Madrid’s new Hunting and Fishing Act: what does it mean for hunters?
Reviewed by the Corsini Hunts team, with over 45 years of experience in game management across the Community of Madrid. The approval of the new Hunting and Fishing Act strengthens the legal framework of an activity essential to the balance of the Madrid countryside.
Last updated: June 2026
Madrid's new Hunting and Fishing Act is the first regional law to govern both activities in a single legal framework. Approved by the Madrid Regional Assembly on 18 June 2026 and pending publication in the Official Gazette (BOCM) for entry into force, the act replaces the Spanish national hunting law of 1970 and recognises hunting as a driver of rural development, a conservation tool and a key activity in fighting rural depopulation. For British and American guns planning a shooting trip to Spain, this is a meaningful step forward: clearer rules, stronger legal certainty and a modern framework for one of Europe's most prestigious hunting destinations.
At Corsini Hunts, we would like to congratulate and thank the Community of Madrid, and especially Carlos Novillo Piris, Regional Minister for Environment, Agriculture and Interior, and Rafael García González, Deputy Regional Minister for Environment, Agriculture and Territorial Planning, for promoting a law that recognises the real value of hunting as a tool for conservation, legal certainty, safety and rural development.
A long-awaited regional framework
The Community of Madrid (one of Spain's seventeen autonomous regions, with legislative powers comparable to those of a US state or a UK devolved administration) had until now been one of the few Spanish regions without its own hunting law. The new Hunting and Fishing Act approved by the regional government corrects that gap and reflects the reality of a territory where 71% of the regional surface (572,254 hectares) is classified as hunting ground and 45,044 hunting licences are currently active.
The process has been thorough: after public consultation, expert hearings and parliamentary scrutiny, the text was approved by the regional Council of Government in March 2026 and ratified by the Assembly in June. All the documentation is publicly available through the Madrid Transparency Portal.
Key changes the new law introduces
The act brings structural changes that affect guns, anglers, estate owners, farmers, gamekeepers and local authorities. Here are the main ones.
Population Control Plans
One of the most awaited tools. The law creates Population Control Plans designed especially for local councils to manage overabundant species such as wild boar and rabbit outside the regular hunting seasons. The aim is to prevent crop damage, road accidents, sanitary risks and ecosystem imbalances.
Minimum estate size
For the first time, the law sets a minimum general surface of 250 hectares to establish a hunting estate, with the exception of small game shoots, which may be authorised from 50 hectares with proper technical justification.
Increased safety distance
The minimum safety distance from population centres rises from 100 to 150 metres, with all other existing limitations preserved. A common-sense measure that strengthens safety in the Madrid countryside.
Digital licences
The law introduces digital hunting licences and electronic administrative procedures to speed up paperwork. For international guns who want to understand the current licensing system before travelling, our guide on the Spanish hunting permit walks you through the process.
Updated sanctions
Penalties are now structured in three tiers:
- Minor offences: fines from €200 to €1,000.
- Serious offences: from €1,000 to €10,000.
- Very serious offences: from €10,000 to €80,000.
Why does population control matter?
One of the most significant aspects of the act is the explicit recognition of hunting as a tool for ecological balance. The legal text states that population control may pursue goals such as protecting human health and safety, preventing road accidents, safeguarding crops, livestock and wildlife, conserving habitats and correcting population imbalances.
This is what landowners and estate managers across Spain have argued for years: without active management, the countryside loses its balance. Well-regulated hunting, practised with technical rigour and within the law, helps reduce damage, prevent accidents and keep ecosystems healthy. This principle applies as much to big game as to small game, including the driven red-legged partridge shoots that Spain is internationally known for.
The economic, social and environmental footprint of hunting
The legal recognition arrives backed by solid economic data. According to the Study on the economic, social and environmental impact of hunting in Spain, produced by Deloitte for Fundación Artemisan in collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), hunting in 2023 generated:
- €10.19 billion of contribution to Spanish GDP.
- 199,000 jobs sustained, including 45,642 direct employment positions (80% of them in rural Spain).
- €1.2 billion in tax revenues.
- €320 million invested by hunters and sector entities in environmental conservation.
Behind every figure are estate owners, gamekeepers, farmers, livestock breeders and responsible hunters who maintain habitats, manage water sources, control populations and keep a culture alive that is deeply tied to the Spanish countryside.
What does this mean for British and American guns?
For US and UK shooters who travel to Spain, the new law brings two practical benefits:
- First, stronger legal certainty. A clearer framework means fewer grey areas when bringing firearms, holding licences or booking organised shoots. For travellers used to the strict UK regime under the Firearms Act 1968 and Defra-led conservation guidance, or to the state-by-state systems of the US, having a unified regional framework in Madrid simplifies planning.
- Second, better-managed estates. The recognition of hunting as a conservation tool reinforces what professional outfitters already do: rigorous habitat management, careful population balance and sustainable practices. The red-legged partridge thrives precisely on this kind of long-term, science-led management.
If you are still navigating the practicalities of shooting in Spain as a non-resident, our guide on how to hunt in Spain as a foreigner covers permits, firearms entry and bureaucracy step by step.
Why choose Corsini Hunts?
At Corsini Hunts we have spent over 45 years managing driven partridge shoots at La Flamenca Estate in Aranjuez, and we live the impact of good legislation every season. We welcome the Community of Madrid's new Hunting and Fishing Act because it does exactly what the sector needs: it organises, modernises and recognises an activity that is both a sporting tradition and a serious instrument of rural and environmental management.
For British and American guns, that matters in practical terms. A clearer regulatory environment, stronger conservation criteria and modern administrative tools make Spain an even more attractive destination for premium driven shooting. The fundamentals that bring international shooters to La Flamenca, exclusive ground, professional gamekeeping, bilingual service and a uniquely Spanish atmosphere, are now supported by a legal framework that finally matches the level of the activity it regulates.
