Opening a company in Spain: locals, foreigners, freelancers and digital nomads

At a glance: SL from 1 euro capital, notary deed, CIRCE express route in 24 to 48 hours, every founder needs a NIE, corporate tax 25 percent (19 and 21 for micro-companies in 2026), no VAT threshold, digital nomad visa at 2,849 euros a month. Legal forms. Sole trader: empresario individual, the autonomo. Sociedad Limitada (SL): minimum capital 1 euro since 2022, fully paid; below 3,000 euros, 20 percent of profit goes to reserve and founders cover the shortfall on liquidation. Sociedad Anonima (SA): 60,000 euros, a quarter paid. Registration. Name certificate (18 to 25 euros), capital deposit certificate, notarial deed (video notarisation allowed), Registro Mercantil, tax census form 036 and social security. The CIRCE / Documento Unico Electronico route with standard articles registers in 24 to 48 hours for about 400 to 800 euros all in; the ordinary route takes two to four weeks and 1,200 to 3,500 euros with advisers. Every foreign shareholder and director needs a NIE first, which takes two weeks to three months from abroad. Taxes 2026. Corporate tax 25 percent; micro-companies under 1 million euros turnover pay 19 percent on the first 50,000 euros and 21 above (falling to 17 and 20 in 2027); companies under 10 million pay 23; new companies 15 percent in the first two profitable years. Dividends 19 percent withholding. VAT 21 percent with no registration threshold: Spain has not adopted the EU small-business exemption. Top income tax about 47 percent, 43 in Madrid to 54 in Valencia. Freelancers and the self-employed. Register with the tax office (036/037) and then with social security (RETA) before starting. Contributions follow real net income in 15 bands: about 200 euros a month at the lowest income up to about 590 at the top, frozen at 2025 levels for 2026; flat rate of 80 euros a month for the first 12 months (24 if income stays under the minimum wage). Withholding of 15 percent on invoices to businesses (7 for the first three years). No flat-rate income regime for professionals and no VAT exemption. Foreigners. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens get a NIE and the EU registration certificate, then register as any local. Non-EU founders: self-employment residence permit (business plan endorsed by a professional body, start-up funds, one year then four-year renewals since the 2025 immigration regulation), the entrepreneur visa of Law 14/2013 for innovative projects (three years), or the digital nomad permit below; the golden visa ended in April 2025. No resident director requirement, 100 percent foreign ownership allowed, a Spanish registered office. Newcomers can opt for the Beckham regime: 24 percent flat on Spanish income up to 600,000 euros for six years, open to nomads and founders. Branch of a foreign company. Notarial deed with apostilled, sworn-translated parent documents, Registro Mercantil, branch tax number; a permanent legal representative with full powers is required (residency not mandated). Taxed as a permanent establishment at 25 percent plus a 19 percent branch profits tax on remittances to non-EU parents unless a treaty waives it. Four to six weeks; an SL subsidiary is usually preferred. Digital nomads. Yes: the international teleworker visa and permit (Law 28/2022). Income at least 200 percent of the minimum wage, 2,849 euros a month in 2026, plus 75 percent for the first dependant and 25 for each further one; freelancers may earn at most 20 percent from Spanish clients. One-year visa from a consulate or a three-year permit applied for in Spain, renewable to five years; family included; fee about 100 euros per person; the Beckham 24 percent regime is available. Decisions in about 20 working days. Changed recently. Phased corporate-tax cuts for small companies 2025 to 2029; minimum wage 1,221 euros (2026) which lifts the nomad threshold; autonomo bands frozen for 2026 with a 0.9 percent intergenerational levy; new immigration regulation in force May 2025; golden visa abolished; Verifactu invoicing postponed to 2027. Figures checked October 2026 from AEAT, the social security portal and Spanish law firms; bands and thresholds change every January. Confirm with a licensed adviser in Spain before you file.