To look up a Spanish company, request a nota informativa from the Registro Mercantil Central on the registrars' website. You search by company name or tax number (NIF), receive the result immediately, and pay €2.10 plus €0.60 for each additional block of data, with no sign-up needed. It shows the company's basic data, share capital, who represents it, the acts published in the BORME, the accounts it has deposited and its legalised books.
If you need to prove any of that to a bank or in court, a nota informativa is not enough. You need a certificación signed by a registrar, which is a different document.
Most people searching for a company register want the first row.
Be careful with figures you find elsewhere. The €9.02 that appears on many sites is the fee for a simple note from the property registry, which is a different office. It is not the price of looking up a company.
The service is run by the registrars through their website. You do not need an account.
1. Open the nota informativa mercantil page on the registrars' website, in the commercial registry section.
2. Search for the company by its legal name (denominación social) or by its NIF. The NIF is the safer choice, because similar names are common.
3. Choose what you need. The base note costs €2.10 and each additional block of data costs €0.60.
4. Pay and read it. The information is supplied through the website at the moment of the request.
If you only want to check one thing, such as who the administrator is, the base note is usually enough.
The registrars describe it as a general information document about the company. It contains:
It reflects the registry as of the day you request it. A change made last week may not show yet.
A Spanish company does not carry a single "company number". It is identified by two things.
Its tax number (NIF), assigned by the tax agency. The explanation of how company tax numbers work is in Spanish VAT number, NIF and CIF.
Its registry details: the provincial commercial registry where it is registered, plus the volume (tomo), page (folio) and sheet (hoja) number. For companies set up from 1 January 1990, the sheet number is sequential and starts with a letter or letters that identify the province.
If a supplier gives you "its registration number", ask whether they mean the NIF or the registry sheet. They are not the same.
Two instruments exist and the difference matters.
A nota informativa has informational value only. It is quick and cheap and good for checking.
A certificación is the only way to faithfully prove the registry's content. It is signed by the registrar. Banks, courts and notaries ask for this when they need evidence rather than information.
The fee for a certificación depends on the registry fee schedule, which is why it is not a fixed price.
The rule of thumb is simple. Use the note to decide whether to work with a company. Ask for the certificación when someone else needs convincing.
This is a separate question from looking up an existing company. The Registro Mercantil Central keeps a names section (denominaciones sociales) that you can consult in person, by post or online.
The result is informational and does not bind the registrar. It says whether a name looks available, and the registrar's later assessment can still differ.
The full procedure is in how to check and register a company name.
The BORME is the official gazette of the commercial registry. Registered acts such as incorporations, appointments and mergers are published there.
Its main page lets you browse issues by date. For a lookup by company, the nota informativa is the direct route, and it already summarises the acts published in the BORME.
Run through these in the note before you sign a contract, pay a deposit or hire a supplier.
None of these proves a company is sound. They filter out the obvious problems for a few euros.
Searching by trade name. The registry holds the legal name. A brand name often returns nothing.
Using the note as proof. If someone needs evidence, it will be rejected. Ask for the certificación from the start.
Treating a name check as a green light. It is informational and the registrar can still refuse the name.
Relying on an old copy. Request a fresh note when it matters, because the registry changes.
Quoting the wrong fee. The €9.02 figure belongs to the property registry.
To look up a company: nota informativa, €2.10 plus €0.60 per extra block, searched by name or NIF, delivered immediately.
To prove registry content: a certificación signed by the registrar.
To check a name: the names section, informational only.
To identify a company: its NIF and its registry details, not one single number.
Before you sign: confirm the name, the administrator, the address, the capital and the deposited accounts.
A nota informativa costs €2.10 plus €0.60 for each additional block of data. The €9.02 figure sometimes quoted belongs to the property registry.
No. The registrars' page says you can request it as an occasional user, without signing up.
By the company's legal name or by its NIF.
No. It has informational value only. A certificación signed by the registrar is the instrument that faithfully proves the registry's content.
The commercial registry, with the Registro Mercantil Central centralising the data that the provincial registries hold.
The note includes the accounts the company has deposited with the registry.
Related: How to check and register a company name / How to register a company / Spanish VAT number, NIF and CIF
