Fishing regulations in Spain

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a licence to fish in Spain?

Yes. Inland fishing in Spain requires a licence from the autonomous community, bought without an exam. Since March 2026 an interregional licence costing €25 covers ten communities; others, such as Catalonia, sell their own. Some rivers and reservoirs (cotos) also need a daily permit.

Freshwater fishing is managed by Spain's autonomous communities. Under the agreement published in the BOE on 10 March 2026, the interregional licence costs €25 and is valid for one year from issue in Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Madrid, the Valencian Community, Extremadura, Galicia, Asturias and Murcia; no exam is required and no age exemption applies. Each community also sells its own licence, often cheaper for a single region: €8.14 a year in Andalusia (after registering in the Andalusian register), €11.51 in Aragon, €8.88 in Castilla-La Mancha, €15.20 for five years in Castilla y León, €20.35 in Galicia for residents (2025 rate). Catalonia is not part of the agreement: its recreational licence costs €27.65 a year or €3.25 for a day. Some fee exemptions exist for young people and over-65s, but the licence itself is still required. Fishing rules, including catch-and-release for brown trout in many waters, depend on each community.

Official sources : BOE 10/03/2026 – agreement on interregional hunting and inland fishing licences ; Junta de Andalucía – fishing fees ; Government of Aragon – Fee 16 (fishing licences) ; Castilla-La Mancha – fishing licences ; Junta de Castilla y León – licence prices and exemptions ; ATRIGA (Galicia) – fee tables 2025 ; Generalitat de Catalunya – recreational surface fishing licence

How do I get a fishing licence in Spain?

Apply to the autonomous community where you will fish, usually online. The €25 interregional licence can be requested from any of the ten participating communities with a form and a signed declaration; Catalonia sells its own licences on its tràmits portal, and Andalusia first requires registration in its hunting and fishing register.

There is no national counter. Each community issues its own licence and the interregional one, which you request from any community party to the 2026 agreement (Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Madrid, Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Asturias, Murcia) with its form and a responsible declaration, signed by a guardian for minors. Examples: in Catalonia the recreational fishing licence is requested on the Generalitat's tràmits portal, which also offers tourist licences for one, two or fifteen days; in Andalusia you first register in the Andalusian hunting and inland fishing register, then pay the fee, and civil liability insurance is required; in Aragon the licence is paid online or at an office (€11.51 electronically, €12.79 at the counter); Castilla y León publishes prices and exemptions on its environment portal; in Galicia the procedure goes through the Xunta's online office. No exam is required in the communities documented. For a coto, a separate day permit is obtained according to that stretch's own rules.

Official sources : BOE 10/03/2026 – agreement on interregional hunting and inland fishing licences ; Generalitat de Catalunya – recreational surface fishing licence ; Junta de Andalucía – obtaining an inland fishing licence ; Government of Aragon – Fee 16 (fishing licences) ; Junta de Castilla y León – licence prices and exemptions ; ATRIGA (Galicia) – fee tables 2025

How much is a fishing licence in Spain?

From about €8 to €28 a year depending on the community in 2026: Andalusia €8.14, Castilla-La Mancha €8.88, Aragon €11.51, Castilla y León €15.20 for five years, Catalonia €27.65. The interregional licence valid in ten communities costs €25, and Catalan tourist licences start at €3.25 a day.

Prices are set by each autonomous community. Interregional licence (BOE agreement of 10 March 2026): €25, valid one year in ten communities, with no age exemption. Andalusia: basic licence €8.14 a year (issued for 1, 3 or 5 years), plus a €4.08 trout supplement and boat supplements; over-65s are exempt from the regional fee. Aragon: €11.51 when issued or renewed electronically; free for Aragonese residents over 65 and under 14. Castilla-La Mancha: €8.88 for one year or €44.40 for five. Castilla y León: licence P1 €15.20, valid five years, with income-based exemptions. Galicia: class A €20.35 for residents aged 18-64 and class B €40.61 for foreign non-residents (2025 rates), free for minors and over-65s. Catalonia: R1 €27.65 a year, catch-and-release M1 €20.20, tourist licences €3.25 (1 day), €5.30 (2 days), €11.75 (15 days). Daily permits for cotos are extra; in Cantabria a salmon coto day permit costs €23.27 and a trout coto €11.64.

Official sources : BOE 10/03/2026 – agreement on interregional hunting and inland fishing licences ; Junta de Andalucía – fishing fees ; Government of Aragon – Fee 16 (fishing licences) ; Castilla-La Mancha – fishing licences ; Junta de Castilla y León – licence prices and exemptions ; ATRIGA (Galicia) – fee tables 2025 ; Generalitat de Catalunya – recreational surface fishing licence ; Government of Cantabria – fishing fees

Where can you fish in Spain?

There is no national list: each autonomous community publishes its open waters, cotos, catch-and-release stretches and reserves in its official bulletin. Large reservoirs, trout rivers in the north and mountain lakes are all regulated regionally, often with daily permits for cotos.

Every community lists its waters in its annual fishing order. In Aragon, for example, brown trout is caught and released in all free trout waters except the extractive stretches listed in an annex, and only one rod is allowed in trout waters against two in cyprinid waters. In Castilla y León brown trout is in practice no-kill in free-access waters; harvest is only possible in cotos and special-regime waters. In Andalusia, brown trout, barbel and boga are exclusively catch-and-release. In Galicia, Monday is a non-fishing day and Thursday is reserved for catch-and-release fishing. On border stretches between Aragon and Catalonia, both licences and the interregional one are accepted. Regional open-data layers list named cotos, reservoirs and controlled fishing zones, for example Catalonia's controlled fishing zones on the Riba-roja and Mequinenza area of the Ebro. No authority publishes a ranking of the 'best' places, so choose the community, then read its order.

Official sources : BOA – Aragon general fishing plan ; Junta de Castilla y León – Order MAV/1570/2024, fishing rules ; BOJA – Order of 13 January 2023, inland fishing rules in Andalusia ; Xunta de Galicia – inland fishing rules 2026 (DOG 22/12/2025) ; BOE 10/03/2026 – agreement on interregional hunting and inland fishing licences ; Generalitat de Catalunya – controlled fishing zones map

What fish can you catch in Spain?

Native targets include brown trout, several Iberian barbel species, boga, chub (cacho) and, in northern rivers, Atlantic salmon. Much reservoir fishing is for introduced species such as carp, black bass, pike, zander, wels catfish and perch, which are listed as invasive and may not be released.

Spain's Catalogue of Invasive Alien Species (Royal Decree 630/2013) includes carp, largemouth bass (perca americana), pike, zander, wels catfish, perch, roach, rudd, bleak, rainbow trout and brook trout. Its article 7.3 forbids returning a captured specimen to the wild and article 7.4 forbids using them as bait, although Law 7/2018 allows their fishing to be managed where they were present before 2007 if the community provides for it. Native species are protected by strict rules: in Andalusia brown trout, barbel and boga are catch-and-release only, and fishing for the local chub (cacho), tench and eel is forbidden; in Aragon and Castilla y León brown trout is widely no-kill; in Galicia salmon fishing is closed in 2026, while Cantabria sells salmon coto permits. Which species are open, and their sizes, depend on each community's annual order.

Official sources : BOE – Royal Decree 630/2013, Spanish catalogue of invasive alien species ; BOJA – Order of 13 January 2023, inland fishing rules in Andalusia ; BOA – Aragon general fishing plan ; Junta de Castilla y León – Order MAV/1570/2024, fishing rules ; Xunta de Galicia – inland fishing rules 2026 (DOG 22/12/2025) ; Government of Cantabria – fishing fees ; FishBase – Barbus barbus (notes on Iberian Luciobarbus) ; FishBase – Salmo salar

Do you need a licence to sea fish in Spain?

Generally yes, but recreational sea fishing licences are issued by the coastal regions, not by the inland system. For example, the Balearic Islands require a shore licence from age 14 (€16.21 online, valid three years), and Catalonia's R1 licence (€27.65) covers both inland and surface sea fishing.

Spain's inland licences, including the interregional one, cover fresh water only. Recreational sea fishing is licensed by each coastal region. Two verified examples: the Balearic Islands offer four sea licences (individual recreational, from a boat, spearfishing and sport fishing); the individual licence is compulsory from age 14, costs €16.21 online, lasts three years, is free for pensioners and over-65s, and covers fishing from the shore. Catalonia issues a single licence for inland waters and surface sea fishing (R1, €27.65 a year, free for under-18s and over-65s). We have not reviewed official sources for the other coastal regions (Andalusia, Valencia, Galicia, the Canary Islands and others), which have their own licences and rules. Beaches may be closed to fishing during the bathing season and harbours are often excluded, as decided by municipalities. Minimum sizes for sea fish are set separately from inland rules, so check with the regional fisheries department.

Official sources : Government of the Balearic Islands – fishing licence ; Government of the Balearic Islands – recreational fishing licence procedure ; Generalitat de Catalunya – recreational surface fishing licence

Can you fish in Spain as a tourist?

Yes. Visitors buy the same regional licences as residents, with no exam: the €25 interregional licence for ten communities, a regional licence, or in Catalonia a tourist licence from €3.25 a day. Some regions charge more to non-residents, such as Galicia's €40.61 class B for foreign non-residents (2025).

Spanish inland fishing licences are not restricted by nationality. A tourist can buy the interregional licence (€25, one year, valid in Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Madrid, Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Asturias and Murcia) or a single community's licence online. Catalonia sells short tourist licences: €3.25 for one day, €5.30 for two days and €11.75 for fifteen days. Andalusia requires prior registration in its hunting and fishing register and civil liability insurance before the licence (€8.14 a year). Galicia's 2025 fee tables list a class B licence at €40.61 for foreign non-residents, against €20.35 for residents. On many rivers and reservoirs designated as cotos, a separate daily permit, sometimes allocated by draw, is also needed. Each community's annual fishing order sets seasons, sizes, catch limits and catch-and-release stretches, and invasive species such as carp, black bass and wels catfish may not be returned to the water.

Official sources : BOE 10/03/2026 – agreement on interregional hunting and inland fishing licences ; Generalitat de Catalunya – recreational surface fishing licence ; Junta de Andalucía – obtaining an inland fishing licence ; Junta de Andalucía – fishing fees ; ATRIGA (Galicia) – fee tables 2025 ; BOE – Royal Decree 630/2013, Spanish catalogue of invasive alien species

Can you fish in Spain without a licence?

No. Inland fishing in every Spanish community requires a personal licence. Some communities waive the fee for minors, over-65s or disabled people, as in Catalonia, Galicia, Aragon and Andalusia, but you must still obtain the licence. Daily coto permits may be needed as well.

Spanish inland fishing requires a named, personal licence issued by the autonomous community. The published exemptions concern the fee, not the obligation: in Catalonia the licence is free for under-18s, over-65s and disabled people (licences RM, RJ and RD, valid four years); in Galicia minors, over-65s and people with at least a 33% disability are exempt from the fee; in Aragon it is free for Aragonese residents over 65 and under 14; in Andalusia over-65s are exempt from the regional fee. In all these cases you still apply for the licence, and a daily permit may also be needed on cotos. The interregional licence has no age exemptions. Fishing without a licence exposes you to the penalties in the fishing law of the community concerned. Sea fishing follows separate coastal-region licences, such as the Balearic Islands' three-year shore licence.

Official sources : BOE 10/03/2026 – agreement on interregional hunting and inland fishing licences ; Generalitat de Catalunya – recreational surface fishing licence ; ATRIGA (Galicia) – fee tables 2025 ; Government of Aragon – Fee 16 (fishing licences) ; Junta de Andalucía – fishing fees ; Government of the Balearic Islands – fishing licence