For people living outside Spain
Representation in Spain for people living abroad
You hand us the procedure and we represent you in Spain: buying or selling a home, or an inheritance, whether you are the only heir or the whole family inherits. You grant a power of attorney in your country, our representative signs on your behalf and we advise you with our partner lawyers until everything is finished.
What do you have pending in Spain?
We reply within 24 hours.
- Our representative signs for you
- Coordinated with a registered notary
- Advice from our partner lawyers
Anyone living outside Spain can ask Notaría Online to represent them when buying or selling a home in Spain, or in an inheritance, whether there is one heir or the whole family. It works through a notarial power of attorney in favour of our representative, which the client signs in their own country: at the Spanish consulate, before a local notary with an apostille or, if it is for a specific act, by video conference before a Spanish notary. With that power, our representative signs on the client's behalf before a registered notary in Spain, while we file the taxes that apply and give legal advice with our partner lawyers. Strictly personal acts cannot be delegated, such as a will or the oath for Spanish nationality.
What do we represent you in?
Mainly in buying a home, selling one and inheritances. With the right power of attorney, in almost any other procedure too.
- Buying or selling a home
- You grant a special power of attorney that identifies the property and our representative signs the deed before a notary in Spain. A property sale cannot be signed by video conference, so that power of attorney is what saves you the trip. If you sell without being resident in Spain, we file your form 210.
- An inheritance, one heir or the whole family
- If you inherit alone, you sign one power of attorney; if several of you inherit, each signs their own wherever they live and our representative accepts, divides and allocates the estate on behalf of all of you. We file the inheritance tax (forms 650 and 660, or the regional forms that apply) within six months of the death.
- Applying for the NIE
- Without an NIE you cannot sign a property purchase or pay a tax in Spain. You can apply at the consulate or, with a power of attorney, our team in Spain applies for you.
- Tax office and other authorities
- Replying to a request from the Spanish Tax Agency, filing a return or obtaining a certificate. A special power of attorney before the authorities in favour of our representative is enough, and Law 11/2023 allows it to be signed by video conference.
- Banks
- Collecting the balance of an inherited account, closing it or changing its holders. Our representative does it with a power of attorney drafted with the powers that bank asks for.
- Advice from partner lawyers
- Before you sign anything, we review the case with lawyers who work with us: the deposit contract and any charges if you are buying, the deed if you are selling, the will and the division of the estate if you are inheriting.
How do we represent you without you travelling?
In four steps. What usually takes longest is signing the power of attorney in your country, not the work in Spain.
-
1
Day 1
You tell us the procedure and where you are
The procedure decides which power of attorney is needed, and your country decides how it is signed. With those two facts we tell you what you need and what it will cost before we start.
-
2
Days 1–3
We draft the power of attorney in favour of our representative
With the powers that the notary, registry or office receiving it will ask for, and reviewed with our partner lawyers. You read it before signing anything.
-
3
Depends on the route
You sign the power of attorney in your country
At the Spanish consulate, before a local notary with an apostille or, if it is a power for a specific act, by video conference. Through a local notary, the power of attorney is usually in Spain 7 to 15 days after you sign it.
-
4
Afterwards
Our representative acts in Spain
They sign the deed or file the application or the inheritance, and we file the taxes that apply. You receive a copy of everything signed or filed in your name.
What do I need to get started from abroad?
- Your passport or identity document, in date
- Your NIE, if you already have one
- Which procedure it is: the home you are buying or selling, or the inheritance to be accepted
- If it is an inheritance, who the heirs are and which country each of you lives in
- Any papers about the case you have to hand: title deeds, letters from the tax office or the death certificate
You do not need everything before you write to us. Knowing the procedure and the country you need it from is enough to start.
Contact us — no obligation →Which power of attorney does each procedure need?
The procedure decides the type of power of attorney, and the type decides how it can be signed from abroad. This is how they match up in the most common cases.
| Procedure in Spain | Power of attorney needed | Can that power be signed by video conference? |
|---|---|---|
| Selling or buying a home | Special, for that sale or purchase | Yes, it is a specific act |
| Accepting and dividing an inheritance | Special, for that inheritance | Yes, it is a specific act |
| Applying for the NIE | For that procedure before the immigration office | Yes, it is before the authorities |
| Tax office, town hall, Social Security | Before the authorities | Yes |
| A lawsuit or court claim | For litigation | Yes, it is for court proceedings |
| Someone managing all your assets | General | No: consulate or local notary |
| Making a will | Cannot be delegated | No: you make it yourself, in person |
Video conference signing before a Spanish notary has existed since Law 11/2023, but in practice it requires identifying yourself with a Spanish digital certificate, which people living abroad rarely have. That is why most people sign at the consulate or before a notary in their own country.
Which procedures cannot be done through a representative?
Strictly personal ones. A will is always made by the testator in person; nobody can make it for them, not even with a power of attorney. Taking the oath or promise for Spanish nationality cannot be delegated either. And some immigration procedures require you to be there in person even though they are not strictly personal, such as fingerprinting for the TIE.
Who represents you in Spain?
We do. You grant a special power of attorney in favour of our representative, who signs on your behalf before the notary or goes to whichever office is involved. You do not need anyone in Spain, and you do not need to travel.
What if several of us inherit and live in different countries?
That is the usual case. Each heir grants us a power of attorney in their own country, by whichever route is easiest for them, and our representative signs the acceptance and division of the estate on behalf of all of you. You do not need to be at any appointment together. If you are the only heir, the process is the same with a single power of attorney.
What do we do, and what do we not do?
We study the case, advise you with our partner lawyers, draft the power of attorney and tell you which route to use for signing it. Our representative signs on your behalf and we file the forms that apply: form 211 or 210 in a sale involving non-residents, forms 650 and 660 (or the regional equivalents) in an inheritance, and the municipal plusvalía. We are not a notary's office: deeds are authorised by a registered notary from a network of more than 30. And the lawyers we work with collaborate with us in the same way as the notaries; they are not on our staff.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the procedure and on how you sign, so we give you the quote once we know what needs doing, before we start. On top of our fees come the notary's fees, the taxes of the procedure and, if you sign before a local notary, the apostille and the sworn translation. The starting rates for each service are on the prices page.
If you already know which procedure you have
For a home, see how to buy or sell in Spain from abroad; for an inheritance, how to inherit in Spain while living abroad. The document that makes it possible is the power of attorney from abroad, and if you do not have a foreigner's number yet, start with the NIE.
Frequently asked questions about representation from abroad
See all FAQs
Can someone handle procedures in Spain for me if I live abroad?
Yes. You grant us a notarial power of attorney and our representative acts for you in Spain: buying or selling a home, accepting an inheritance (yours alone or the whole family's), applying for your NIE or filing documents with the tax office. We advise you with our partner lawyers and file the taxes that apply.
You sign the power of attorney in your own country, at the Spanish consulate or before a local notary with a Hague Apostille. If the power is for a specific act, it can also be signed by video conference before a Spanish notary, as Law 11/2023 allows.
The exception is strictly personal acts: a will, for example, is always made in person.
Which procedures cannot be done with a power of attorney?
Strictly personal acts, which the law reserves for the person concerned. The most common one is the will: nobody can make it on your behalf, not even with a power of attorney. Taking the oath or promise for Spanish nationality cannot be delegated either.
Some procedures also require you to be there in person even though they are not strictly personal, such as having your fingerprints taken for the TIE. The procedures people living abroad usually have pending (property sales, inheritances, the NIE, the tax office, banks, lawsuits) can all be done through a representative.
Is a power of attorney signed before a notary in my country valid in Spain?
Yes, if it arrives with the Hague Apostille (or legalised, if your country is not party to the Convention) and, when it is not in Spanish, with a sworn translation. The Spanish notary who receives it must also consider it sufficient for the act being signed.
That is why the text should be drafted in Spain and then executed with that wording by the notary in your country. A power of attorney with vague, generic powers is a common reason for a signing to be postponed.
Can I sign a general power of attorney by video conference from abroad?
No. Article 17 ter of the Spanish Notarial Law, introduced by Law 11/2023, excludes general and lasting powers of attorney from video conference signing. From abroad they are signed at the Spanish consulate or before a notary in your country, with an apostille.
Powers of attorney for a specific act, such as selling a particular home or accepting an inheritance, can be signed by video conference, and so can powers for litigation and for dealing with public authorities.
Who represents me in Spain if I live abroad?
We do. You grant a special power of attorney in favour of our representative, who signs on your behalf before the notary or goes to whichever office is involved. You do not need anyone in Spain, and you do not need to travel.
If it is an inheritance with several heirs, each of them grants their power of attorney wherever they live and our representative acts on behalf of all of them. Legal advice is given with our partner lawyers, who work with us in the same way as the notaries.
You may also be interested in
- NIE Online Get your Foreigner Identity Number (NIE) without travelling. We handle the power of attorney, the immigration...
- Buying or Selling a Home from Abroad Buy or sell a home in Spain while living abroad. Our representative signs the deed before a notary on your beh...
- Apostille of The Hague Legalisation of Spanish documents for use abroad under the Hague Convention. Valid in more than 120 countries...
Would you rather read up before deciding? There are guides on procedures in Spain from abroad on the blog and short answers in the FAQs.
Who handles your procedure
A team of lawyers and administrators prepares the paperwork, explains what you are going to sign and books you in with one of the registered notaries in our network. We are not a notary: the signature is always authorised by the notary.
- 25 years of experience
- A network of more than 30 registered notaries
- 4.8 on Google, 302 reviews
- We usually reply within 24 hours
Shall we start on your procedure?
We respond in under 24 hours, no commitment required.