Business Licenses and Permits in Spain | Bon
Most businesses in Spain cannot open their doors the day the company is registered. Depending on the activity, a separate municipal license (licencia de apertura or licencia de actividad) confirms that the premises meet safety, hygiene and zoning rules before you can legally trade from that address. This is issued by the local town hall (ayuntamiento) where the business operates, not by a national authority, so requirements and processing time differ by municipality.
Activities that typically need a specific license or permit in Spain include:
- Hospitality and food service: restaurants, bars, cafes
- Retail premises open to the public
- Tourist accommodation: hotels, guesthouses, short-term rentals
- Transport activities, including taxi and car hire
- Any activity involving food handling, which also needs a health register entry
The single biggest, most avoidable mistake we see is a client signing a commercial lease before checking whether the premises is zoned and licensable for the intended activity. Reversing that decision after signing is expensive; checking it before is free. We treat this as the first step, before the lease, not after.
We help clients work out which license applies to their specific business before signing anything, since some premises are not zoned for certain activities and switching later can be costly. Our support covers:
- Checking the zoning and technical suitability of a premises before you commit to it
- Preparing the technical project and documentation the town hall requires
- Submitting the license application and following up with the local authority
- Coordinating with the company registration timeline so the business can open as soon as possible
If you are still deciding what kind of business to open, our market research service can flag licensing requirements for your sector before you invest.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license before or after registering my company in Spain?
The company registration and the activity license are separate processes that can often run in parallel, but the license, granted by the local town hall, is what actually allows you to open and trade from a specific premises.
Does every business need a municipal activity license?
Most businesses with a physical premises open to the public do, though the exact category and complexity of the license depends on the activity, for example food service and tourist accommodation face stricter requirements than a simple office.
Can I check if a premises is licensable before signing the lease?
Yes, and we recommend it. Checking zoning and licensing suitability before signing a commercial lease avoids one of the most common and costly mistakes in opening a business in Spain.
Money-back guarantee
Long-term experience accumulated our experts are fully responsible for their quality of work and results. Good relationship with the Department of Immigration, Tax Inspectorate, the Social Insurance Inspectorate, Centre of Registers and other state and non-state institutions helps to ensure the highest quality services.
We do not operate in automatic machine principle and look deeper into the needs of each client. Whether it is business acquisitions, advice on migration, finance, accounting, or other issues - this is a unique process.
Only in this way we can ensure the highest quality services. Therefore, we provide our clients 100% money back guarantee if due to our fault you do not receive a temporary residence permit. We also guarantee that the company You will purchase has no debts or other liabilities. Our accounting services are insured, so if fees are wrong calculated, we or our insurance company will cover all losses.
RESIDENCE PERMIT
Process time for a temporary residence permit for each country depends on that country's laws. Usually it takes 2-6 months. If you have additional questions, the Migration Department may extend length of the proceeding up to 3 months. The answer may be a negative if the client:
- Was deported;
- Punished for crime;
- Has records in the police department;
- Other negative entries of personal biography;
- The information about the client is false, untrue;
- Going to false immigration.
If it turns out that the negative response to the temporary residence permit is due to one of these reasons, we will not return your money.
If the client has a clean biography and correct data about him/her, but due to our fault do not receive a temporary residence permit, in this case within 30 days we will return 100% of his/her money and will not ask for any compensation concerning experienced costs.
Business acquisitions and start-up
All of our sales companies do not have any debts or obligations. If you buy a new company (without any history), the company has absolutely no bookkeeping records. If you are going to buy an existing company with a history of activity, in this case you will provide the company financial reports and you will be able to assess the Company's status. If after the acquisition of the company, there would be unforeseen events and it would be our fault, we will take all the responsibility on ourselves.
Accountancy services and consultations
We take full responsibility for the provision of accounting services. Our accountants have many years of experience, good skills in preparing various reports to the state institutions; also we provide representation during an inspection. We look very responsibly to our work that is why we insured our employees from the possible errors, so if fees are calculated wrongly, we or the insurance company will compensate them.
