What Documents Do You Need to Buy a Property in Spain?

I bought property in Spain myself before I ever helped anyone else do it, and the thing nobody tells you is that the purchase is rarely held up by the purchase. It is held up by paperwork that somebody assumed somebody else was handling.

This is the list, and more usefully, where it goes wrong.

Your NIE number

This is the one that matters most. The NIE is your foreigner identification number in Spain, and without it you cannot sign the contract, complete the transfer at the notary, open a bank account properly, or register for tax.

Everything else on this page waits on it. Start here, start early, and do not leave it until you have found a property you like, because by then you are on somebody else's timeline.

Valid identification

A passport or national ID card, with enough validity left on it. Sounds obvious. It is also the thing people discover is expiring three weeks before completion, which is exactly when you do not want to be dealing with a renewal appointment at home.

A Spanish bank account

You need one for the payments, for the taxes, and afterwards for the running costs and any rental income. Opening one as a non resident is straightforward but not instant, and the bank will want your NIE and your ID before they start.

Proof of funds

Spain will want to see where the purchase money came from and that it came from somewhere legitimate. Salary, savings, the sale of another property, business income. Whatever it is, you need documentation that shows the trail clearly.

This is the one that causes the most friction, because people provide a bank balance rather than an explanation. A balance shows the money exists. It does not show where it came from, and that is what is being asked.

Power of attorney, if you will not be there

If you cannot attend the notary in person, somebody has to sign for you, and that requires a properly drawn and notarised power of attorney. The wording has to be right. A power of attorney that is too narrow, or badly translated, gets rejected at the worst possible moment.

If there is any chance you will not be in Spain on the day, arrange this early rather than scrambling.

The documents that belong to the property

These are the seller's responsibility, but they are your problem if they are missing. You want proof of ownership, the land registry details, written confirmation that the property carries no outstanding debt, and a valid energy certificate.

Check the debt one carefully. In Spain, unpaid community fees and certain charges can follow the property rather than the previous owner.

Where it actually goes wrong

In my experience it is almost always one of four things.

• Documents submitted too late, so the whole chain slips.
• Proof of funds that is unclear rather than insufficient.
• Miscommunication between the agent, the lawyer, the bank and the notary, who are four separate parties with no obligation to talk to each other.
• Everyone assuming someone else is on top of it.

None of those are complicated problems. They are coordination problems, and they are why a purchase that should take weeks takes months.

A note on advice

This is a general guide based on buying here and helping others do it. It is not legal advice, and your situation may carry specifics it does not cover. Use a Spanish lawyer who acts for you rather than for the seller or the agent, and have them check anything you are unsure about.

If you want someone in your corner

We are based in Orihuela Costa and we have been through this process more than once, from both sides. If you want someone to tell you what is coming next and make sure the right document is with the right person at the right time, get in touch on +34 658 235 481 or info@casacapitals.com.