Shakira Wins Major Tax Dispute s Spanish Court Orders €55 Million Refund

Last Updated:May 18, 2026, 22:32 IST

Spanish court orders tax agency to repay Shakira over 55 million euros plus interest over her 2011 tax status, ruling she was not a Spanish tax resident that year.

A Spanish court has ordered the country’s tax authority to repay Colombian singer Shakira more than 55 million euros (around $64 million) after ruling that the money had been wrongly collected in a long-running dispute over her 2011 tax status.

According to the ruling by Spain’s National Audience court, authorities failed to prove that the “Hips Don’t Lie" singer spent more than 183 days in Spain in 2011 — the minimum threshold required to classify someone as a tax resident liable to pay personal income tax in the country.

The court found that Shakira had spent only 163 days in Spain that year and said tax officials had not established that the centre of her economic interests was based in the country. As a result, Spain’s tax agency has been ordered to return all payments made by the singer, along with legal interest.

The repayment reportedly includes around 24 million euros in income tax, nearly 25 million euros in fines linked to alleged serious violations, as well as additional interest — effectively overturning penalties imposed on the singer.

Reacting to the decision, Shakira said the court had “finally set the record straight" after years of what she described as public attacks and reputational damage.

“Every step of the process was leaked, distorted and amplified… Today, that narrative falls apart," she said in a statement, adding that the prolonged dispute had affected both her health and family life.

The ruling marks another chapter in Shakira’s ongoing legal battles with Spanish tax authorities. The singer, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has faced multiple investigations over her tax residency during the years she lived in Spain with former footballer Gerard Piqué, with whom she shares two children.

Spanish prosecutors had previously accused Shakira of failing to pay 14.5 million euros in taxes between 2012 and 2014, arguing she lived in Spain for more than 183 days annually during that period. In 2023, she reached a settlement with prosecutors, accepted the charges and paid nearly 7.8 million euros to avoid a trial.

Shakira has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and previously likened the investigation into her finances to an “Inquisition trial," accusing authorities of trying to damage her public image rather than fairly examine the case.

Spain has in recent years intensified scrutiny of high-profile figures over tax matters, with football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among celebrities who have also faced tax evasion cases in the country.

The court ruling comes as Shakira prepares to conclude her record-breaking “Women Don’t Cry Anymore" world tour with a concert residency in Madrid beginning in September.

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