Filming Permits & Licenses Spain

Here is how this works in practice. Permitting a Spanish shoot is a multi-tier exercise that touches national, autonomous-community, and city desks — frequently inside the same shooting day. Our permit team starts at ICAA (Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales). The MECD (Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte) arm that gatekeeps Spain's 30% general tax rebates. The 50% Canary Islands top (1.5M cap, lifted to 18M), the 70% Navarra Foral rebates.

Here is the short of it. And the 40% Basque Country (Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Álava) credits that have anchored Game of Thrones (Sevilla's Real Alcázar as Dorne, Almería's Tabernas desert as Slaver's Bay, Bilbao's San Juan de Gaztelugatxe as Dragonstone). Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Solo: A Star Wars Story (Fuerteventura), Wonder Woman 1984 (Fuerteventura and Lanzarote), and Society of the Snow. From there we descend into the Spain Film Commission umbrella, the Madrid Film Office, Barcelona Film Commission. Andalucía Film Commission (Sevilla, Málaga, Granada, Costa del Sol).

Here is the breakdown. Canary Islands Film Commission, Comunitat Valenciana Film Office. Basque Country Film Commission, Galicia Film Commission. Aragón Film Commission, and the Navarra Film Commission. We file ENAIRE drone sign-off for off-limits airspace, route AEAT (Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria) ATA carnet packages for inbound camera and grip kit. And prepare Extranjería work-permit dossiers so non-EU crew clear Schengen without delay.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. Our process maps each location against the ruling authority before forms goes out the door. Madrid's Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, Retiro Park, Prado, Reina Sofía, Templo de Debod, Cibeles. And Gran Vía each route through district-specific filming offices on top of the Madrid Film Office master submission. Barcelona's Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, Gothic Quarter. And Montjuïc carry separate fee schedules through the Barcelona Film Commission and the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Here is how the picture comes together. Sevilla's Real Alcázar (UNESCO) and Plaza de España — the Naboo of Star Wars Episode II. The Dorne of Game of Thrones. Need set up heritage-authority submissions alongside the Andalucía commission. Outside the capitals, the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita-Cathedral in Córdoba, Toledo's medieval old town, Salamanca's Plaza Mayor and university, the Tramuntana range in Mallorca. And the Camino de Santiago each carry UNESCO overlays that demand four-to-six-week lead times.

Here is what we have to work with. Almería's Tabernas — Europe's only desert and the Spaghetti Western capital that hosted Lawrence of Arabia, Once Upon a Time in the West. And The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Routes through the Junta de Andalucía. We set up with Policía Nacional and Guardia Civil for street closures and stunt safety, prepare bilingual Castilian/Catalan/Basque/Galician dossiers for autonomous-community submissions. And deliver OK'd permits as ordered packages. Standard city permits clear in five to ten days. UNESCO heritage approvals run two to four weeks. Expedited filings land emergency permits inside seventy-two hours.