Shops, banks and contracts: which language you are entitled to

Key rules

• Spanish: Nobody can lawfully refuse to serve you in Spanish anywhere in Spain.
• Regional language: Businesses in co-official regions must make the regional language available, but not instead of Spanish.
• Labels: A label only in the regional language does not meet the Spanish requirement.
• Complaints: Ask for the hoja de reclamaciones, or go to the OMIC or the regional consumer authority.

The short answer

In regions with two official languages, businesses must make the regional language available. You keep the right to Spanish in service, contracts and labelling. Spanish is official everywhere in Spain, so a business cannot lawfully refuse to deal with you in it.

Service in shops, banks and offices

You can ask to be served in Spanish in any shop, bank or office. Language disputes are rare in practice. If a member of staff answers only in the regional language, ask politely in Spanish first. Most problems end there.

In Catalonia, businesses must be able to serve you in both Catalan and Spanish. Signs, menus, contracts and receipts must be available in Catalan too. That is an obligation on the business, not a way to take Spanish away from you.

Contracts

A contract must be written in clear language you can understand. In a co-official region you can generally ask for it in Spanish. In Catalonia you can also ask for it in Catalan, and standard-form contracts should be available in both.

Banks, phone companies and insurers that work across Spain issue their standard contracts in Spanish. Some also offer a regional-language version. For financial products, documents must be in Spanish or in a language you and the provider agree on.

Do not sign something you cannot read. Ask for the Spanish version, or for time to have it translated, before you sign. Check the exact options with the provider, as practice varies.

Product labels

Product information must be available at least in Spanish. Regional languages are allowed as an addition and the regional laws promote them, but a label in the regional language alone does not meet the Spanish requirement.

Catalonia is the strictest region. Fines for missing regional-language labelling are rare, and are not applied to products that already comply with the Spanish rule.

How strict is each region?

• Catalonia: the strictest. Businesses must be able to serve you and give you information in Catalan, and fines are possible if they do not comply.
• Basque Country: you have the right to be served and informed in either official language. Labelling, offers and contracts are meant to be available in both, with Basque rights being introduced step by step.
• Galicia: you have the right to use Galician, and bilingual labelling can be required. Duties for private businesses are lighter than in Catalonia.

In none of these can a business refuse you Spanish. Rules also vary elsewhere, such as Valencia, the Balearic Islands and Navarre, so ask the regional consumer authority about local duties.

If a business keeps refusing

1. Ask for the complaint form, the hoja de reclamaciones, at the business. They must give it to you.
2. Or go to your town's consumer office, the OMIC.
3. Or complain to the regional consumer authority: the Agència Catalana del Consum in Catalonia, Kontsumobide in the Basque Country, or the Galician consumer institute.

Keep your receipt, contract or a photo of the label. The warning and FAQ below cover common problems.

What to watch out for

• A business pushes the regional language only: Some businesses may offer a menu, contract or service only in the regional language. They cannot lawfully refuse to serve you in Spanish, in any co-official region. Ask politely for service or the document in Spanish. If they refuse, ask for the complaint form (hoja de reclamaciones) and keep a copy.

• Rules differ between regions: Catalonia asks the most of businesses on regional-language service and labelling. The Basque Country and Galicia ask less of private businesses, so do not expect the same in every region.

• Where to complain if a refusal continues: A complaint sent nowhere gets no result, and language disputes are rare, so offices may not expect them. File it with the regional consumer authority or your town hall's consumer office (OMIC), and attach the complaint form copy.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Spanish-only product label allowed in Catalonia?

Yes, a label in Spanish alone meets the national labelling rule, even in Catalonia.

Are the Basque Country and Galicia as strict as Catalonia on business language?

No, Galicia puts lighter duties on private businesses than Catalonia, and the Basque Country builds its duties up gradually. In all three regions you keep the right to be served in Spanish. Ask the regional consumer agency what applies to a specific business.