Opening a Bar or Restaurant in Torrevieja: Licence, Fit-Out and the Order to Do It In
A restaurant opening in the Valencian Community runs on two tracks: the works to fit out the premises, and the declaration that lets you trade. Get the order wrong and you pay rent on a room you cannot open. What to check before the lease, and how the timing works.
To open a bar or restaurant in Torrevieja you need two things: permission for the fit-out works and permission to open the business. The works go by declaración responsable under the regional planning law — with a certificate if they touch the structure or change the use of the premises. The opening goes by a declaración responsable de apertura under Ley 14/2010 on public establishments: you can trade one month after filing it with the town hall, or the same day if it is filed with a certificate from an accredited certification body (OCA). Extraction, fire safety, accessible toilets and noise insulation are what decide whether the premises can pass — check them before you sign the lease.
We are reconstructing a 450 m² restaurant in 2026, and the questions it raises are the ones every hospitality client asks: can this unit become a restaurant at all, what has to be built, and when can the doors open. The answers come from two different laws, and the order in which you deal with them matters as much as the answers.
Two tracks: the works and the opening
| The works | The opening | |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Regional planning law, Decreto Legislativo 1/2021 (TRLOTUP) | Ley 14/2010 on public shows, recreational activities and public establishments, and its regulation, Decreto 143/2015 |
| Usual route | Declaración responsable; with a certificate if the works affect the structure or change the use of the premises (art. 233.2) | Declaración responsable de apertura, with technical documentation |
| When you can act | Works start the day the complete filing is submitted | Trading one month after filing, with prior written notice to the town hall — or the same day if filed with an OCA certificate |
Whether an establishment opens by declaration or needs a prior authorisation depends on its type, capacity and risk, set out in articles 9 and 10 of Ley 14/2010 and in Decreto 143/2015. Most ordinary bars and restaurants follow the declaration route; larger venues, entertainment and music can fall under authorisation. Which one applies to your premises is the first thing a technician should confirm.
Check these before you sign the lease
- Is the use allowed? The planning rules for the street, and the statutes of the building's community of owners, can both rule out hospitality. A shop becoming a restaurant is a change of use — the certified route under article 233.2.
- Is there a route for the kitchen extraction? Cooking fumes normally have to be taken up and out above the roof, not through the façade. If the building offers no way to run a duct to the roof, that can end the project before it starts.
- Can the toilets be made accessible? Premises open to the public usually need an accessible toilet. In a narrow unit, that alone can reshape the whole plan.
- What capacity do you need? Capacity drives the escape routes, the fire protection, the number of toilets and the liability insurance.
- Did the previous tenant have an activity licence for the same use? If so, and nothing changes, taking it over is simpler than starting again. If you change the layout or the activity, the new situation has to be declared.
A technical visit before the lease — an hour on site with an architect or engineer — costs far less than a month's rent on premises that cannot open.
What the fit-out has to deliver
| Area | What is checked |
|---|---|
| Kitchen extraction | Hood, ducting and fan sized for the cooking, taken to the roof; fire-rated where it crosses other spaces |
| Drainage | Normally a grease separator on the kitchen waste before it joins the public sewer |
| Fire safety | Escape routes and exits for the capacity, fire separation of the kitchen, extinguishers, emergency lighting — under the national building code (CTE) |
| Noise | Acoustic insulation to neighbouring homes, under the Valencian noise law (Ley 7/2002) and municipal rules; critical in a residential building |
| Accessibility | Step-free access and, in most cases, an accessible toilet |
| Hygiene | Washable surfaces, separate areas and handwashing in the kitchen, as food-safety rules require |
These items — not the finishes — usually decide the budget and the programme. A dining room can be finished quickly; a duct route through three floors of a residential building cannot.
Liability insurance
Public establishments must carry civil liability insurance, with a minimum amount that rises with the capacity stated for the premises — set out in article 60.1 of Decreto 143/2015. Arrange it before filing the opening declaration: it is part of what the declaration confirms.
The order that avoids paying rent on a closed room
- Technical visit before the lease: use, extraction route, toilets, capacity.
- Design and documentation for both tracks together, not one after the other.
- File the works declaration and start the fit-out.
- Final certificates from the installers — electrics, gas, fire, extraction.
- File the opening declaration: trade after a month, or the same day with an OCA certificate.
Questions we get asked
How long does it take to get a restaurant licence in Torrevieja?
Under Ley 14/2010, most restaurants open by filing a declaración responsable de apertura. The business can start trading one month after filing, with prior written notice to the town hall, or on the same day if the declaration is filed with a certificate from an accredited certification body (OCA). The fit-out works before that go by their own declaration under the planning law.
Can any shop be turned into a restaurant in Spain?
No. The planning rules for the location and the community of owners' statutes must allow the use, and the premises must be able to take kitchen extraction, fire separation, noise insulation and, usually, an accessible toilet. Turning a shop into a restaurant is a change of use, which in the Valencian Community needs a declaración responsable with a certificate.
What should I check before renting premises for a bar?
Whether hospitality is allowed there, whether a kitchen extraction duct can reach the roof, whether an accessible toilet fits if one is required, what capacity you need, and whether the previous tenant held an activity licence for the same use. A technical visit before signing is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
Does Creator Company do commercial fit-outs?
Yes. Alongside villas and apartments, we are reconstructing a 450 m² restaurant in 2026. We handle the technical visit, the design, both declarations and the fit-out itself, from our office in Torrevieja.
Before you sign anything
Send us the address of the premises, the size and what you want to open. We will tell you what we would check on site and whether anything obvious rules the unit out — before you commit to a lease.
Opening: Ley 14/2010, de 3 de diciembre, de espectáculos públicos, actividades recreativas y establecimientos públicos (arts. 9 and 10), and Decreto 143/2015 (art. 60.1 on insurance). Works and change of use: Decreto Legislativo 1/2021 (TRLOTUP), art. 233. Noise: Ley 7/2002 de la Generalitat. General information; the requirements for a specific premises are confirmed by a technician and the town hall.
Planning this on your own property?
Send the address and a few photos. We will tell you what is realistic, what it costs and what has to be checked on site — before any commitment.