Documents you need to sell a home in Spain

To sell a home in Spain you need, as a minimum, the title deed, a recent Land Registry extract (nota simple), your passport with NIE, the energy performance certificate, the latest IBI receipt and a certificate from the community of owners confirming you are up to date with fees. If there is a mortgage, add the bank's debt certificate. Everything else depends on the property, where it is and how it came to you.

What matters is not having everything on day one, but knowing what is needed at each stage: before listing, for the reservation and deposit contract, and at the notary. At the end, a table with who issues each document, how long it takes and what it costs.

What do you need before the property goes on the market?

Four documents. With them the listing is legal, the price is based on real data and any buyer who asks gets answers straight away.

Title deed (escritura). The public deed that proves the property is yours. If you cannot find it, the notary who signed it keeps the original and issues an authorised copy within days (the nota simple names the notary). If the property came by inheritance or gift, that deed is the title.

Nota simple from the Land Registry. A summary of who the registered owner is, how the property is described and whether it carries charges (mortgage, embargoes, easements). You order it online at registradores.org for 9.02 euros plus VAT and it arrives within 24 to 48 working hours. Get it early: surprises (a mortgage repaid but never cancelled, a floor area that does not match the Cadastre) are easier to fix before the buyer sees them.

Valid passport and NIE for every owner. If one owner lives abroad and will not travel to sign, they will need a power of attorney. If you are not tax resident in Spain, the sale has its own rules on withholding and tax returns: see selling as a non-resident.

Energy performance certificate (CEE). Compulsory since 2013 to sell and, less well known, compulsory in the advert itself: the rating (A to G) must appear in any offer or advertising, including the portals. A qualified technician visits the property and issues it, and it is filed with the regional register (in Andalusia, the Registro de Certificados Energéticos Andaluces). It is valid for 10 years (5 if rated G). Since 23 July 2026 only technicians on the national register may sign it (Real Decreto 659/2025, the energy certification rules): check that yours is. Expect 60 to 150 euros depending on size and location, and about a week.

What do you need for the reservation and the deposit contract?

Once there is a buyer, their lawyer or bank will ask for what confirms the property is what the listing says and carries no debts. Having it ready shortens the negotiation.

Latest IBI receipt. Proves the municipal property tax is paid and gives the cadastral reference. Download it from your bank or the collection office (in Málaga province, the Patronato de Recaudación Provincial). No cost, immediate.

Community of owners certificate. Issued by the secretary-administrator with the president's approval; the law gives them 7 calendar days (article 9 of the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal, the Horizontal Property Act). Without it the notary will not authorise the deed unless the buyer expressly waives it. It matters because the buyer becomes liable for unpaid fees from the current year and the three previous years, so they will insist on it. The administrator may charge if it is not included in their contract: usually 30 to 60 euros, paid by the seller.

Community statutes and recent minutes. Not compulsory, but the buyer will want to know about special levies, pending works or restrictions on use (short-term rental, for instance). The administrator provides them at no cost.

Outstanding-debt or zero-debt certificate from your mortgage lender. If you have a mortgage, the bank certifies the amount due on completion day; the buyer pays it off at the notary and the deed records it. If the mortgage is repaid but still shows on the nota simple, ask for the zero-debt certificate (no cost, within days or up to two weeks) and cancel it at the Registry: notary plus Registry come to 120 to 310 euros without an agent and take one to three months, so start now.

Latest electricity, water and gas bills. They confirm the supplies are active and in your name, so the buyer transfers the contracts rather than applying for new connections. No cost.

Habitation certificate or first-occupation licence. Each region does its own thing. In Andalusia the cédula de habitabilidad was abolished decades ago; the document is the licencia de ocupación the town hall issued when the building was completed: in a resale the notary does not require it, but the buyer's lawyer will ask and the utility companies need it to connect supplies. In the Madrid region the cédula was abolished in 2018; the municipal licencia de primera ocupación stands in its place. If you do not have it, the town hall issues a copy for a small fee, within a few weeks.

Plans and building licences, if you renovated. If you extended, closed a terrace or changed the layout, keep the licence or responsible declaration and the final plans to hand. If the work was never declared, better to know now than at the notary: the buyer will see it when comparing the Cadastre with reality.

Building evaluation report (IEE or ITE), if the building is old enough. This is the community's obligation, not yours, but the buyer will ask. In Andalusia each town hall sets the rule (in Málaga, when the building turns 50); in the Madrid region, Decreto 103/2016 (the Madrid region's building inspection rules) requires it for apartment blocks over 50 years old (over 30 in some cases). The administrator gives you a copy at no cost.

Certificate of no planning infringement, or AFO (Andalusia). If your home is on rural land or has an old extension without a licence, the buyer's lawyer may ask for a certificado de inexistencia de expediente de infracción urbanística, issued by the town hall planning department for a fee. And if it was built without a licence more than 6 years ago, so the town hall can no longer order its demolition, there is a status called asimilado a fuera de ordenación (AFO): a municipal declaration (Ley 7/2021 de Andalucía, Andalusia's planning law, article 173) that recognises the building exists, allows maintenance works and utility connections, and is recorded at the Land Registry. It does not legalise the property, but it gives the buyer and their bank certainty. It needs a technician's report and a municipal fee; allow several months. Many country houses on the Costa del Sol sell this way every year, without drama.

The deposit contract (contrato de arras). Seals the deal before completion. The usual form is the penitential deposit (article 1454 of the Código Civil, the Spanish Civil Code): the buyer pays a deposit (by custom 10 percent of the price; the law sets no figure) and forfeits it if they pull out; if you pull out, you return double. It must state the price, the completion deadline (normally 2 or 3 months), who pays what and the status of charges. Sign it only with a fresh nota simple in front of you.

What does the notary ask for on completion day?

The notary requests the nota simple directly on the day, but you bring the rest:

1. Original passports and NIE of all sellers (and the power of attorney, if someone signs for another).
2. Title deed.
3. Registered energy certificate.
4. Community certificate, ideally less than 7 days old.
5. Latest IBI receipt.
6. The bank's debt certificate if there is a mortgage; the bank usually sends a representative.
7. Your bank account details and proof of the deposit received.
8. The keys.

If the property belongs to a married couple under the community-property regime, both sign. If you are divorced, you need the court ruling or settlement with the division of assets recorded. If you are selling an inherited property, the deed of acceptance and distribution must be signed first, inheritance tax and the municipal capital gains tax settled, and the property registered in the heirs' names: we explain it in selling an inherited property.

The table: who issues it, how long it takes and what it costs

Indicative costs for 2026; where it depends on the town hall or the professional, we say so.

The checklist

Before listing: title deed · nota simple · passport and NIE · registered energy certificate.

For the deposit contract: IBI · community certificate · statutes · bank debt certificate · utility bills · occupation licence · plans and licences if there were works · IEE if applicable · planning certificate or AFO if needed.

For the notary: all of the above up to date, your bank details, proof of the deposit and the keys.

What does the agency do for you?

When you sell with us, we check the nota simple and the Cadastre before listing, order the energy and community certificates, spot whether an old mortgage needs cancelling or a planning certificate is required, draft the deposit contract and prepare the file the notary receives before completion. If you live abroad, we coordinate the power of attorney with your lawyer so you do not have to travel. You sign; the paperwork runs ahead of you.