The Spanish city of Lleida has passed a ban on covering the full face in public places

On Friday (September 25, 2026), the Spanish city of Lleida approved a ban on covering the entire face in most public places, in a move targeting those wearing the Islamic burqa and niqab.

Unlike its European neighbors such as France, Portugal and Belgium, Spain does not have national legislation prohibiting or restricting the use of these clothes worn by some Muslim women.

The city of Lleida, the capital of a province with a population of about 150,000 people and located in the Catalonia region in the northeast of the country, banned the niqab that completely covers the face in some public places in 2010, in a precedent that is the first of its kind in Spain. But the Spanish Supreme Court canceled that measure in 2013 following an appeal filed by an Islamic association. The court ruled that the ban violated religious freedom and exceeded the powers of the local authority, and also canceled similar measures that had been adopted by other municipalities.

Socialists, separatists, and the extreme right allied to pass the resolution

At a meeting of the municipal council of the city of Lleida on Friday, a vote of 16 votes to 11 was taken in favor of amending a municipal law that was drafted with the aim of avoiding legal challenges. The measure includes a ban on “being present or moving around in public places with objects or items that completely cover the face,” without explicit mention of the burqa or niqab.

The burqa is a one-piece robe that covers the entire head and body, while the niqab is a face covering that leaves the eyes exposed.

The amendment allows “exceptions relating to cases of exercise of fundamental rights, places of worship, and spaces or uses in which such practices are considered socially acceptable.” Violators of the new law will face a fine.

The municipality stated that the Catalan Socialist Party joined in an unusual alliance with the far-right Vox party and the Catalan separatist Unites Party to pass this measure.

"Coexistence means respecting each other, and respecting each other means following the rules," Felix La Rosa, the socialist president of the municipality of Lleida, told the municipal council.