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BUSINESS LICENSE IN SPAIN
If you are living in Spain you have to decide how to make a living there.
Either you can look for an employment or you can start your own business in
Spain. As a European citizen you have the same rights to set up a business in
Spain than in your home country. First you have to decide whether you wish to
buy a ready-made company or form a new company. In case you decide to form your
own, new company in Spain you should think carefully about the products or
services you want to provide and examine the Spanish market as it can be very
different as the one in your country of origin.
 The first step to get started, no matter what you
decide to do, is to apply for an NIE number at the foreigner's office of your
local police station. You need this registration number at any rate if you want
to stay in Spain, buy Spanish property, register your car and also for all
official and legal documents needed when you are living in Spain for longer
periods. To receive your NIE (número de identificación de extranjeros) you have
to take along your passport and fill out a simple Spanish form. Usually you
will receive your number within 4 weeks.
In Spain there are two levels at which a business must be registered. At the
local level you have to register your business with the town hall in order to
obtain an opening licence (Licencia de Apertura). This licence will define your
business and the way in which it will trade in a very clear way. At the
national level you will have to register with the IVA office, the equivalent of
the Inland Revenue office. Your Tax will then be collected by the Agencia
Tributaria.
If your Spanish is not fluent you may have problems to understand all the
important legal and official documents you will have to read and sign. As it is
very important to understand every single detail to avoid walking in a trap,
you should retain a Spanish gestor. He can help you with all these official
things and will do all the hard work for you. If there is nobody in your
gestor's team who is able to translate important documents and to interpret at
negotiations you should also consider employing a Spanish translator.
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