What rules apply to shelters and confinement areas in Spain?

Short answer. Spain has no technical standard, approval scheme or building duty for protective shelters. The official rule that comes closest is the self-protection directive approved on 6 October 2026: buildings and activities on its list must have a self-protection plan that covers refuge and confinement, maps the confinement areas and checks them periodically ¹. Spain's protective measure for the public remains confinement indoors; see public shelters in Spain.

Which rule applies?

The Directriz Básica de Planificación de Protección Civil de autoprotección was published by Order INT/1068/2026 in the BOE of 10 October 2026 and takes effect the day after publication ¹. It takes over from Royal Decree 393/2007, the former self-protection standard (Norma Básica de Autoprotección): that decree was formally repealed in 2023 but kept applying until a replacement was approved, and it ceases to apply from the publication of the new directive ¹. Existing plans must be adapted within four years at most ¹.

Who must have a self-protection plan?

The holders of the activities listed in Annex I ¹, among them:

• hospitals with in-patient care, and other health buildings with an evacuation height of 28 m or more or 500 occupants or more;
• care homes and day centres authorised for 100 people or more;
• schools and care centres attended by 50 or more people who cannot evacuate by themselves;
• enclosed venues for 1,000 people or more, and outdoor events for 5,000 (fenced) or 20,000 (open) people;
• road and rail tunnels over 1,000 m, large stations, ports, airports, dams of category A or B, nuclear and radioactive facilities, and industries with hazardous substances.

A household has no such duty.

What must the plan say about refuge and confinement?

The emergency procedures must guarantee, at least, detection and alert, alarm, coordinated intervention, "el refugio, evacuación y socorro" (refuge, evacuation and relief), and information to exposed people ¹. Preventive checks must periodically verify that evacuation routes are clear and must cover "las condiciones del acceso, aislamiento del exterior y/o estanqueidad de las áreas de confinamiento previstas", including the structural resistance of any refuge spaces defined in the plan ¹. The plan must include drawings of evacuation routes and confinement areas, showing the number of people to evacuate or confine per area ¹. The data sent to the register list the "áreas de confinamiento y/o refugio" ¹.

The directive does not set dimensions or construction rules for these areas. Phaenyx gives no construction instructions: any structural work is a matter for a qualified engineer.

How is it checked?

The holder approves the plan and notifies the competent administration for registration; registration is compulsory for Annex I activities ¹. Plans are reviewed at least every five years, and drills are held at least once a year ¹. Public administrations may inspect, require corrections and sanction breaches under Title VI of Law 17/2015 ¹². The register is not public: only the holders, licensing bodies and emergency services can consult it ¹.

Frequently asked questions

Does Spain require shelters in new buildings?

No such duty was found in the national civil protection law or the self-protection directive ¹².

Can I see my school's or care home's confinement areas?

The register is not public ¹. Ask the establishment: its holder is responsible for the plan and must run at least one drill a year ¹.

What does "confinamiento" mean?

Staying in your home or in another designated building, with complementary safety measures for your protection ¹.

Sources

1. Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE núm. 252, 10/10/2026) — Orden INT/1068/2026, de 7 de octubre, por la que se publica el Acuerdo del Consejo de Ministros de 6 de octubre de 2026, por el que se aprueba la Directriz Básica de Planificación de Protección Civil de autoprotección de los centros, establecimientos y dependencias, dedicados a actividades que puedan dar origen a situaciones de emergencia — https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2026-21144 (accessed 2026-10-28)
2. Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado — Ley 17/2015, de 9 de julio, del Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil (texto consolidado) — https://www.boe.es/eli/es/l/2015/07/09/17/con (accessed 2026-10-20)