiPeces fishing app. The app is currently in Spanish; the English version is coming before the end of the year.

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