A month in Alicante

Under the Valencian tourism law as amended by Decreto-ley 9/2024, a tourist dwelling is a whole property let for 10 days or less, counted continuously to the same tenant. The law adds that homes let for 11 days or more to the same tenant cannot be tourist dwellings, and it bans letting rooms as tourist lodging.

A month in a flat is therefore not a tourist stay here. A furnished let for a season is a lease for use other than housing under article 3.2 of the national lease law, with a written contract that should name the lease type. There is no tourist tax to add: the regional tax was repealed in 2023 before it came into force.

Seasonal leases were brought into the national rental register by Real Decreto 1312/2024, which covers short lets with or without a tourist purpose. The national registration procedure was largely annulled in May 2026, regional registers still apply, and whether a national number must still appear on a listing is unsettled as of September 2026. The Valencian register number applies to tourist dwellings, not to seasonal leases.

Alicante's centre and Playa de San Juan suit a month with city services, the centre for the old town and the port, Playa de San Juan for the beach. Torrevieja suits a long stay by the sea about 46 km from the airport, and Benidorm suits a month with everything on foot. This ranking is editorial.

With a car, avoid planning weeks of street parking in central Alicante: blue ORA spaces allow 2 hours at most, orange spaces one hour for visitors, and the historic centre is for residents with an authorisation. In Benidorm a flat inside the camera zone only works with a registered permit. Ask for a lease with a parking space, or a base outside both zones.

Deposit: the legal cash deposit (fianza) for a seasonal lease is two months' rent under article 36.1 of the lease law.

ID: every lodging records guest identity data under Real Decreto 933/2021, and every guest over 14 signs the registration form.

EU citizens staying longer than three months must apply in person for registration at the provincial foreigners' office or a police station within three months of entry.

Visitors from outside the EU are limited to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. The EU Entry/Exit System, which registers non-EU nationals on short stays in 29 European countries, has been fully operational since 10 April 2026.

Airbnb calls stays of 28 nights or more monthly stays: it charges the first month up front and later months 10 days before each period. Agoda lets properties offer a long-stay promotion on bookings of more than 28 days and accepts stays of up to 90 days.

On the Costa Blanca those labels meet a hard legal line. A registered tourist flat covers up to 10 days with the same tenant; for a month, the listing should offer a seasonal contract. Whether the 10 day limit is enforced on platforms was not verified, so ask the host which contract applies before paying.

A month-long booking presented as a tourist let. Beyond 10 days it is not one under Valencian law.

A deposit above two months' rent on a seasonal lease, or a contract that does not name the lease type.

A listing in Alicante city that claims a new tourist licence: the council suspended new licences in December 2024, according to press reports.

Driving into Alicante's historic centre or Benidorm's camera zone without the plate registered.

Miscounting Schengen days, and assuming bills are included; no reliable source on local practice was found, so ask.