Spanish Land Registry extract (nota simple)

An information summary of what the Land Registry records about a property.

The Spanish Mortgage Act (Ley Hipotecaria) provides two ways of disclosing what is registered: the nota simple and the registry certificate. Under its article 222, the nota simple shows at least the identification of the property, who holds the registered rights and the extent, nature and limitations of those rights, plus any prohibitions or restrictions affecting them.

To find out who owns a property and which charges it carries before you decide.

People order it before buying or signing a deposit contract, before renting, when inheriting, or to check for mortgages, seizures or other limitations. According to the Spanish Association of Registrars, it is usually accepted for simple transactions to show ownership and charges, and banks commonly accept it when assessing a mortgage.

The nota simple informs; the certificate attests.

The nota simple is for information only and does not attest the content of the entries (article 222.5 of the Mortgage Act). The certificate is a public document signed by the registrar and is the way to prove the content of the Registry before third parties, courts or public bodies. If you are asked for a certificate, that is a separate service not included here.

One is enough: cadastral reference, full address or the registry code of the property.

The cadastral reference is on the IBI (property tax) bill. The unique registry code (CRU or IDUFIR) is recorded on the property's registry folio, so it appears on earlier notas simples. If you only know the owner's name, their properties must first be located with a location search (nota de localización), which is a separate query: we tell you before ordering anything.

Yes, as long as they have a legitimate interest in it.

The Registry is public for anyone with a known interest in checking the status of properties (article 221 of the Mortgage Act). If you are not the owner, you must state that interest when ordering, for example that you plan to buy or rent the home, because the data are protected by data protection law.

As soon as the Registry issues it, we review it and email it to you.

How long the Registry takes to issue it depends on each Registry and is outside our control. Once we receive the nota, we read it and email it to you with our comments on owner, charges and description.

We do, and it is included in the price.

The Spanish Association of Registrars lists a charge of €9.02 per property for the nota simple, before tax. We pay it when ordering, so there is nothing extra for you to pay. If you need notas for several properties, each property is ordered separately.