You may have heard more than once about Spain’s Mercantile Registry—Registro Mercantil in Spanish. Today we would like to clarify some frequent questions that arise on this subject. For example, what exactly is this Spanish Registry and what formalities are done at this Registry?
If you own a company in Spain, you must take into account that you are obliged to register your company at this Companies House.
The Companies House in Spain / Mercantile Registry in Spain
The Companies House is an official office of the Spanish State that is a direct extension of the Ministry of Justice. There are Territorial Companies Houses, as well as one, central Companies House.
The Companies House is the entity that maintains security within commercial traffic. How does it do this? It does this through periodic publications on the economic and legal information of both natural persons and legal entities.
In other words, thanks to Spain’s Companies House, you may consult any information on trade companies or persons that are involved in commercial traffic.
Who is obliged to register at the Mercantile Registry in Spain?
As said before, Spain’s Mercantile Registry is a database for both trade companies and persons who are participating in commercial activities. Anyone who falls under these categories and is involved in commercial trade must be registered at the Spanish Mercantile Registry.
Furthermore, at this registry, one must duly register all acts and agreements related to the organisation and activity of their company or person.
This registration is obligatory and, therefore, is very important to comply with.
Registration at the Mercantile Registry must be applied for within a month after the execution of all documents required to set up a company.
The Mercantile Registry’s central office is located in Madrid, specifically at Paseo de la Castellana, 44.
Other functions of the Spanish Mercantile Registry
The Mercantile Registry has, among others, the following functions:
- Legalising the accounting books of entrepreneurs
- Depositing all annual accounts
Who can consult this information?
As the Mercantile Registry is a public registry, any person may consult its stored information. Information such as the denomination of the company, the date on which the company began its activities, the annual accounts or the books that need to be legalised, etc., may all be accessed.
If you have any doubts about how to access this information or register your own company, do not hesitate to contact our team of advisors and we will do our best to resolve your doubts and offer you a personalised solution.
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