Business in Spain · updated 12.07.2026
Your own business in Spain: where an immigrant entrepreneur should start
Updated: 12 July 2026 · Verified by the EuroGarant team against official sources
In short: launching a business in Spain as an immigrant comes down to four tasks in strict order: a legal status that lets you work for yourself, choosing a form (autónomo — the Spanish sole trader — or an S.L.), a bank account and proper bookkeeping with a gestor (accounting administrator). Mix up the order and you get fines from the tax office and trouble when renewing your residence permit. Below we break down each step: which niches actually work for Russian-speaking entrepreneurs, how the sole-trader format differs from a company, how to open an account without endless rounds of the banks, and where newcomers stumble most often.
Legal status first: without it there is no business
The key rule: you can run a business in Spain only with a status that expressly allows working for yourself (por cuenta propia). A tourist stay gives no right to do business, and the NLV — residency without the right to work — rules out any work activity in Spain by definition. The workable options for an entrepreneur are:
An important caveat for 2026: the investor "golden visa" was abolished on 03.04.2025 (Ley Orgánica 1/2025), so putting money into a business or property no longer grants residency by itself — you need one of the working statuses above. If you are still choosing your grounds, start with the step-by-step guide "How to Get a Spanish Residence Permit".
Niches: where Russian-speaking entrepreneurs start
There is no universal "golden" market, but in our experience supporting applicants, launches most often succeed in these areas:
- IT and online services — development, design, marketing, consulting: minimal investment, clients often outside Spain, an ideal fit for the autónomo format
- Tourism and rental management — tours, transfers, apartment servicing; note that tourist rentals in many regions require a licence (vivienda de uso turístico)
- Food and hospitality — cafés, pastry shops, delivery: demand is stable, but you need a licencia de actividad, sanitary compliance and noticeable start-up capital
- Beauty and wellness — salons, studios, massage: in demand in cities with a Russian-speaking diaspora (Barcelona, Alicante, Valencia, Malaga)
- E-commerce and imports — online retail with logistics through Spanish warehouses: scales well, but calls for careful handling of IVA (Spanish VAT)
- Education and relocation services — language courses, tutoring, helping newcomers settle in
Before signing a lease on premises, always check the licensing requirements of the specific municipality: they differ not only between autonomous communities but even between neighbouring towns.
Autónomo or S.L.: which form to choose
The two basic formats are the sole trader (autónomo) and the limited liability company (S.L., Sociedad Limitada). Here is how the key parameters compare:
| Criterion | Autónomo | S.L. (Sociedad Limitada) |
|---|---|---|
| Set-up | 1–2 days, no notary needed: registration with Hacienda (the tax agency) and Seguridad Social (social security) | Usually 1–3 weeks: name reservation, notary, Registro Mercantil (the companies register), company NIF |
| Start-up capital | Not required | From 1 € (Ley 18/2022 «Crea y Crece»); while the capital stays below 3 000 € — a mandatory reserve of 20% of profits and founders' subsidiary liability of up to 3 000 € |
| Liability | With all personal assets | Limited to the contribution (except in cases of administrator fault) |
| Profit tax | IRPF (personal income tax) on a progressive scale — you pay as an individual | Impuesto sobre Sociedades (corporate tax): general rate 25%, for new companies — 15% for the first two profitable years |
| Social contributions | RETA (the self-employed scheme) based on real income; new autónomos get the discounted tarifa plana for the first year (extendable for another year if income stays below the SMI, the minimum wage) | An owner-administrator pays RETA as an autónomo societario, with no start-up discount |
| Best suited for | Freelancers, services, testing an idea, starting without partners | A growing business, hiring staff, partner shares, contracts with large clients |
Rule of thumb: it is almost always wiser to start as an autónomo and open an S.L. once turnover, employees or partners appear. You can switch from the first to the second at any time — the reverse journey is costlier and far more painful.
When the time comes to incorporate, you can go through registration with support at every stage — from name reservation to entry in the Registro Mercantil, see S.L. company formation.
Step by step: how to legalise your business in 7 steps
- Check your status. Make sure your residence permit allows work por cuenta propia: DNV — yes (for foreign clients), student — with restrictions, NLV — no.
- Get your NIE (foreigner identification number) and a digital certificate. The certificado digital (issued by the FNMT) lets you complete every procedure online — without it, every small task turns into standing in queues.
- Register with the tax office. File your alta censal using modelo 036 (form 037 was abolished in February 2025) and choose your IAE activity code.
- Register with Seguridad Social. Alta under the RETA scheme via the Import@ss portal — no later than the day you start trading; you can file it up to 60 days in advance.
- For an S.L. — the corporate steps. A name certificate from the Registro Mercantil Central, articles of association, signing the escritura before a notary, registration in the Registro Mercantil, company NIF.
- Open a bank account. A personal one for an autónomo, a separate company account for an S.L. (details below).
- Sign a contract with a gestor. Before your first invoice goes out, not after your first fine — we explain below why this is critical.
Bank account: the fine print for immigrants
For an autónomo a personal account is formally enough, but a separate business account makes bookkeeping and dealings with the tax office far easier. For an S.L. a company account is a practical must: capital, invoices and salaries all flow through it. What to know in advance:
- Before you obtain residency, many banks will open a non-resident account (cuenta de no residente) against your passport — once you receive your TIE (the residence card), it is converted into a resident account
- Bank compliance will ask for proof of the source of funds: contracts, statements, tax returns — prepare the package in advance
- Compare maintenance fees: traditional banks charge noticeable ones, neobanks are cheaper, but not every neobank works for depositing an S.L.'s share capital
- An account tied to your business activity will also help when renewing your residence permit: the movement on it is natural evidence that the business genuinely operates
The gestor: an entrepreneur's chief ally
A gestor (more precisely, a gestoría or asesoría fiscal) is an accountant-administrator who handles your reporting: quarterly IVA returns (modelo 303) and IRPF advance payments (modelo 130), withholdings on rent and contractors, annual returns, contributions and payroll matters if you take on staff. In the Spanish system deadlines are rigid and fines accrue even for a single day's delay — so working without a gestor only makes sense if you read Spanish tax forms fluently.
How to choose: look for a firm with experience serving foreigners, a fixed monthly fee and a sensible response speed during "filing season" (January, April, July, October). And remember: a gestor is not an immigration lawyer. They will close out your tax reporting, but the strategy for renewing your status and the income thresholds for residency have to be worked out separately.
Common mistakes immigrant entrepreneurs make
- Starting to trade before registering with Hacienda and RETA: fines, back charges and a stain on your record that resurfaces when you renew your residency
- Working without the right status — off the books on a tourist stay: a risk of refusals on future applications and an entry ban; the legal route via the DNV or the entrepreneur visa ends up faster and cheaper than any of the consequences
- Opening an S.L. "for prestige" when an autónomo is objectively enough: double the accounting costs plus administrador contributions for zero benefit
- Skimping on a gestor in the first quarters: one missed IVA return eats up a year's worth of "savings"
- Signing a lease before checking the licences: premises without a valid licencia de actividad can take months to "legalise"
- Under-declaring income, then failing to meet the financial thresholds at residence-permit renewal — the immigration service looks precisely at the official figures
More practical breakdowns — in the "Business in Spain" section, and answers to specific questions on statuses and documents — in "Questions and Answers".
Disclaimer: Spain's tax and immigration rules change regularly — rates, discounts and licensing requirements get revised, and practice varies by region. This material is for reference only and does not replace individual advice: before launching your project, check the requirements against your specific situation.
Read also
- How to become an autónomo in Spain: registration and contributions
- Business taxes in Spain
- Your first year in Spain: an adaptation checklist
Official sources: Ley 18/2022 «Crea y Crece» (BOE) · Ley 14/2013 (BOE) · Real Decreto 1155/2024 — Reglamento de Extranjería (BOE) · Agencia Tributaria · Seguridad Social (Import@ss)