Starting and running a company
Helps you decide on, form and run a Spanish company.
Decide whether to run a Spanish company and operate one: structure choice, formation, founders from abroad, corporate tax, owner pay, governance, hiring, funding, licences and closing.
- topics
- 10
- articles
- 79
- of reading
- 9.2 hours
Begin with
Choosing your company structure
You can pick the right legal vehicle for your Spanish business, with the real running costs and tipping points in front of you.
Choosing between self-employed (autónomo) and limited company (sociedad limitada) · Which company type to form, a limited company (sociedad limitada) or another · At what profit does a limited company start to beat self-employment?
More in starting and running a company
9 more topics in this section, about 9.2 hours of reading in all.
Forming a limited company
You know the steps, costs and traps of forming an SL and what to register right after.
Setting up a limited company (sociedad limitada) in Spain step by step · Reserving your company name (certificación negativa de denominación) · Share capital: how much you need and how to pay it in
Founders from abroad and non-residents
You know whether you can own and run a Spanish company from abroad and which extra rules apply.
Can a non-resident or non-EU foreigner own and run a Spanish company? · Forming a Spanish company from abroad with a power of attorney · Does the company administrator have to live in Spain?
Company tax and filings
You understand what your company owes, when, and how to avoid missed filings.
How corporate tax (Impuesto sobre Sociedades) works for a small company · The lower tax rate for a new company's first profitable years · Instalments and the annual return: how company tax filing works
Paying yourself from your company
You can choose a legal, tax-aware way to pay yourself and avoid owner-company traps.
Should you pay yourself a salary, dividends or both? · Paying yourself as administrator: why the statutes decide · Which Social Security regime applies when you work in your own company?
Company governance, accounts and records
You can govern your SL correctly and keep up with accounts and records.
What it takes to keep a Spanish company running year to year · Administrators and shareholder meetings in a limited company · What makes a company administrator personally liable
Hiring and employer duties
You know what hiring costs and requires of your company.
Hiring your first employee in Spain: what to register first · What an employee really costs beyond the salary · Running payroll: payslips, withholding and monthly Social Security
Business funding and startup law
You can compare funding routes and know the Spanish programmes and traps.
Ways to fund a new company in Spain · Public loans from ENISA, CDTI and the ICO · Bank credit for a new limited company and personal guarantees
Licences, premises and compliance
You can identify which licences and premises steps apply and where to find local rules.
Which licences and permits does your business need? · Getting the opening licence for physical premises · Leasing business premises: commercial lease and key-money transfer (traspaso)
Insolvency, closing and selling
You know the legal triggers, options and steps for winding down or selling.
When a struggling company must dissolve or file for insolvency · How insolvency (concurso de acreedores) works for a small company · Closing a company voluntarily: dissolution and liquidation
Other sections in Work and business
Local jobs and salary reality
Helps you find local work and know your rights as an employee.
Remote work
Helps you set up remote work from Spain on a compliant footing.
Self-employment and freelancing
Helps you register and operate as a self-employed autonomo.
Credentials and regulated professions
Helps you get qualifications recognised and the right to practise.
Work culture and professional integration
Helps you work effectively and build a career in Spanish workplaces.
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.