Notary, Land Registry & Cadastre
*The key institutions of Spanish property law — and the most common misconception among foreign buyers: land registry ≠ cadastre, and a land registry entry does not prove the building's planning legality.*
Notario (notary)#
A public official vested with authority who notarises the escritura pública, verifies identity and legal capacity, documents the means of payment (anti-money-laundering duty) and initiates the registration in the land registry. The notary fees (arancel) are set by statute in tiers (RD 1426/1989), i.e. uniform nationwide — for ~€400,000 roughly €800–1,300.
The notary does not carry out a comprehensive review of a building's planning legality and is no substitute for your own lawyer for the due diligence.
Poder notarial (notarial power of attorney)#
Enables the purchase without being personally present — an authorised representative (often the lawyer) signs. Issued via a Spanish consulate (directly in Spanish form) or before a notary in your home country + a Hague Apostille and, if applicable, a sworn translation (traducción jurada). Recommendation: Draft the power of attorney narrowly and tied to the property and limit it in time (protection against misuse).
Registro de la Propiedad (land registry)#
Documents the legal situation: owners, encumbrances (cargas), mortgages, attachments (embargos), easements (servidumbres). Decisive for the question of ownership; registration protects the good-faith acquirer.
Nota simple (land registry extract)#
A short, low-cost extract showing the owner and encumbrances. "Libre de cargas" = free of encumbrances. A mandatory document to check before every purchase.
Cargas / gravámenes / embargos / hipotecas (encumbrances)#
Mortgages, attachments, usufruct, easements, provisional entries. They pass economically onto the property or encumber it — check them in the nota simple before purchase.
Catastro (cadastre)#
Records the technical/physical data (location, area, use, boundaries) and assigns the referencia catastral (a 20-character code). It is the basis, among other things, for the IBI (property tax) and the valor catastral as well as the tax-relevant valor de referencia (→ Ch. 04).
Registro vs. Catastro — the central difference#
Registro de la Propiedad | Catastro | |
|---|---|---|
| Function | legal (ownership, encumbrances) | physical/fiscal (area, value) |
| Department | Ministry of Justice | Ministry of Finance |
| Identifier | finca registral | referencia catastral |
🟡 The two can diverge; area discrepancies of up to ~10 % are tolerated, beyond which an alignment may be required. Since Ley 13/2015, the land registry and the cadastre have been coordinated (georeferenced representation). Resolve discrepancies before the purchase.
NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero)#
A lifelong, never-changing identification/tax number for foreigners; mandatory for buying property, opening an account, taxes and inheritance. Not an ID document, not residency. Application: form EX-15, fee Modelo 790-012 (€9.84) ✅, at the Policía Nacional / Oficina de Extranjería or a Spanish consulate. (Distinction between NIE/TIE/residency → Ch. 19.)
Anti-money-laundering (Ley 10/2010) ✅#
Several obliged parties (sujetos obligados) independently verify identity and the source of funds: notary, bank, agent, lawyer. They require proof of the source of funds (justificación del origen de fondos) — in practice the biggest stumbling block. Cash payment of the purchase price is effectively ruled out (→ Ch. 03). Legal basis: Ley 10/2010 (BOE-A-2010-6737).
Energy certificate (Certificado de Eficiencia Energética, CEE)#
A mandatory document (scale A–G) for sale/letting; the seller hands it over before/at notarisation. 🟡 Tightened in 2025 (RD 659/2025; in addition, a valid CEE is increasingly required for the mortgage tasación). Fines up to approx. €6,000.
Gestoría / gestor#
A private administrative service provider that settles taxes (Modelo 600/210/211), handles the registration in the land registry and the cadastral re-registration. Costs typically ~€300–800. Practically indispensable for international buyers, since several deadlines run in parallel.
❓ FAQ#
What is the difference between the land registry and the cadastre in Mallorca? The land registry (Registro de la Propiedad) governs the legal situation (ownership, encumbrances), the cadastre (Catastro) the physical/fiscal data (area, value). The two can diverge — reconcile them before the purchase.
Do I need an NIE number to buy in Mallorca? Yes, the NIE is mandatory for the purchase, the account and taxes.
Sources (selection)#
- Ley 10/2010 (BOE-A-2010-6737) · Ley 13/2015 (coordination of Registro/Catastro)
- RD 1426/1989 (notary arancel) · RD 659/2025 (CEE)
- Policía Nacional – Tasa 790-012 · Sede Catastro (valor de referencia)