A Fishing Promise That Almost Fell Through

It Started with a Promise to My Son

It all started on a family holiday in Spain. My son wanted to go fishing, so I bought some gear — seemed like a simple plan. But everywhere I asked, the answer was the same: as a tourist, you can't fish here. Local shops, other anglers, even the government office told me it wasn't possible. At the office, they wanted a NIE (Spanish resident ID) which I didn't have. I spent days going back and forth, searching online in broken Spanish, because I couldn't bear to tell my son we couldn't go after I'd already promised him we would.

Eventually, I found a way. It turns out there is a legal path for tourists to get a Spanish fishing license — most people just don't know about it, and even many locals are misinformed. The process involves contacting the right regional authority (Comunidad Autónoma), filling out forms in Spanish, and waiting. It wasn't easy, but we got our license — and the day we finally got out on the water together was worth every bit of the hassle.

That experience stuck with me. If it was this hard for me — someone who travels often and isn't afraid of a bit of bureaucracy — what about everyone else? That's why I built FishingLicenseSpain.com. We handle the entire application process with the Spanish regional authorities so you don't have to. No NIE needed, no office visits, no forms in Spanish. Just a simple order and your official license in your inbox.