Business lunches, dinners and gifts in Spain

Terms used

• Menú del día — The menú del día is a fixed-price weekday lunch, usually with a starter, main course, dessert and a drink.
• Sobremesa — The sobremesa is the relaxed time at the table, chatting over coffee or drinks, after the meal has finished.
• Caña — A caña is a small glass of draught beer.
• Factura — A factura is a full invoice with the buyer's details, needed to claim an expense.
• Cesta de Navidad — The cesta de Navidad is a Christmas gift basket of food and drink sent to clients, suppliers and staff.
• Autónomos — Autónomos are self-employed workers registered to run their own business in Spain.
• IVA — IVA is Spain's value added tax, charged on most goods and services.

Key rules

• Who pays: The person who invites normally pays, so let your host take the bill.
• Lunch timing: Business lunch usually starts around 14:00 to 14:30 and lasts 1.5 to 2 hours.
• Gift limits: Company policies often cap client gifts and hospitality at around 50 to 150 euros per person per year, with approval needed above that and no cash or gift cards.
• Public officials: Gifts to public officials can count as bribery, so check the body's own code before offering anything.
• Alcohol: You can decline wine politely without giving a reason.

Lunch is the main business meal

Business lunch usually starts around 14:00 to 14:30 and lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. Important or social occasions can run longer, and lunches often end around 16:00. Many offices use a menú del día at about 14:00. Northern regions and quick lunches can start a little earlier.

Dinner is rare for business. It starts around 21:00 to 22:00 and is mostly for senior contacts or after evening events.

Stay for the sobremesa. It is the relaxed chat over coffee or drinks after eating, and leaving right after the food can look rushed.

Who pays

The person who invites normally pays. The host usually asks discreetly for the bill (la cuenta, por favor) and pays at the table or the counter.

As a guest, offer to pay once. If the host refuses, drop it. Return the invitation with the next meal. Splitting the bill is common among friends or peers, but less so in business.

Tipping is modest: small change, or 5 to 10 percent for good service.

If you are paying and want to claim the meal as a business expense, ask for a full invoice (factura), not a simplified ticket. The documents block below covers what to keep.

When to talk business

Do not open with business. Start with small talk about family, travel, food, the city or football. Business usually comes up with the main course or when coffee arrives, and the host normally steers it. Key points are often discussed during the sobremesa.

Decisions are often not settled at the table. Expect a follow-up afterwards.

Drinks

Wine is optional. Many people drink water, a soft drink or a caña (a small beer) at work lunches, and drinking at lunch has declined in recent years.

To decline, say "no, gracias, hoy no bebo" or "tengo que conducir", and ask for water, a soft drink, an alcohol-free beer or a coffee. You do not need to give a reason. Accepting a small glass for the toast and leaving it is also fine. Do not lecture others about drinking.

Gifts for clients and suppliers

Keep gifts modest: wine, ham or local food, diaries or small branded items. Christmas and year-end are the main occasions. Gifts are usually opened when received. Lavish gifts can look like bribery.

Many company policies cap client gifts and hospitality at around 50 to 150 euros per person per year. Approval is needed above that, and cash and gift cards are not allowed. Check your own company's policy first.

The cesta de Navidad (Christmas basket) is a long-standing custom, though less universal than before. A basket, or a bottle of wine, cava, jamón or turrón, usually arrives in the first half of December, before about 20 December. The gesture matters more than the price. Some firms send a corporate card, make a charity donation or hold a client Christmas lunch instead. If a supplier sends you a gift, thank them.

Public officials

Do not treat officials like private clients. A gift or favour offered to influence an official's decision is bribery under the criminal code, and so can a gift given because of their position. Your company can also be held criminally liable.

Low-value, clearly social hospitality is tolerated in practice. Anything linked to a pending contract or decision is risky. Many ministries and regions set stricter limits in their own codes of conduct, such as a nominal value or a ban during tenders. Check the code of the specific body before offering anything. Avoid sending Christmas gifts to officials, or keep them minimal.

Tax treatment

Client gifts and hospitality can be deductible for companies and self-employed people (autónomos) if they relate to the business, are recorded and have a full invoice. A limit of 1% of net turnover generally applies. Input IVA on hospitality is often not recoverable. Ask a tax adviser how this applies to you.

Choosing between options

What do you do when wine is offered and you do not want to drink?

• Decline and order something else: You are driving, do not drink, or simply prefer not to.

• Accept a small glass and leave it: You want to join the toast without drinking. Take a small glass for the toast and leave it.

Wine is optional at a Spanish business lunch, so choose what suits you and give no reason unless you want to.

Timeline and deadlines

• Stay for the whole lunch: 1.5 to 2 hours, longer for important occasions

• Stay for the sobremesa, the relaxed chat over coffee or drinks after eating: after the meal, with lunches commonly ending at about 16:00

• Book a business dinner only with senior contacts or after evening events: dinner starts around 21:00 to 22:00

Check the Christmas basket timing with your own contacts, as customs vary between firms.

Documents you need

• A full invoice (factura) from the restaurant or shop, not a simplified ticket, for every client meal or gift you want to claim as a business expense

• A written record of who received the meal or gift and how it relates to your business income, kept with the invoice

• If the guest is a public official, the code of conduct of their ministry, region or body, which sets its own gift and hospitality limits

Checklist

• Let the host take the bill, offer to pay once, and drop it if they refuse

• Offer to pay for the next meal to return the invitation

• Keep client gifts within your company's gift policy and send no cash

• Check the code of conduct of the specific body before offering any gift or meal to a public official

What to watch out for

• Gifts to public officials can count as bribery: A gift or favour linked to a pending contract or decision can be bribery, and your company can be criminally liable too. Many bodies set stricter limits than the law, such as a small value cap or a ban during tenders. Offer nothing while a decision or tender is pending, keep any hospitality low-value and clearly social, and check the body's own code first.

• Insisting on paying: Pushing to pay when the host has invited you can look rude. Offer once, accept a refusal, and return the invitation with the next meal.

• Pressure around drinks: Lecturing others about drinking, or feeling forced to drink, spoils the lunch. Decline politely with a short phrase and order something else; no reason is needed.

• A Christmas basket sent to an official or sent late: A basket to a public official can look like an improper gift, and one that arrives after about 20 December misses the custom. Skip officials or keep it minimal, and send other baskets in the first half of December.

Quick answers on business meals and gifts in Spain

Who pays the bill at a business lunch in Spain?

The person who invites normally pays, so if you are the guest, expect the host to take the bill. You can offer to pay, but do not insist if the host refuses. Return the favour by inviting them to the next meal, and ask for a factura (invoice) if you are paying as a business expense.

When should I start talking business at a Spanish lunch?

Start talking business after you have ordered and made some small talk, often with the main course or when coffee arrives. Opening with business straight away seems abrupt, so begin with family, travel, food or football. Key points are often discussed over coffee, and decisions are usually followed up afterwards.

Can I decline wine at a Spanish business lunch?

Yes, declining wine is fine, because many people drink only water, soft drinks or a small beer at work lunches. Say "no, gracias, hoy no bebo" or "tengo que conducir" and ask for water, a soft drink or a cerveza sin alcohol (alcohol-free beer). You do not need to give a reason, and you can take a small glass for the toast and leave it.

What gifts are suitable for clients in Spain, and is there a limit?

Modest gifts such as a Christmas hamper (cesta de Navidad), wine, ham, local food or a diary are suitable, mainly at Christmas and the end of the year. Many company policies set a limit of 50 to 150 euros per person per year and ban cash or gift cards. Lavish gifts can look like bribery, and public officials face much stricter limits.