Qualifying and working as a Tourist Guide

HOW DO I QUALIFY?

A distinction is made between the following cases:

• 1. Tourist Guides of Castile and Leon (70 kbytes)
• 2. Tourist guides qualified in another Autonomous Community or Autonomous City of Spain (72 kbytes)
• 3. Tourist guides established in another EU Member State (73 kbytes)

What documents do I need?

Castile and Leon Tourist Guide Card

a)  Tourist guide card issue. After convening the Castile and Leon Tourist Guide qualification tests and publishing the results in the Castile and Leon Official Gazette (BOCyL), a Castile and Leon Tourist Guide card will be issued ex officio. This will include a photograph of the qualified person, with the following information:

1. Authorisation number, which will be the number entered in the Castile and Leon Tourism Register, granted by the Regional Ministry in charge of Tourism.
2. Surname, first name and national identity card number or non-national's identification number.
3. Accredited languages.
4. Speciality(ies) of the tour guide, if applicable.
5. Date of issue and, if applicable, of the latest renewal and period of validity.

The Castile and Leon Tourist Guide Card will be valid for five years and renewable for the same time periods, in accordance with the provisions of the following article.

b) Tourist guides qualified in accordance with the above regulations. Upon the entry into force of Decree 5/2016, persons who are accredited as regional tourist guides and provincial tourist guides will automatically qualify as ‘Tourist Guides of Castile and Leon’. The corresponding card will be issued on the request of the interested party using the form available in the ‘download form’ section

Documentation to be provided: A recent colour photograph of the applicant's face, measuring 32 x 26 millimetres, with a plain all-white background, taken from the front with the head completely uncovered and without dark glasses or any other clothing that could prevent or hinder identification of the person. Put the photograph in an envelope, and staple the envelope to the application. If the application is submitted electronically, attach the photograph in JPG format.

c) Application for the card

• Renewal: Every five years (Article 12 of Decree 5/2016). It must be completed using the form available in the ‘Download form’ section.
• Duplicate: A duplicate may be requested if the Castile and Leon Tourist Guide Card is lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed.  It must be completed using the form available in the ‘Download form’ section.
• Documentation to be provided (renewal and duplicate): A recent colour photograph of the applicant's face, measuring 32 x 26 millimetres, with a plain all-white background, taken from the front with the head completely uncovered and without dark glasses or any other clothing that could prevent or hinder identification of the person. Put the photograph in an envelope, and staple the envelope to the application.
  If the application is submitted electronically, attach the photograph in JPG format.

d) Notification of a change in data and termination of the tourist guide licence

Change in data: if there is any change to the data on the card or other data registered in the Tourism Register of Castile and Leon, the interested party must report this in the form template available in the ‘Download forms’ section.

Termination of the authorisation: This will be notified using the form template available in the ‘Download forms’ section and will take place:

• On application by an interested party.
• Ex officio, when the guide is notified of their final disqualification through administrative or judicial proceedings, or when the tourism inspectorate informs them of the cessation of their activity.
• In the case of the death of a tourist guide, termination may be requested by their successors in title, or agreed by the central body responsible for tourism once it has been duly informed of the death.

WHAT TIME DO I HAVE TO ASK?

CONVENING OF TESTS TO QUALIFY AS A TOURIST GUIDE IN CASTILE AND LEON: The deadline for participation in the qualification tests will be indicated in the public notice to hold tests.

RENEWAL OF THE CASTILE AND LEON GUIDE CARD: A renewal application must be submitted at least 1 MONTH before the end of the period of validity.

NOTIFICATION OF A CHANGE IN DATA: If any of the data on the card or other data registered in the Tourism Register of Castile and Leon change, the interested party must report the change within a maximum period of ONE MONTH from when the change took place.

NOTIFICATIONS:

• Por Correo Postal en el domicilio del interesado o en el lugar que hayaindicado a efecto de notificaciones.
• Notificación electrónica por comparecencia, mediante aviso a través del correo electrónico que conste en la solicitud. Dicho aviso no tendrá los efectos de una notificación hasta que el interesado acceda al contenido de la misma en el sistema de notificaciones NOTI

APPLICABLE LEGISLATION:

• Law 14/2010 of 9 December 2010 on Tourism in Castile and Leon
• DECREE 5/2016, of 25 February 2016 regulating qualifying and working as a Tourist Guide in the Community of Castile and Leon (BOCyL 26 February 2016)
• ROYAL DECREE 1837/2008 of 8 November 2008 implementing Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications, as amended by Council Directive 2006/100/EC of 20 November 2006, into Spanish law
• Directive 2013/55/EU on the recognition of professional qualifications

Organisation:

Organisation responsible

• Consejería de Cultura, Turismo y Deporte
• Dirección General de Turismo

MANAGING ORGAN:

Dirección General de Turismo

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

In the ‘Related content’ section of the form, tourist activity owners and professionals who carry out tourist activities in Castile and Leon without a physical establishment must clearly indicate an online link where complaint forms are available, or can be made available to tourists upon request, and that they can be downloaded from the link provided.

This applies to tourist guides from Castile and Leon and tourist guides authorised in other Autonomous Communities or in another Member State of the European Union who are established in Castile and Leon and apply for registration in the Tourism Register of Castile and Leon.

For tourist guides authorised in other Autonomous Communities, and tourist guides established in another Member State of the European Union who provide their services under the freedom to provide services in the Community of Castile and Leon, the complaint form template, or similar document, will be specific to each Administration or State where the guide is authorised.

• Information on the Complaint Form (86 kbytes)

Protection of personal data:

Information sheet on the processing of personal data (14 kbytes)