Lleida's city council has approved a ban on fully covering the face in public spaces. The rule covers the burka and nicab without naming either garment, with fines of up to 750 euros.
On Friday 25 September 2026, Lleida's city council approved the measure by 16 votes to 11. The amended civic conduct ordinance treats a fully covered face in public as a minor offence. Fines range from 400 to 750 euros, El Periódico reported.
The ordinance covers the burka and nicab without naming either garment. It has reopened a legal and political dispute that once reached Spain's Supreme Court.
The vote followed a clear political split. Nine PSC-Units councillors in government, five Junts councillors and two Vox councillors supported the measure. Eleven representatives from the PP, ERC and Comú opposed it. Europa Press reported the same final margin.
The amendment passed by 16 votes to 11: nine PSC-Units councillors, five from Junts and two from Vox voted in favour.
The rule is framed around civic conduct and women's rights. It is not presented as a public security measure.
Some settings are excluded. The ordinance does not apply inside places of worship, where covering the face is an accepted social practice, or when the covering forms part of exercising a fundamental right.
That is the legal safeguard.
Lleida tried this before. The city prohibited full-face veils in public spaces in 2010. In 2013, the Tribunal Supremo overturned the measure after an Islamic association brought a long legal challenge. The court ruled that the ban restricted religious freedom and went beyond municipal powers.
Catalan News reported that the court's reasoning pointed to the need for legislation at a higher level before imposing such a restriction on religious freedom. Other municipalities had adopted similar rules.
Junts’s support came after the proposal passed through the relevant commission, making its five votes decisive for the ordinance’s approval. Reports by El País and Catalan News identify that change in position as a key element of the final vote.
The new wording appears designed to avoid another direct clash with the court. It regulates complete face covering instead of naming a particular item of clothing. It also lists exceptions for religious practice, accepted customs and fundamental rights.
The political argument began at once. Xavi Palau, the PP opposition leader and spokesman, rejected the ordinance. He says it regulates the burka instead of banning it.
Jordina Freixanet of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, known as ERC, said sanctions are not the answer. She argued that women who wear such garments should be protected. She also acknowledged the negative meaning many people attach to the burka.
The decision puts Lleida back at the centre of Spain's unresolved dispute over full-face coverings. France and Belgium have national laws on the issue. Spain does not.
A subcommittee of the Congreso is examining the subject, but the source material gives no timetable for a national law. DZC, citing EFE and AFP, described the municipal decision as a local measure shaped by the earlier court defeat.
For residents, the practical rule is direct but limited. A fully covered face may be prohibited in public spaces. The exceptions remain in place for worship, accepted customs and situations protected by fundamental rights.
The balance makes this ordinance more cautious than Lleida's 2010 measure. It also explains the criticism from opponents, who say the rule does not create a complete ban. The council chose regulation with exceptions.
