Shakira Wins €55m Tax Refund After Spanish Court Rules She Was Not Resident in 2011

A Spanish court has ordered tax authorities to refund Colombian pop star Shakira more than €55 million ($64 million) after ruling that she was wrongly classified as a tax resident in Spain in 2011.

According to a decision from Spain’s National Audience court, the tax agency failed to prove that the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer spent more than 183 days in Spain that year—the legal threshold required to be considered a tax resident.

The court instead found that Shakira spent 163 days in Spain in 2011 and did not have her main economic interests in the country at the time, invalidating the tax authority’s claim.

As a result, the court ordered Spain’s tax office to refund all amounts collected, including income tax payments, penalties, and interest.

The total repayment reportedly includes around €24 million in income tax, nearly €25 million in fines, and additional interest, bringing the figure above €55 million.

Shakira welcomed the ruling, saying the court had “finally set the record straight” after years of legal and reputational battles.

She said the process involved “brutal public exposure” and repeated leaks that damaged her image and affected her family life.

The ruling adds a major twist to a long-running legal battle between the singer and Spanish tax authorities, who had previously pursued separate claims involving alleged tax irregularities between 2012 and 2014.

In 2023, Shakira reached a separate settlement in another case to avoid trial, agreeing to pay a fine while denying wrongdoing.

The latest decision, however, relates specifically to her 2011 tax status, which the court has now overturned in her favour.

Shakira, who split from former Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué in 2022 and later moved to Miami with her children, has often accused Spanish authorities of unfair targeting during the investigations.

The case is part of a wider pattern of tax enforcement actions in Spain involving high-profile figures, including football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.