Verified against the official source 26 Sep 2026 · reviewed by Bhaskar Bhatt (a factual check against the official source, not a legal review or legal advice)What this label means
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Spain has 3 recorded AI policy instruments, 3 of them binding and 2 in force. EU AI Act applies; AESIA operational; national implementation bill proposed (2025); AI Strategy 2024 as policy. Regulators include Agencia Española de Supervisión de la Inteligencia Artificial (AESIA), Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD).
Spain created the first dedicated national AI supervisory agency in the EU, AESIA, by Royal Decree 729/2023, and ran the first AI Act regulatory sandbox under Royal Decree 817/2023. The government approved a draft law on the good use and governance of AI in March 2025 to implement the AI Act nationally (authorities, penalties, mandatory labelling of AI-generated content), and the 2024 AI Strategy funds compute, language models in Spanish and co-official languages, and public-sector adoption.
What is the current regulatory status?
EU AI Act applies; AESIA operational; national implementation bill proposed (2025); AI Strategy 2024 as policy.
Binding rules versus guidance
Binding: Royal Decree 729/2023 (AESIA statute); Royal Decree 817/2023 (AI regulatory sandbox); Draft law on good use and governance of AI. Strategy or guidance: none recorded.
Anteproyecto de Ley para el buen uso y la gobernanza de la inteligencia artificial
The draft implements the EU AI Act in Spain: it allocates supervision among AESIA, the data-protection authority, the electoral board, the financial and audiovisual regulators, sets the national penalty scale (up to EUR 35 million or 7% of turnover for prohibited practices), treats failure to label AI-generated content as a serious infringement and provides for the national sandbox to continue.
Verified (reviewed by Bhaskar Bhatt; a factual check against the official source, not a legal review)Official source
Real Decreto 729/2023, de 22 de agosto, por el que se aprueba el Estatuto de la Agencia Española de Supervisión de Inteligencia Artificial
Creates and organises AESIA, the Spanish AI Supervision Agency, as a public body attached to the Ministry for Digital Transformation. AESIA supervises and inspects AI systems, promotes sandboxes and standards, and acts as national authority for the EU AI Act. The decree sets its governance, functions and funding.
In force 3 Sep 2023Verified (reviewed by Bhaskar Bhatt; a factual check against the official source, not a legal review)Official source
Real Decreto 817/2023, de 8 de noviembre, que establece un entorno controlado de pruebas para el ensayo del cumplimiento de la propuesta de Reglamento de IA
Establishes Spain's controlled testing environment (sandbox) for providers of high-risk AI systems to test compliance with the then-proposed EU AI Act requirements: risk management, data governance, documentation, transparency, human oversight, accuracy and robustness. Participation is voluntary; participants receive guidance and produce documentation that feeds into national implementation.
In force 10 Nov 2023Verified (reviewed by Bhaskar Bhatt; a factual check against the official source, not a legal review)Official source
Which states, provinces and regions in Spain have their own AI laws and policies?
3 instruments on record from 3 of Spain's sub-national jurisdictions. Each applies only within its own territory.
Sub-national AI laws and policies recorded for Spain
No future deadlines are recorded for Spain; past milestones are listed on each policy page. New dates reach the calendar feed: Spain feed · how it works
Current priorities
Passing the AI governance bill, AESIA supervision, the sandbox, Spanish-language foundation models and supercomputing.
@misc{aipolicytracker2026_airegulationinspain,
author = {{AIPolicyTracker}},
title = {{AI regulation in Spain}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://aipolicytracker.org/jurisdictions/spain}},
url = {https://aipolicytracker.org/jurisdictions/spain},
urldate = {2026-10-27},
note = {Data licensed CC BY 4.0. Accessed 27 October 2026}
}
Frequently asked questions
What is AESIA?
The Spanish AI Supervision Agency, created by Royal Decree 729/2023 and based in A Coruña. It supervises AI systems, runs the national sandbox and is Spain's market-surveillance authority under the EU AI Act.
Does Spain have an AI law?
Yes. 2 binding instruments are in force: Royal Decree 729/2023 (AESIA statute); Royal Decree 817/2023 (AI regulatory sandbox).
Who regulates AI in Spain?
Agencia Española de Supervisión de la Inteligencia Artificial (AESIA) (National AI supervisory agency and market-surveillance authority); Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD) (Data-protection authority).
What is the status of AI regulation in Spain?
EU AI Act applies; AESIA operational; national implementation bill proposed (2025); AI Strategy 2024 as policy.
What is binding and what is only guidance in Spain?
Binding: Royal Decree 729/2023 (AESIA statute); Royal Decree 817/2023 (AI regulatory sandbox); Draft law on good use and governance of AI. Strategy or guidance: none recorded.
Is there a federal AI law in Spain?
Yes. Binding national AI legislation is recorded: Royal Decree 729/2023 (AESIA statute) (regulation); Royal Decree 817/2023 (AI regulatory sandbox) (regulation).
Which sub-national jurisdictions in Spain have AI laws?
2 of the 3 sub-national jurisdictions recorded here have a binding AI instrument adopted or in force: Extremadura (Extremadura AI decree-law 2/2023); Galicia (Galicia AI law (Law 2/2025)). Coverage of sub-national jurisdictions is still growing; the coverage page lists what is missing.
Disclaimer: informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult a qualified lawyer before acting.
