Signing with a Spanish company is different from signing with a French one in one practical way: there's no free national lookup by tax number that tells you, in one screen, who the company is and whether it's still alive. What Spain does have is a commercial registry whose registered acts are published every working day in an official gazette, the BORME, freely readable by anyone. This guide shows how to use it, and the other official sources, to check a Spanish company before you sign.
Every source below was read on 9 October 2026.
What you'll learn
- Why the NIF alone doesn't identify a company in the registry
- How to find the company's registry sheet and province
- Which BORME acts to read before signing
- How to check for insolvency proceedings
- When to order the registry's information note
The NIF and the registry are two different things
Spanish companies have a tax identification number, the NIF (still often called CIF for companies). It's what goes on invoices. But the BORME, which publishes the acts registered in the commercial registry, doesn't publish the NIF. The registry identifies a company by its registry sheet (hoja) in a provincial registry, for example sheet B-56855 in Barcelona.
So the first step isn't "look up the NIF". It's "find the company in the registry by its exact name, and note its province and sheet". Ask your counterparty for both the NIF and their exact legal name as registered, and keep them in separate fields: they come from different sources. For more on the NIF in invoicing, see Spain's e-invoicing and the company data you need.
Step 1: Find the exact legal name
Spanish legal names end with the company form: S.L. (sociedad limitada, also written SL or S.L.U. with a single member) or S.A. (sociedad anónima). Two companies can share almost the same name with a different form, or a name that differs by one word. Get the exact name from a document your counterparty produced (a contract draft, an invoice) and search for it as written. See Spain's S.L. and S.A. forms for what each form implies.
Step 2: Read its acts in the BORME
Each entry in section A of the BORME (registered acts) concerns one company and gives the registration date, the publication date and the registry data. Before signing, look for:
- Constitución (incorporation). How old is the company? A company incorporated last month can be perfectly legitimate, but a large contract with it deserves more questions.
- Cambio de denominación (name change) and cambio de domicilio social (registered office moved). Does the name and address you were given match the latest act?
- Nombramientos, ceses y dimisiones (appointments, removals and resignations). Is the person who will sign currently appointed as director or attorney? An officer who resigned last week can't commit the company.
- Disolución (dissolution). The company has entered liquidation: it's winding up, not starting new business.
- Extinción (extinction). The company is closed in the registry. Don't sign.
- Situación concursal (insolvency status). The registry has recorded insolvency proceedings.
Reading an entry takes some practice. Our guide how to read the BORME explains each act with real examples.
Step 3: Check the insolvency register
Insolvency proceedings in Spain are also published in the Registro Público Concursal (public insolvency register), at publicidadconcursal.es. It's managed by the Colegio de Registradores and is free to consult. If your counterparty is in insolvency proceedings, payments and contracts follow specific rules, and you need advice before signing.
Step 4: Order the information note for important contracts
For a contract that matters, order a nota simple informativa (information note) from the commercial registry. The Colegio de Registradores' online office delivers it at the time of the request, after a search by company name or NIF. According to the registry's office, it can include basic data such as the company name, NIF, activity code, registered office and corporate purpose. It's paid, and it shows what the registry holds at the moment you ask.
The BORME tells you what changed and when; the note tells you the current state. For a large contract, use both.
Step 5: Check the signatory's powers
In a Spanish company, the director (administrador único, administradores solidarios or mancomunados, or the board) represents the company. An attorney (apoderado) can sign within the powers granted to them in a registered or notarised power of attorney. If the person who signs isn't a director listed in the registry, ask for a copy of their power of attorney and check its scope. Joint directors (mancomunados) must act together: one signature may not be enough.
A checklist you can reuse
| Check | Official source | What you keep |
|---|---|---|
| Exact legal name and form | BORME, information note | Name as registered |
| Province and registry sheet | BORME | Sheet, e.g. B-56855 |
| Recent acts | BORME section A | Acts read, with dates |
| Officers in office | BORME, information note | Role of the signatory |
| Insolvency | Registro Público Concursal | Search result and date |
| Current state | Nota simple informativa | The note and its date |
| NIF | Your counterparty | Where it came from |
Write down what you saw and when. A check you can't show later is a check you'll have to redo.
What these sources can't tell you
The registry describes the company's legal life. It doesn't tell you whether the company will pay on time, whether the person emailing you works there, or whether the bank account on an invoice belongs to the company. Confirm any new bank details by phone, using a number you already had.
Doing it at scale
The BORME publishes thousands of acts every working day across all provinces. Reading it by hand for one company is fine; following every customer and supplier is not. The work is the same each time: match the company to its sheet, collect its dated acts, and note the source and the date you checked. That's the part worth automating. For the patterns, see automating onboarding with a register check.
Fuentio's API will return, for a Spanish company found by name, its province, registry sheet and dated BORME acts since 6 October 2025, each with its source. It isn't open yet: join the waitlist below to hear the day it opens.
Fuentio doesn't look companies up by NIF, because the BORME doesn't publish it. See what we cover in France and Spain.
Limits. The sources cited (BOE, Colegio de Registradores, Registro Público Concursal) were read on 9 October 2026. The BORME publishes registered acts; it doesn't publish tax numbers or accounts. A register check confirms a company's identity and registered events; it doesn't assess its solvency. Not legal or tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I look up a Spanish company by its NIF in the BORME?
No. The BORME doesn't publish the NIF. Search by the exact legal name and note the province and registry sheet.
Is the nota simple free?
No, it's a paid service of the Colegio de Registradores. The BORME and the Registro Público Concursal are free to read.
What's the difference between dissolution and extinction?
Dissolution opens the liquidation: the company winds up its affairs. Extinction closes it in the registry.
Who can sign for a Spanish company?
Its directors, within the rules of their appointment, or an attorney within the powers granted. Ask for the power of attorney when in doubt.
Sources
- BOE, BORME daily gazette (read on 9 October 2026): boe.es
- Colegio de Registradores, commercial information note (read on 9 October 2026): sede.registradores.org
- Colegio de Registradores, where to request a nota simple: registradores.org
- Registro Público Concursal: publicidadconcursal.es