Spanish purchases complete in front of a notario, who drafts the public deed (escritura pública), after which ownership is registered at the Registro de la Propiedad (property registry). Registration is what makes title opposable to third parties, so buyers verify that the deed was actually filed, not just signed.
Market structure in brief
- The NIE number (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is mandatory for any foreign buyer before contracts, taxes or registration.
- Taxes are regional: resale properties pay a transfer tax set by each autonomous community, while new builds pay VAT plus stamp duty, so identical prices can carry different totals across regions.
- Community fees (comunidad de propietarios) cover shared buildings' upkeep and materially affect apartment carrying costs.
- New-build protections are structured: builder liability for finishing defects, habitability coverage and a ten-year structural warranty (seguro decenal) on buildings requiring it.
- Mortgage culture: variable-rate loans linked to Euribor dominated historically, fixed-rate structures are now widespread, and non-resident buyers typically face lower loan-to-value offers than residents.
Vocabulary a buyer will meet
Escritura pública (public deed), Registro de la Propiedad (property registry), NIE (foreigner identity number), comunidad de propietarios (owners' community), and arras, the deposit arrangement that can be structured as a penalty-backed option or a binding commitment depending on the contract type.