Buying Spanish property for the first time often feels overwhelming: a different language, different laws, different documents. Yet the process is more manageable than most people think, once you know which steps come when. Here is the complete overview for Dutch buyers.
Step 1: Apply for a NIE number
The Número de Identidad de Extranjero (NIE) is your Spanish tax number, compulsory for every property transaction, including when you are a non-resident.
You can apply for it at:
- A Spanish consulate in the Netherlands (The Hague or Amsterdam), which takes 4 to 8 weeks.
- A Spanish lawyer with a power of attorney, often faster (1 to 3 weeks) and meaning you do not have to travel to Spain yourself.
Tip: apply for your NIE as soon as you are seriously looking, not only when you have a property in mind. Without a NIE you cannot make an offer by proxy or open a bank account.
Step 2: Open a Spanish bank account
For the purchase, the recurring charges (IBI, utilities, insurance) and any rental income you need a Spanish bank account. Banks ask for: NIE number, passport, proof of Dutch address and income. Some banks (including Bankinter) offer the application online for non-residents.
Step 3: Prepare your financing
Whether you buy in cash or apply for a Spanish mortgage, start this process in parallel with your search. A mortgage pre-approval from a bank gives you a confirmed borrowing capacity, which makes your offer stronger. Count on 6 to 10 weeks for the mortgage process.
Step 4: Offer and reservation contract
Found the right property? Then you sign a contrato de reserva and pay around €3,000 to €6,000 to take the property off the market. After that you normally have 14 to 30 days to move to the next step.
Step 5: Due diligence and private purchase contract
During this period your lawyer checks:
- Proof of ownership (Nota Simple from the Registro de la Propiedad).
- Free of mortgages, debts and attachments.
- Building permit, energy certificate, certificate of habitation (Cédula de Habitabilidad).
- IBI and community fee payments up to today.
If everything is in order, you sign the contrato de arras (the private purchase contract): a 10% deposit and the definitive agreement on price and completion date (usually 4 to 12 weeks later). If you withdraw afterwards, you lose your 10%. If the seller withdraws, they pay you double.
Step 6: Notarial deed (Escritura Pública)
On the agreed date buyer and seller sign at the notary (notario) the Escritura Pública de Compraventa. You pay the remaining amount (90%) plus all additional costs. You receive the keys immediately. The notary checks the transaction but advises neither party, which is why you need your own lawyer.
Step 7: Additional costs
Count on an extra 8 to 13% on top of the purchase price:
- Transfer tax (ITP): only on resale properties. 7% in Andalusia, 7.75% in Murcia, 9% in Valencia and the Costa Blanca (above one million, 11% on the full price) and 8 to 13% in bands in the Balearic Islands.
- VAT + AJD on new build, instead of ITP: 10% VAT, plus 1.2% AJD in Andalusia, 1.4% in Valencia and the Costa Blanca and 1.5% in Murcia and the Balearic Islands (2% in the Balearic Islands above one million).
- Notary: around €600 to €1,000.
- Registration fees: around €300 to €550.
- Lawyer: 1 to 1.5% (often on a sliding scale).
Step 8: After the purchase
- Registering the transfer of ownership in the Registro de la Propiedad (your lawyer does this).
- Utilities in your name (water, gas, electricity).
- You receive the first IBI assessment the following year; usually you set up a direct debit.
- Registering with the comunidad de propietarios (owners' association).
Done. Key in the door, glass on the balcony.
At Jansen & Brouwer Property Capital we guide Dutch buyers through all 8 steps, from the NIE application to the handover of the keys, including translation, lawyer, mortgage and notary. Book a no-obligation consultation if you would like to know what this process looks like for you.