Spain's business marketplace

Form a company in Spain

As the leaders in company formation in Spain for expats and nonresidents, we have the answers to the questions you face in setting up your business in Spain.

STEP 1: Get a NIE number
The director(s) of the company need a NIE number (tax ID) before the company deeds can be set up. You can either obtain the NIE in Spain or in a Spanish consulate.   Learn more

STEP 2: Register a company name
Provide us with 3 choices of names for your company.   Learn more

STEP 3: Come to Barcelona to sign
We go with you to the notary's office to sign the company deeds.   Learn more

Our fee of 1500€ (plus VAT) includes all the costs to fully create and register your sociedad limitada. This includes notary fees, mercantile registry fees, and stamp duty. (Obtaining your NIE is not included in our company formation fee.)

FAQs:
What will I receive?
How do I get a NIE number?
How long will it take?
What are the tax and accounting obligations for a company in Spain?
Can I avoid the trip to Spain?
Will the company have a VAT number?

Once the company is established, you will receive the company deeds, a permanent CIF (corporate tax ID), and a bank account for the company with online services in the language you choose. You may then wish to use SpainCorp for accounting, payroll, and virtual office services.

Once you have your NIE, the following chart shows the time scale for the company to be fully established. Note that as soon as you sign at the notary, the company is a legal entity, and you may begin to invoice with the company.

You are required to file tax forms every quarter, as well as yearly tax forms. You are also required to fill out four accounting books, and present them yearly to the Mercantile Registry. These requirements hold true even if your company has no financial movement. See our accounting page for more information.

Yes, you can give us a power of attorney. Please contact us about the best way to get a power of attorney.

Yes, the company will have a Spanish tax ID (CIF), which is the VAT number. You will have the tax ID the day you sign at the notary. With the tax ID, your Spanish company can do business anywhere in the EU.

If the company will be exchanging frequent invoices with companies in the EU but outside Spain, then you may want to be listed in the EU VAT registry (censo VIES) so you won't have to bill and be billed for IVA in your EU transactions. As part of our accounting service, we will apply to have your company registered if you request it.

In Spain, there are tools to help determine if a name has already been used for a company, but there is no way to guarantee that the name you choose will be accepted by the Mercantile Registry. In making your three choices, keep in mind that sometimes just adding a word to the name you like may be enough to get it approved. If all three names are rejected, then we try again with another three names, and two weeks is lost in the process. For that reason, we recommend that for the third choice, you put at least three or four words in the name. In common usage, such as on your invoices, you can drop the final words.