How long is a Spanish energy certificate valid?
Ten years at most, unless the rating is G - then five. That is art. 13.1 of RD 390/2021, and the five-year rule reaches only certificates registered from 3 June 2021, so the first cohort started expiring in June 2026.
The rule, in its own words
Art. 13.1 of RD 390/2021 says it in one sentence:
El certificado de eficiencia energética tendrá una validez máxima de diez años, excepto cuando la calificación energética sea G, cuya validez máxima será de cinco años. RD 390/2021, art. 13.1
A G in which of the two letters?
There are two ratings - consumption and emissions - and the accepted reading is that a G in either one is enough to make the term five years. That reading comes from the ministry's published FAQ rather than from the decree's own text, so we give it as what it is: the administration's stated criterion, not a quotation from the gazette.
In practice, treat it as true. If one of your properties carries a G in consumption or in emissions, count five years and not ten.
Which certificates the rule does not reach
Any registered before 3 June 2021 keeps its ten years, whatever the letter. That date splits a portfolio in two, and it explains why two homes with the same rating expire in different years.
Why June 2026 matters
It is when the first generation of short-term certificates began to fall due. A property certified with a G in the summer of 2021 reaches 2026 with expired paperwork and an advert as live as ever. Nobody sends a warning.
An expired certificate is not half an answer
It is none. Past the date, the letter in the advert is no longer backed by an in-force certificate - which is the situation RDLeg 7/2015 DA 12ª.3.d treats as a very serious infringement. The property has not changed; the paperwork has.
What that looks like across a book
An expiry cannot be worked out without the registration date and the rating, so a record carrying a single letter, or no date, is incomplete and we say so. Where the regional register publishes no expiry date, we derive one from the certificate date and the rating, flag that we did, and tell you to confirm it against the certificate itself before relying on it.
Check a licence number
Free, no sign-up, nothing stored. Try VUT/MA/102186.
Sources
- Real Decreto 390/2021, energy performance certification of buildings (consolidated) — art. 13.1, ten years' validity and five with a G rating
- Real Decreto Legislativo 7/2015, DA 12ª — 3.d, advertising a rating no in-force certificate backs
Verified against the sources above on 2026-09-20. LicenceDesk is operational guidance, not legal advice.
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