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Spanish company extract: how to verify a company with the Registro Mercantil

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In short: the Spanish equivalent of the company extract (visura camerale) is the Registro Mercantil, a public register that can be consulted online through the Colegio de Registradores (registradores.org). The basic document is the nota simple, which is informational; for certifying value you need the certificación. Official publications are in the BORME, those on insolvency procedures in the Registro Público Concursal, which is free. For sanctions, PEPs and negative media there is the Veryfy foreign company check, 14.90€.

What is the Registro Mercantil and what does it contain?

According to the European e-Justice portal, the Registro Mercantil is public and gives legal certainty about the registered entities: founding acts, changes of capital, changes of directors, insolvency procedures and filed financial statements. The entries are verified by the registrar before registration. The Central Commercial Register keeps the names and publishes the BORME.

The difference that matters: the nota simple is a summary extract with information value only; it does not attest the content of the registration. Only the certificación, issued by the registrar with a recognised electronic signature, has the value of an authentic act. To decide whether to grant credit to a Spanish client, the nota simple is usually enough; for a deed or a dispute you need the certificate.

How much does the Spanish extract cost?

Unlike Germany and Poland, the Spanish Registro Mercantil is paid. e-Justice indicates that access is not free and that fees follow the registrars' tariffs (aranceles); online you pay by card if you are not a subscriber or holder of a recognised certificate. We do not report an amount because we did not find an official tariff updated to today: check the price shown on the site before paying, and beware of intermediaries who inflate it. e-Justice also notes that some information, including filed financial statements, is available online on request 24 hours a day (24/24).

How do I verify a Spanish company, step by step?

  1. Ask the counterparty for its full name (with the form, S.L. or S.A.), registered address and NIF. The NIF is your most reliable identifier: names look alike.
  2. Check the initial letter of the NIF (see below): it must be consistent with the declared legal form.
  3. Verify the intra-EU VAT number (ES + NIF) on the European Commission's VIES service.
  4. On registradores.org, in the commercial advertising area, search for the company and request the nota simple.
  5. Search the company name in the BORME to see the published acts.
  6. Search the company in the Registro Público Concursal before delivering goods on credit.
  7. For sanctions, PEPs and negative media use the foreign company check.

What does the letter of the NIF tell you?

The NIF of a legal entity has nine characters: one letter, seven digits and a check character. According to Orden EHA/451/2008 (BOE), the letter indicates the form:

The NIF stays the same over time, except in case of a change of legal form or nationality. A company that presents itself as an S.L. with a NIF beginning with A, or a "Spanish supplier" with an N, deserves a question.

What is the BORME and how is it used?

The BORME is the Boletín Oficial del Registro Mercantil, published by the Central Commercial Register. On the BOE website it is consulted by date through a calendar: the calendar starts from 2 January 2001, the Primera and Segunda sections have been available in electronic format since 2009, and the electronic edition has been official and authentic since 1 January 2009. The Primera section, "Empresarios", includes the "registered acts" and "other acts published in the Commercial Register"; the Segunda is ordered alphabetically by name.

According to e-Justice, registered acts generally become enforceable against third parties in good faith only after publication in the BORME (art. 9 of the register regulation). It is therefore worth reading it, in addition to the nota simple. We have not verified the access conditions or the free nature of the BORME on an official page: check the site.

A contract or advance with a Spanish company? The Foreign company check costs 14.90€ VAT included: data from the register (name, identifiers, registered office, status of the business, date of incorporation), summary financial statements where available, search of sanctions lists, PEPs and negative media, report in Italian. No subscription, no registration.

How do I check whether a Spanish company is in concurso de acreedores?

The Registro Público Concursal (publicidadconcursal.es) is the publicity tool for Spanish insolvency procedures. It depends on the Ministry of Justice, which entrusts its management to the Colegio de Registradores. According to e-Justice access is free. The public consultation is divided into three parts: insolvency edicts, register publicity of decisions and out-of-court agreements; the search can be made by type and identification number (NIF), name, province of the court office, procedure number or publication date, with a captcha.

The register is governed by Royal Decree 892/2013. The site warns that some personal data may have been removed under art. 6 of the same decree: the absence of a name therefore does not by itself prove that there is no procedure. On the comparison with Italian procedures see how to know whether a company has gone bankrupt.

Which risk signals should I look for?

For the general picture on foreign countries read how to check a foreign client before exporting. The same logic applies to the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Germany and Poland.

What does the foreign company check add?

The foreign company check for Spain accepts the NIF (for example B12345678) or the intra-EU VAT number (ESB12345678) and returns data from the Registro Mercantil, NACE sector and contacts if registered, summary financial statements where available and the search of the name on international sanctions lists, politically exposed persons and negative media. It is in Italian and is paid once, 14.90€.

For accountants. If your client exports to Spain or buys from Spanish suppliers, attach a check on the counterparty to the file, without subscription and without registration: you pay for the single check, for example the foreign company check at 14.90€ before an important supply.

Sources

Veryfy is not affiliated with the registers and institutions cited.

Frequently asked questions

How do I obtain the extract of a Spanish company?

You request it from the Registro Mercantil through the Colegio de Registradores (registradores.org): the nota simple is an online informational extract, while the certificación has certifying value. The service is paid according to e-Justice; check the price on the site before paying.

What does the initial letter of the Spanish NIF indicate?

The legal form: A for joint-stock companies (S.A.), B for limited liability companies (S.L.), C and D for partnerships, F for cooperatives, N for foreign entities and W for permanent establishments of non-resident entities (Orden EHA/451/2008). The NIF has nine characters: a letter, seven digits, a check character.

What is the BORME?

It is the Boletín Oficial del Registro Mercantil (Official Gazette of the Commercial Register), published by the Central Commercial Register. The electronic edition has been official since 1 January 2009 and can be consulted by date on the BOE website. Registered acts generally become enforceable against third parties in good faith after publication in the BORME.

How do I check whether a Spanish company is in insolvency proceedings?

On the Registro Público Concursal (publicidadconcursal.es), access is free according to e-Justice. You search by NIF or name and read insolvency edicts, register notices of decisions and out-of-court agreements. Some personal data may have been removed.

What does the foreign company check include for Spain?

For 14.90€ VAT included: data from the register, summary financial statements where available, NACE sector and contacts if registered, search of the name on international sanctions lists, PEPs and negative media, in Italian and without subscription.

Want to check a specific company?

Credit limit, beneficial owner and warning signs, in minutes.

Check a Spanish company at 14.90€

The service is in Italian.

Further reading on this topic