The Local Spain

Spain fines Airbnb €64 million for listing banned properties Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:28:16 +0100 Spain's leftist government said Monday it had fined Airbnb more than €64 million ($75 million), notably for posting listings for banned rental properties, at a time the country faces a housing crisis.

Spain marks 20 years without smoking indoors as new bans are planned Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:04:06 +0100 Spain first banned smoking indoors on December 15th 2005, and now, two decades later, the government is seeking to expand the ban to some outdoor areas as well.

How Spain has paved the way to citizenship for descendants of Franco-era exiles Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:38:58 +0100 Spain has received a surge of citizenship applications from descendants of emigrants who fled the country's 1930s civil war and Francisco Franco's dictatorship under a scheme aimed at addressing historical injustices.

The cities in Spain where the population has increased the most Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:41:55 +0100 Population growth in Spain has been increasingly driven by migration in recent years, and new data from Spain's national stats body reveals just where people are going.

Today in Spain: A roundup of the latest news on Monday Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:49:54 +0100 135 million calls blocked by Spain's anti-spam call plan, Spain busts gang flying hashish helicopters from Morocco and more news on Monday December 15th.

Seven key residency stats about Brits living in Spain in 2025 Thu, 11 Dec 2025 12:48:37 +0100 The Spanish Immigration Observatory has published new data which sheds light on British residency trends in Spain this year, from a slight population drop to the ongoing reluctance to swap the old green certificates for post-Brexit TIE residence cards.

What will happen to property prices and rents in Spain in 2026? Wed, 10 Dec 2025 11:01:32 +0100 If you’re thinking of buying a property in Spain next year, or renting one out, you’ll want to know what the projections are for the state of the market in 2026.

The little-known agreement that sets Europe's citizenship guidelines Sat, 13 Dec 2025 12:47:04 +0100 An important but hardly-known international agreement signed by 29 European countries has established common principles for citizenship rules, rights and duties associated to multiple citizenship, explains Claudia Delpero.

'I feel alienated': American dual nationals in Europe ready to renounce citizenship Sat, 13 Dec 2025 12:06:30 +0100 Dual-national American readers across Europe say they would give up their US passports to stay European if they were forced to, with many citing political disillusionment, fears for safety, and the feeling of belonging to their adopted country.

Inside Spain: A country of singletons, old mums and frozen eggs Sat, 13 Dec 2025 10:34:47 +0100 In this week's Inside Spain, we look at how attitudes towards relationships, marriage and childbearing are changing quickly in a country where "structural infertility" is rife.

Spain urges EU to keep combustion-engine ban as rethink on the cards Sat, 13 Dec 2025 09:38:30 +0100 Spain urged the EU to keep a 2035 ban on new petrol cars, a letter showed Friday, as Brussels looked set to replace it with a less ambitious 90-percent emission-reduction target.

Spain's ruling Socialists face sex scandal fallout among women voters Sat, 13 Dec 2025 07:50:50 +0100 Spain's ruling Socialist party is facing sexual misconduct and prostitution allegations that threaten its reputation as a champion of gender equality, putting its crucial base of women voters at risk.

'It’s about family and not shopping': Why you love Christmas in Spain Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:07:35 +0100 We asked our readers what’s so special about Christmas in Spain and we received so many comments about your favourite parts of the festive period here.

Spanish PM slams US 'extrajudicial operations' off Venezuela Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:22:33 +0100 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned as "unacceptable" the "extrajudicial operations" carried out by the United States on alleged drug-trafficking boats off Venezuela, in an interview published Friday.

Is Vox's rise in Spain due to anti-immigration or other reasons? Fri, 12 Dec 2025 13:52:32 +0100 Are Spaniards falling for the anti-immigration rhetoric sweeping across Europe and the US, or is far-right Vox rising in the polls due to other domestic issues unrelated to foreigners?

Spain's Andalusia launches video urging tourists to respect locals Fri, 12 Dec 2025 12:22:26 +0100 Authorities in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia have launched a tourism campaign which calls for a 'cohabitation pact' between holidaymakers and locals, where Andalusians will keep welcoming tourists as long as they follow certain rules.

Spain's Port of Bilbao implements EES border checks Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:56:58 +0100 Bilbao Port in northern Spain is the latest port of entry to roll out the new EES system for travellers from outside of the EU, highlighting how it's not just airports that have new passport checks for UK tourists and other third-country citizens.

Spain proposes short-stay work visa exemption scheme with UK Fri, 12 Dec 2025 10:49:50 +0100 The Spanish government has proposed a mutual work visa exemption scheme with the United Kingdom in a bid to bypass post-Brexit bureaucracy and boost economic relations between the two countries.

What Spain's state budget rejection means for non-lucrative visa holders in 2026 Fri, 07 Feb 2025 13:02:02 +0100 Will foreigners in Spain with non-lucrative visas and those applying for one in 2026 have to show a higher amount of savings and passive income to have the right to live here? A recent vote in the Spanish Congress has almost certainly decided this.

Spain heads for third straight year without budget as MPs down bill Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:28:21 +0100 Spain will enter 2026 without a new budget for a third straight year after lawmakers on Thursday once again blocked the minority left-wing government's spending and deficit plans.