It’s not exactly headline grabbing stuff.
But if you’ve ever dealt with the Spanish legal system and thought, “This is going nowhere fast,” then this matters.
Spain has confirmed it will create 33 new judicial posts in the Canary Islands in 2026, with several of those strengthening courts here in Tenerife.
And here’s the key bit.
That’s more than the total number of new judicial posts created across the islands over the last ten years combined.
That alone tells you how stretched things have been.
Where are the new judges going?
The new posts will be spread across different levels of the courts:
- 24 posts in Courts of Instance
- 6 posts in Provincial Courts
- 3 posts in the High Court of Justice of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Courts in Las Palmas, Telde, Arrecife and Arucas will see direct reinforcement.
In real terms, that should mean:
- More capacity
- Fewer backlogs
- Less time waiting for files to move from one desk to another
Slightly less pain. Hopefully.
A change in how the courts work
This isn’t just about hiring more judges and hoping for the best.
Spain is continuing its move away from the old system of single judge courts and replacing them with Courts of Instance.
That means:
- Several judges working together
- One shared technical judicial office
- Less duplication
- More flexibility
And crucially… it’s much cheaper.
The money side of it (this matters)
Under the old system:
- Creating a traditional court cost around €500,000
Under the new system:
- Creating a judicial post costs roughly €100,000
Because of that, Spain can create 500 new judicial posts nationwide for around €55.7 million.
Using the old model, the same expansion would have cost about €260 million.
That’s madness.
The Canary Islands are getting a bigger boost than most
Across Spain, the judicial system will grow by 8.5% in a single year.
In the Canary Islands, the increase is 11.1%.
That’s not random.
The numbers are based on:
- Population
- Litigation levels
- Court workload
- Reports from the General Council of the Judiciary
In short, the Canary Islands have been busy. Too busy.
Yes, regions like Andalucía, Catalunya, Madrid and Valencia receive the highest overall numbers, but proportionally, the Canaries have done very well out of this round.
And there’s more coming
Alongside this announcement, another law is moving through Parliament that plans to add:
- 2,500 judges and prosecutors over three years
- A 42.5% increase in the judicial and prosecutorial workforce
On top of that, the Ministry has already approved:
- 1,155 new administrative and procedural roles
Which is important, because those are the people who actually keep the system moving day to day.
And where things usually jam up.
Why this actually matters if you live in Tenerife
If you live in Tenerife, own property here, run a business, or plan to do either, a better resourced justice system isn’t a “nice extra”.
It affects things like:
- Property disputes
- Planning issues
- Inheritance cases
- Contract enforcement
- Business disagreements
Basically, anything where paperwork meets reality.
Will this suddenly make everything lightning fast?
No. This is Spain. Let’s stay realistic.
But it should make things less painfully slow, and that’s a step in the right direction.
More on how this plays out on the ground soon.
