Spain’s National Court has ruled in favor of Shakira in a major tax dispute, ordering the country’s tax authority to refund the global superstar more than €55 million after determining she was wrongly classified as a Spanish tax resident in 2011. According to the BBC, the decision also includes interest payments and legal costs, potentially pushing the total repayment beyond €60 million.
The ruling marks another dramatic chapter in Shakira’s years-long legal battle with Spain’s tax agency, Hacienda. Judges concluded that the singer did not meet the legal threshold required for Spanish tax residency during 2011, rejecting claims that she should have paid taxes on her worldwide income that year.
Under Spanish law, an individual must spend more than 183 days in the country annually to qualify as a tax resident. Court documents reportedly showed Shakira spent only 163 days in Spain throughout 2011, largely due to international touring commitments and extensive travel schedules. Authorities failed to provide sufficient evidence proving otherwise, leading the Audiencia Nacional to overturn the original assessments and penalties imposed in 2021.
Those penalties totaled roughly €55 million and included unpaid taxes, wealth tax claims, and fines categorized as “very serious” infringements. Because Shakira had already paid substantial amounts during the legal process, the court ordered the money to be reimbursed alongside accrued interest.
The decision is not yet final. Spain’s tax authority is expected to appeal the case before the country’s Supreme Court, extending a legal saga that has followed the singer throughout much of the past decade.
The 2011 dispute remains separate from the highly publicized criminal proceedings connected to tax years 2012 through 2014. In late 2023, Shakira reached a settlement in that case, accepting a suspended sentence and paying approximately €7 million in fines to avoid prison time. Prosecutors had alleged she established residency in Spain while living with former football star Gerard Piqué in Barcelona.
Outside the courtroom, Shakira’s commercial momentum has surged throughout 2026. Earlier this month, more than 2 million fans reportedly attended her free concert at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach, making it one of the largest live music audiences ever recorded and placing her just behind Lady Gaga’s reported 2025 attendance milestone at the same location.
Her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour has simultaneously continued breaking attendance and revenue records across Latin America and Europe. Meanwhile, the singer recently launched “Dai Dai” alongside Burna Boy as the official anthem for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Photo: Nicolas Gerardin
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