Set up your company in Spain
We handle every formality so you can start your business without complications.
Set up my company
Company types
Choose the right legal form
SL (limited company)
SA (public limited company)
Branch
Subsidiary
Our process
From idea to trading company
- 1 Initial consultation
- 2 Document preparation
- 3 Company incorporation
- 4 Company up and running
Our service
What does it include?
- Company incorporation
- Tax identification number
- Commercial Registry filing
- Bank account opening
- Tax and accounting advice
- Administrative formalities
- Social Security registration
- Licences and permits
In detail
How a company is set up in Spain, step by step
Sole trader, SL, SA, branch or subsidiary: how to decide
The legal form is not an administrative box to tick; it carries tax and liability consequences for years. Registering as a sole trader is quick and cheap, but you answer with your personal assets. A limited company separates your assets from the business, is the standard vehicle for small and medium firms and makes it easier to bring in partners or sell the business later.
A public limited company makes sense when many shareholders or capital markets are on the horizon. And if a company already exists outside Spain, the real choice is between opening a branch — no separate legal personality, the parent is liable — or incorporating a subsidiary, an independent Spanish company owned by the parent. Before signing any deed we go through which one fits your three-year plan, not just your first month.
What you need if you do not live in Spain
A non-resident can be a shareholder and a director of a Spanish company without difficulty, but there are prerequisites that often catch people out and are best resolved before anything else.
- A Spanish foreigner identification number for every shareholder and director, individual or corporate
- Company name certificate from the Central Commercial Registry, with several name options
- Bank account opening and deposit of the share capital, with the bank certificate
- Apostilled power of attorney if you cannot sign the deed in person
- Parent company documents legalised and translated, when the shareholder is a foreign company
From the deed to the Commercial Registry
A newly incorporated company does not legally exist until the public deed is filed with the Commercial Registry of its province. Between signing before the notary and that filing the company is in formation: it gets a provisional tax number that already works for some formalities, but not for all of them.
We handle the full circuit: name certificate, drafting of the articles, notary appointment, tax settlement, registry filing, definitive tax number, entry in the business census, declaration of activity and registration of the directors with Social Security where applicable. You sign; we take care of the rest.
From Barcelona, across Spain
We are based in Barcelona and a good share of our work is companies incorporated in Catalonia, but the procedure is national: the same steps register a company with the Commercial Registry of Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga or any other province. What changes is the competent registry and some municipal licences.
We work with clients across Spain and with entrepreneurs who do not even live here. Steps that require physical presence — notary, bank — are resolved with a power of attorney or by travelling, and everything else is handled electronically.
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Common questions
Questions about setting up a company in Spain
What is the minimum capital for a Spanish limited company?
Spanish law allows a limited company to be incorporated with very low share capital, although reserve obligations apply during the first years until 3,000 euros are reached. In practice we recommend starting with capital consistent with the activity: token capital can complicate opening a bank account, contracting with large clients or accessing finance.
How long until the company can trade?
With the paperwork in order and the foreigner identification numbers already obtained, the circuit up to signing before the notary is usually a matter of days, and the Commercial Registry filing adds a few weeks. The real bottlenecks are almost never the notary: they are the identification numbers for non-resident shareholders, opening the bank account and legalising foreign documents.
Can I set up a company in Spain without being a resident?
Yes. Neither nationality nor residency prevents you from being a shareholder or director of a Spanish company. What you do need is a Spanish foreigner identification number and, if you cannot travel to sign, an apostilled power of attorney. Incorporating a company does not by itself give you the right to live in Spain: that is a separate procedure handled by our visa and residency service.
What exactly is a newly incorporated company?
It is a company created from scratch, with its deed freshly signed and filed with the Commercial Registry, as opposed to buying an existing one. Incorporating gives you a company with no history and no hidden liabilities, but also with no track record, no credit history and no licences already granted. When you need to start invoicing immediately or make use of existing licences, buying a running business is sometimes the better route.
What is the difference between a branch and a subsidiary?
A branch is an extension of the foreign company: it has no separate legal personality and the parent answers for its debts. A subsidiary is a Spanish company with its own legal personality, owned by the parent, which in principle answers only with its own assets. A branch is lighter to maintain; a subsidiary protects the parent better and reads better to Spanish banks and clients.
Do I have to register as self-employed if I am a director?
It depends on your shareholding and on whether you exercise effective management. A director with effective control of the company is usually placed under the special self-employed regime even without drawing a salary. This is one of the points we review before incorporating, because it affects the real monthly cost of running the company.
Do you work outside Barcelona?
Yes. We are in Barcelona, but we incorporate companies for clients across Spain and abroad. The procedure is national and most of it is handled electronically; only the competent Commercial Registry changes and, where relevant, the licences of the municipality where the registered office or the activity will be.
What costs are there beyond your fees?
The ones inherent to the procedure: company name certificate, notary and registry fees, and the applicable taxes. We give you the breakdown in writing before starting, with our fees separated from third-party costs, so you know exactly what you will pay and to whom.
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