ShakiraA years-long battle with Spanish tax authorities took a dramatic turn in May 2026, when a Spanish court acquitted the Colombian singer of tax evasion charges related to the 2011 tax year – and ordered the government to repay more than $64 million in unjustly imposed fines.
The decision is the latest chapter in a saga that has involved three separate lawsuits, multi-million dollar settlements and years of public scrutiny related to Shakira’s residence in Spain.
Here’s everything you need to know about how Shakira got here — and what’s next:
Shakira’s Spain Tax Residency Defense Explained
The controversy all boils down to one question: Was Shakira a Spanish tax resident? Under Spanish law, anyone who spends at least 183 days in the country during a calendar year qualifies as a tax resident and is taxed on worldwide income. Non-residents are taxed only on income received or connected to Spain.
“The key issue was staying under Spanish law,” Rachael Bennettcertified family law specialist and senior attorney at Sullivan Law & Associates who is not affiliated with the case, described in Us Weekly in May 2026. “Shakira will generally be treated as a tax resident if she spends more than 183 days in Spain during a calendar year … and a non-resident is generally taxed on income earned or connected to Spain itself.”
Shakira Wins Dismissal in 2011 Tax Fraud Case
Spanish authorities suspected that Shakira was a citizen in 2011, pointing to her relationship with her lover Gerard Piquésinger from 2010 to 2022. The court ended up rejecting that idea, the receiving authorities could only prove that the singer spent 163 days in Spain that year – 20 days before the legal limit.
According to legal expert Bennett, Shakira’s hectic tour schedule helped her defend herself.
“One of the main pieces of evidence that his defense team relied on was that he was actually on a world tour in 2011,” Bennett said. “Because he had such a heavy travel schedule, that gave him important evidence that he was literally outside of Spain.”
A court has ordered the Spanish government to pay back more than $64 million – but Shakira won’t see the money anytime soon. On the other hand, the tax authorities plan to appeal the case to the Spanish Supreme Court, and any payment will be suspended until the final decision.
“In this 2011 decision, there are still no implications for Spanish tax companies,” said Bennett. Us. “When the decision came out, they immediately announced their intention to appeal the decision to the Spanish Supreme Court, and under Spanish law, the government can legally suspend the payment pending a case.”
Shakira’s 2023 Settlement Over 2012-2014 Taxes
Long before the 2026 hearing, Shakira had reached a settlement in a separate tax case. In November 2023, he stayed with the Spanish prosecutors for allegedly failing to pay more than 14.5 million euros (about $15.8 million) between 2012 and 2014. Prosecutors said he was living in Catalonia when he declared residency in the Bahamas.
He accepted a three-year suspended sentence and a 7 million euro ($7.6 million) fine to avoid jail time.
“I have decided to finally resolve this issue in the interest of my children who do not want to see their mother sacrifice her life in this war,” said Shakira at the time.
He later defended the decision in the matter of El Mundowriting in part, “I did it to protect my children and to get on with my life, not out of cowardice or guilt.”
Shakira Faces Separate 2018 Tax Bills
In September 2023, the authorities of Barcelona also charged Shakira with a third tax caseaccusing him of failing to pay 6.7 million euros ($7.1 million) in 2018 through an offshore company in a tax haven. The case was opened that July, and Shakira has maintained that she was not a Spanish citizen during the dispute.
Shakira Speaks Out About Spain’s Tax War
Throughout the ordeal, Shakira has repeatedly insisted that she paid more than she owed and accused the Spanish authorities of unfairly targeting her.
“They wanted the public to believe that I didn’t pay my taxes when the truth is that I paid more than I should have,” Shakira wrote in her 2024 book. El Mundo The essay, which notes the personal toll the legal battles have taken, includes “the sleepless nights that ultimately affected my health and the well-being of my family.”
Shakira shares sons Milan and Sasha with Piqué. The pair split in June 2022 after 12 years together, with the singer having moved to Miami and Piqué, who has retired from football, still living in Spain.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
