Who runs a Spanish company, and can they sign?

Before you sign a contract, open an account for a customer or accept a large order, you want to know who runs the company and whether the person signing can bind it. In Spain, that information sits in the commercial registry, and changes are published every working day in the BORME. This guide explains the forms of management the law allows, where to see who holds the office, and how to check that the person signing has authority.

Rules come from the Capital Companies Act (Ley de Sociedades de Capital, consolidated text on the BOE), read on 10 October 2026.

What you'll learn

The four ways a Spanish company can organise its management
Who represents the company in each case
Where to see appointments and removals: the BORME and the registry note
How long a term of office lasts, and why it matters
How to check an attorney (apoderado)

Four ways to run a company

Under article 210 of the Capital Companies Act, management of the company can be entrusted to:

a sole director (administrador único);
several joint-and-several directors (administradores solidarios), each of whom acts alone;
several joint directors (administradores conjuntos or mancomunados), who act together;
a board of directors (consejo de administración).

In a public limited company (S.A.), if joint management is entrusted to two directors they act jointly, and if there are more than two they form a board.

Article 233 of the same Act sets who holds the power of representation:

Sole director: necessarily that director.
Joint-and-several directors: each of them.
Joint directors: in an S.L. with more than two, at least two of them acting together, as the bylaws determine; in an S.A., jointly.
Board: the board itself, acting as a body, although the bylaws can give the power of representation to one or more members, and the board can appoint managing directors (consejeros delegados).

The practical consequence: with joint directors, one signature may not be enough. Always ask how management is organised.

Where to see who the directors are

In the BORME

Under article 215 of the Act, a director's appointment, once accepted, must be filed for registration in the commercial registry, stating the identity of the appointees and, for those who represent the company, whether they can act alone or must act jointly. The filing must be made within ten days of acceptance.

Once registered, these acts are published in section A of the BORME under their labels: Nombramientos (appointments), Ceses/Dimisiones (removals and resignations), Revocaciones (revocations), Reelecciones (re-elections). Read in order, they give the history of the company's officers. See how to read the BORME.

In the registry note

For the officers in office at a given moment, order a nota simple informativa from the commercial registry through the Colegio de Registradores' online office, which lets you search by company name or NIF. It's paid, and it shows what the registry holds when you ask.

The BORME tells you what changed and when; the note tells you the current state.

How long a term lasts

Under article 221 of the Act:

In an S.L., directors hold office indefinitely, unless the bylaws set a term.
In an S.A., the bylaws set the term, which can't exceed six years, with possible re-election.

So in an S.A., an old appointment with no re-election published deserves a check: the office may have expired. Article 222 governs that expiry. See Spain's S.L. and S.A. forms.

Attorneys (apoderados)

Besides its directors, a company can grant powers of attorney to other people to act in its name within the scope of the power. If the person signing isn't a director:

Ask for a copy of the power of attorney.
Check it covers the kind of act you're signing.
Check it hasn't been revoked: registered revocations appear in the BORME.

A five-step check

Identify the company by its exact legal name, its province and its registry sheet. See how to check a Spanish company before you sign.
Read its latest Nombramientos and Ceses/Dimisiones acts in the BORME.
Find the form of management: sole, joint-and-several, joint, or board.
Check that the signatory is a director who can act alone, or an attorney with sufficient powers.
For important contracts, order a recent nota simple.

Common situations, and what to ask

"I'm the CEO", but the BORME shows a sole director with another name. Job titles don't bind a Spanish company; the registered director or an attorney does. Ask for the power of attorney.
Two signatures on a contract from joint directors. That can be exactly right for mancomunados; check the BORME entry says how they act.
A director appointed last week. Normal, but check the appointment was accepted and filed: the Act sets ten days to file after acceptance.
A resignation published, no new appointment. Ask who now represents the company before you sign anything.
A group company signing for a subsidiary. Each company in a group is a separate legal person with its own directors. Check the signatory for the company named in the contract, not the group.

Why this matters for your business

Most disputes about signatures arise after something has gone wrong: an unpaid invoice, a contested order, a guarantee nobody remembers giving. At that point, the question "could this person bind the company?" becomes expensive to answer. Asked before signing, it takes a few minutes. For finance and legal teams, a short record (who signed, in what capacity, checked against which act or note, on which date) is often enough to settle the question later.

This blog shows no names of people; the BORME acts do publish them, with the role.

Fuentio's API will return each company's parsed BORME acts, including appointments and removals with the role and dates, since 6 October 2025. It isn't open yet: join the waitlist below to hear the day it opens.

See what we cover in France and Spain.

Limits. The rules quoted come from the Capital Companies Act (articles 210, 215, 221, 222 and 233, BOE consolidated text), read on 10 October 2026. The BORME publishes acts once registered; there can be days between a decision and its publication. Not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I see who the director of a Spanish company is?

In the BORME's Nombramientos acts and, for the current state, in the commercial registry's nota simple.

Can a joint director (mancomunado) sign alone?

As a rule, no: joint directors act together, under article 233 of the Capital Companies Act.

How long is a director's term in Spain?

In an S.L., indefinite unless the bylaws say otherwise; in an S.A., what the bylaws set, up to six years.

How do I know whether an attorney can sign?

Ask for the power of attorney, check its scope, and check no revocation has been published in the BORME.

Sources

Capital Companies Act (Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2010), articles 210, 215, 221, 222 and 233: boe.es
BOE, BORME daily gazette: boe.es
Colegio de Registradores, commercial information note: sede.registradores.org