Those foreigners living in Spain or planning to move here, as well as purchasing real estate in this country, applying for a multivisa, a residence permit or a study visa – all of them at least 1 time in life, faced with the need to obtain a Nota Simple in Spain.
What is Nota Simple in Spain?
A Nota Simple (full name – Nota Simple Informativa) is an official land registry report from the Spanish Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad), containing updated information on an item of immovable property. All information contained in this extract is publicly available, so the document can be issued upon request to any interested person who has a direct or indirect bearing on specific real property.
The validity period of a Nota Simple in Spain is 3 months, the date of issue of the statement is always indicated at the very beginning of the document.
A Nota Simple in Spain contains much useful information. Nota Simple Informativa describes in detail the location of the property item, its structure and area, the right to property with the names of owners and their shares, existing encumbrances and restrictions. We will discuss that in more detail below.
When is a Nota Simple requested in Spain?
The need to obtain a Nota Simple in Spain may arise in the following cases:
- To obtain a Spanish multivisa based on the ownership of real estate in Spain;
- To invite relatives;
- To obtain a study visa (if the prospective student plans to live not on campus, but in his own or rented housing);
- To obtain a residence permit by purchasing real estate in Spain, as well as to obtain a Golden Visa based on real estate investments;
- To verify the legal status of a property, the completeness and accuracy of the information provided by the seller before the purchase.
What Information does a Nota Simple in Spain Contain?
Nota Simple Informativa reproduces the information stored in the Property Register and consists of several pages: a title page and pages with registration information and indicating of the current legal framework. Mandatory registration information includes:
- The name of the Property Register in which the object is registered.
- The applicant’s data and the date of issue of the «nota simple».
- The unique registration number of the C.R.U. (Código Registral Único) and/or the unique identifier of the registered properties IDUFIR (Identificador Único de Fincas Registrales).
Description of the Property:
- Type of the land plot;
- Location of the property;
- Description of the property, including the number of floors, and access to it;
- Land plot area, solarium and terraces or equity held of the land plot (depending on whether we are talking about individual housing or an apartment in a residential complex);
- Boundaries of the land plot;
- Total and usable area of the property;
- Participation share in a residential complex;
Available easements, i.e. the right of third parties and organizations to restricted use of property. That can include public roads or driveways passing through the plot about underground utilities belonging to third-party services, and so on.
Information on the owner (or owners), including the number of the identity card (DNI or NIE), ownership right, ownership share, as well as the document in which all this is confirmed (for example, a notarized bill of sale with the notary’s name and registry record).
Current restrictions and encumbrances: administrative, tax, mortgage and others, showing amounts as well as relevant documents.
Who and Where can Order a Nota Simple in Spain?
As we noted above, anyone can order a Nota Simple in Spain for the property he is interested in: residential, commercial, auxiliary (for example, a garage premise), a land plot, etc.
The nature of the document is merely informative, therefore it is not sealed officially, does not involve the use of special forms with watermarks and stamp seals and can be issued even in electronic form.
To order a Nota Simple in Spain in their own, at least some information about the property is needed:
- CRU and/or IDUFIR number,
- Information on the real estate owner: first name, last name, identification number;
- Registration details, including the cadastral number;
- The name of the Property Register in which the registration record is stored;
- The address of the property.
If you know the address of the property and/or the Real Estate Register, you can order a Nota Simple in Spain right in the office. Visitors are usually accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
However, it is much more convenient to use the services of the official website of registrars of Spain (Registradores de España), which accepts both simple requests and requests from citizens and residents of Spain who have electronic certificates. If necessary, when ordering the service also the translation of Nota Simple Informativa into English can be requested. The completed document will be sent to the applicant at the email address indicated by him.
As a rule, the preparation of a Nota Simple in Spain takes from several hours to several working days. Requests with a CRU and/or IDUFIR number are processed as quickly as possible. If you have a previous extract on the property you are interested in, you can take the information from there.
Ordering of a Nota Simple in Spain costs about 4 euros at the Real Estate Registration Office and about 10 euros online. When additional services (for example, translation into English) are requested, the price may be significantly higher.
