Salut unifies the requirements and authorizations of all health centers

The Department of Health unifies the common requirements and the authorization and registration procedures for all health centers and services in Catalonia, both public and private, into a single regulation. Decree 203/2026, of November 3, is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya number 9788, of November 5, 2026, with the reference CVE-DOGC-A-26307106-2026. The regulation, signed by President Salvador Illa i Roca and the Minister of Health Olga Pané Mena, replaces the regime in force since 2017 and enters into force twenty days after publication, on November 25, 2026.

The text repeals Decree 151/2017, of October 17, and adapts to Royal Decree 239/2026, of March 25, which modifies Royal Decree 1277/2003 on the general bases for the authorization of health centers, services, and establishments. The deployment consists of 34 articles in five chapters, two additional provisions, three transitional provisions, one repealing provision, four final provisions, and an annex with the classification of care centers and units. It includes all centers and services located in Catalonia, excluding health establishments—pharmacy offices, pharmacies, opticians, orthopedics, and hearing aid centers—and those dedicated to the distribution, import, or manufacture of medicines.

Less paperwork and three-month deadlines

The preamble recognizes that the previous system was based on a documentary control that was “as exhaustive and complex as it was voluminous,” which generated requests for amendments and extended resolutions beyond the planned deadlines, and that this hindered the opening of centers in a way that was often incompatible with administrative efficiency. Therefore, the decree replaces or removes the documentation that is most difficult to prove when it is unnecessary or disproportionate.

• The resolution for installation, operation, substantial modification, and closure subject to authorization must be notified within a maximum of three months, with negative administrative silence.
• Applications are submitted digitally through the single portal Canal Empresa, using mandatory standardized forms.
• For works carried out by the Catalan Health Service or under its coordination, a technical report from the unit competent in investments and infrastructure is sufficient.
• Non-substantial modifications, such as a change of name or of the healthcare manager, are communicated without prior authorization.

Ten years of validity and closure by responsible declaration

The health authorization for operation now has a validity of ten years from the date of authorization or the last substantial modification, and is renewed by means of a responsible declaration. The express request is maintained for a small group of centers, and closure generally ceases to be an act requiring authorization.

• Assisted human reproduction centers (C.2.5.2), transfusion centers (C.2.5.8), and tissue banks (C.2.5.9) must request renewal.
• Centers with inpatient care, assisted reproduction centers, and those including a semen bank (U.29), embryo bank (U.31), tissue bank (U.97), or oocyte bank (U.104) maintain their closure authorization.
• The Registry of health centers, services, and establishments of Catalonia becomes available for public consultation and assigns a unique identification number to each center.
• Center advertising must mandatorily include the registry enrollment code and cannot mislead regarding the authorized offering.

Common technical requirements and adaptation calendar

Chapter II establishes the minimum material requirements applicable to any type of center: three distinct areas (administrative, healthcare, and services), a healthcare area of at least 10 m², consultation rooms and booths of approximately 8 m² —6 m² for sample collection booths—, cardiopulmonary resuscitation protocols, equipment calibration and inventory, and weekly controls of the sterilization process. Consultations are defined by a useful space equal to or less than 100 m².

• Twelve months for already authorized centers to adapt to the obligations of articles 7, 8, and 11 to 20.
• January 1, 2027, for the obligations of articles 10 and 11.2.
• July 1, 2027, to adapt healthcare units U.11, U.13, U.36, U.106, and U.107.
• Two years to complete the digital adaptation of procedures.
• Applications submitted before the entry into force will be processed under the previous regulations.

The sanctioning regime refers to Law 14/1986, of April 25, General Health Law, and distributes the authority to fine: up to 30,000 euros by the head of the health planning and regulation management unit, up to 250,000 euros by the head of the Health Department, and above this figure by the Government of the Generalitat. The prohibition of activities, closure, and suspension of operation in case of serious risk are also provided for, as well as the revocation of authorization for non-remediable breaches.

The regulation fully affects private clinics, socio-sanitary centers, professional practices, and public system providers, who will have to review documentation, spaces, and internal processes in the coming months. For users, the most visible change is that the health registry will be searchable and that center advertising must identify its official registration, so that the authorized healthcare offering of each facility can be verified.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9788, November 5, 2026, General Provisions (Department of Health), pp. 1-38 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26307106-2026).