With high temperatures, taking off your shirt to walk down the street can be expensive depending on the city. Spain does not have a state regulation that generally prohibits walking with an uncovered torso, but several municipalities have incorporated restrictions into their coexistence ordinances.
The consequence is that a perfectly possible behavior in one municipality can be punishable in another. Barcelona, Alicante, and Marbella are three clear examples, although even within these cities there are exceptions for beaches, pools, areas close to the coast, or sports activities.
There is no general fine for going shirtless in Spain
The key is to distinguish between state legislation and municipal regulations. There is no single fine applicable throughout Spain for walking shirtless in public.
Municipalities can regulate certain behaviors in their public spaces through municipal coexistence ordinances. It is there that prohibitions on uncovered torsos, the use of swimsuits outside of certain areas, or even certain garments and objects appear.
That is why it is not correct to state that "going shirtless is prohibited in Spain." You must check the ordinance of the specific municipality.
Barcelona: from 120 to 300 euros
Barcelona has had a particularly explicit regulation since 2026.
The reform of the Ordinance of measures to promote and guarantee citizen coexistence establishes that one cannot walk or remain in public spaces without a shirt, blouse, or another garment that covers the torso, except when engaging in physical or sports activities.
The ordinance itself establishes a fine of between 120 and 300 euros for this behavior.
There is an important particularity. Before reporting, officers must warn the offender that their behavior is prohibited. The report proceeds if the person persists after the warning.
The regulation also differentiates between an uncovered torso and walking in a swimsuit. Swimwear is allowed in designated areas, such as beaches and pools, and the restriction does not apply on the promenades or in the streets immediately adjacent to the beaches or the coast.
Alicante: up to 750 euros for being completely shirtless
Alicante also expressly includes this behavior in its Civic Coexistence Ordinance.
The regulation considers a minor infraction being naked or with the torso completely naked in public and sets a penalty for this behavior of up to 750 euros.
The prohibition does not affect all spaces. The ordinance itself excludes beaches, adjacent promenades, swimming pools, and other places where it is expressly authorized to go with the torso uncovered.
This means that someone can be without a shirt on the beach and then find themselves under a different regulation when leaving the environment expressly exempted by the ordinance.
Marbella also prohibits walking without a shirt
Marbella is another municipality that has expressly regulated this issue.
The City Council itself reminded in its campaign about the Public Space Coexistence Ordinance that it is prohibited to walk without a shirt. The regulation is part of a broader set of rules regarding behavior in public space.
The ordinance includes the prohibition of remaining in certain public spaces with the torso naked or only in swimwear, while there are exceptions related to beaches, swimming pools, access to these areas, and promenades.
In the specific case of walking without a shirt in areas where it is prohibited, the municipal regulation proposed penalties of up to 750 euros if, after being warned, the person persists in the behavior.
The City Council continued to publicly remind in 2025 of the validity of the prohibition of walking without a shirt within its coexistence campaigns.
And what if you are near the beach?
Being in a coastal city does not mean that all its public space is considered a beach area.
The exceptions depend again on each ordinance. Alicante expressly excludes beaches and adjacent promenades, while Barcelona allows swimwear in beaches, swimming pools, promenades, and immediately adjacent roads to the coast.
Marbella also differentiates between spaces linked to bathing and other areas of the city. The regulation was born precisely to prevent the habitual use of swimwear or an uncovered torso on the beaches from being transferred without limits to commercial areas, the urban center, and other spaces far from the coast.
Can they fine you directly?
It depends again on the ordinance.
In Barcelona, the current text expressly states that agents must first remind the citizen that the behavior is prohibited. Only if they persist can they file the complaint.
In Marbella, the prior warning in the application of this prohibition has also been considered. In Alicante, the consulted ordinance directly classifies walking with the torso completely naked outside of the exempted spaces as a minor infraction.
Therefore, there is also no identical procedure for the whole country.
Is it the same to be without a shirt as to wear swimwear?
Not necessarily. Some ordinances regulate both situations independently. That of Barcelona, for example, dedicates different sections to swimwear and bare torso.
This matters because exceptions can change. The practice of sports allows being without a shirt in Barcelona, while swimwear is fundamentally linked to beaches, pools, and certain coastal spaces.
The practical rule is simple: leaving the beach does not guarantee that one can continue on any street in swimwear or with a bare torso. One must pay attention to what each municipality establishes.