Selling property in Spain as a non-resident

Documents commonly requested when selling

The documents needed to sell a house in Spain depend on the property and its circumstances. It is sensible to gather the main records early, particularly if you live outside Spain and do not keep the originals at the property.

An estate agent may ask for some of these documents before marketing begins. A buyer, notary, lawyer or gestor may also request them as the sale progresses. The list below is a practical starting point rather than legal advice.

• Escritura, the title deed recording the relevant transaction involving the property.
• A recent nota simple, the informative Land Registry extract for the registered property.
• The latest IBI receipt.
• A certificate from the owners’ community confirming that there are no outstanding community debts.
• The property’s energy certificate.
• A habitability certificate, where one applies to the property.
• The seller’s NIE, the Spanish identification number for a foreign national.

What the escritura and nota simple show

The escritura, meaning the title deed, is one of the main documents connected with the property. Sellers often have a copia simple, a plain copy without the legal value of an authorised copy. The deed and the current Land Registry information should be reviewed together because they serve different purposes.

A nota simple, formally a nota simple informativa, is an extract issued by the Registro de la Propiedad, meaning the Spanish Land Registry, for one registered property or finca. It shows the property description as registered, including its location, surface and type.

It also identifies the registered owner or owners, the share held by each one and how and when they acquired the property. Recorded charges may include mortgages, embargos, meaning seizures or liens for debt, easements, usufructs and annotations of lawsuits.

The nota simple reflects the registry on the day it is issued. It is an informative document, not a certified record. The certified alternative is a certificación registral, which is a different, slower and more expensive document.

Why an estate agent asks for a recent nota simple

An agent may request a nota simple before advertising the property because it provides a current view of the registered information. It allows the agent to check the registered description and ownership details against the information supplied by the seller.

It can also reveal recorded charges that may need to be discussed with the seller’s lawyer, gestor or notary. Finding a mortgage, embargo, usufruct or other entry early gives the people handling the sale time to examine what the registry records before the transaction advances.

A copy obtained when the property was bought may no longer reflect the present registry position. A recent nota simple is therefore more useful to an agent or prospective buyer than an old extract kept with the escritura.

Providing the document does not replace legal checks by the buyer or seller. It gives the parties a concise summary of what the Registro de la Propiedad records at the time of issue.

Other papers buyers and agents may request

The latest IBI receipt is commonly included in the seller’s document file. You may also be asked for a certificate from the owners’ community confirming that there are no outstanding community debts connected with the property.

The energy certificate is another document commonly requested for a sale. A habitability certificate may also be requested where it applies. As the position can depend on the property, ask the professional handling your sale which documents are relevant in your case.

Non-resident sellers will normally also need their NIE. Check that the personal details used during the transaction are consistent across the documents you provide. If names, addresses or property descriptions differ, raise the issue with your lawyer, gestor or notary rather than assuming that the difference is unimportant.

Land Registry and Cadastre are not the same

The Registro de la Propiedad records legal ownership and charges. The Catastro, meaning the Cadastre, is a tax and physical inventory containing information such as boundaries, surface, cadastral value and the 20-character cadastral reference.

The Catastro does not prove ownership and does not show mortgages or debts. Those matters are checked through the Registro de la Propiedad and appear in the nota simple when they are recorded against the finca.

The two records can disagree over the surface, address or even the plot. An address may also fail to identify one unique registered property. These discrepancies are common reasons for a registry request to be rejected because the data are incorrect or the property cannot be found.

If you have the cadastral reference, it can help identify the correct property. However, the nota simple itself is issued by the Registro de la Propiedad, not by the Catastro.

Tax points for a non-resident seller

A non-resident withholding applies to the sale price when a non-resident sells Spanish property. Municipal plusvalía may also arise. The precise treatment of either point is outside the scope of a Land Registry extract.

Ask your gestor or lawyer to explain how the withholding and municipal plusvalía apply to your sale. Notas Registrales España is not a law firm and does not provide legal or tax advice.

How to obtain a nota simple before selling

To order through our service, provide the property address or cadastral reference, the town and province, and your email address. The owner’s name is optional but can help where the address is ambiguous. No Spanish DNI or NIE is required to place the order.

We identify the competent Registro de la Propiedad and cross-check the Catastro and the registry’s own maps before submitting the request. This matters because every property belongs to one registry, while larger or tourist municipalities may be divided between several registry offices.

The nota simple is delivered as a PDF by email, usually within 24–48 hours on working days. Weekends and Spanish public holidays can add time. The registry issues the document in Spanish only; an optional non-sworn English translation for understanding the document costs an additional €3.99 and is supplied with the Spanish original.

The total price is €35.86 per property, including the service fee and official registry fee. Payment can be made by Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and foreign cards are accepted.

Notas Registrales España is a private, independent service. We are not the Registro de la Propiedad, the Colegio de Registradores or a government body. You can request the same document yourself through the official website, sede.registradores.org, for the lower official fee.