What Documents Do I Need to Sell Property in Spain?

If you own a home in the Valencian Community and want to sell it, you need proof you own it, proof it is free of debt, and a handful of certificates that Spanish law or the notary will ask for. The core list is the title deed, a fresh land registry extract, your latest IBI receipt, an energy certificate, a community-fees debt certificate and, depending on the property, an occupation certificate and a mortgage payoff letter.

Quick facts

• Always needed: title deed, land registry extract, latest IBI receipt, valid ID or NIE, energy certificate.
• Usually needed: community-fees debt certificate (if the home is in a building or urbanisation with a community).
• Sometimes needed: occupation certificate, mortgage payoff letter, utility bills, power of attorney.
• Fastest to get: land registry extract and IBI receipt, often the same day, online.
• Slowest to get: an NIE if you do not have one (around three weeks through a consulate) and a mortgage cancellation.
• Can be done remotely: most of it, if you have a gestor or a power of attorney.
• Rules checked: October 2026.

The core documents everyone needs

These are the papers a notary will want in front of them whatever you are selling.

• Title deed (escritura): the notarial deed from when you bought or inherited. It proves how you came to own the property. If you have lost it, the notary who signed it can issue a copy.
• Land registry extract (nota simple): a short report from the Registro de la Propiedad showing the registered owner, the property description and any charges such as a mortgage or an embargo. It is not a legal certificate, but notaries and buyers rely on it. You can request it online through the Registradores website. Order a fresh one close to signing, because a charge can appear after an old one was issued.
• Latest IBI receipt: the IBI is the annual property tax. Buyers and notaries want to see the most recent one paid. If you have lost it, ask your town hall or the agency that collects IBI for you. In much of Alicante province that is SUMA, the provincial tax agency.
• Photo ID or NIE: your passport or Spanish ID. Non-residents also need a Spanish tax number, covered below.
• Catastral reference: the property's reference in the Spanish cadastre. It is printed on the IBI receipt and normally in the deed. The cadastre site, Catastro, also lets you pull up a description of the property.

Documents that depend on your property

Energy certificate (CEE). If you sell an existing home, you must have an energy performance certificate. Royal Decree 390/2021 says the owner commissions it, it must be registered with the regional body to be valid, a copy goes with the sale contract, and the energy rating must appear in any advert. It lasts up to ten years, or five if the rating is G. A qualified architect or engineer produces it, and they usually handle the registration too. Ask for that to be included in the quote.

Community debt certificate. If the home is part of a community of owners, the seller must declare in the deed that they are up to date with community fees, or say what is owed. Article 9 of the Horizontal Property Law says the community secretary issues a certificate of debts, with the president's approval, within seven natural days of the request. Without it the deed cannot be signed unless the buyer expressly waives it. The same article makes the buyer answerable for unpaid fees from the current year and the three before, which is why buyers insist on it. Your administrador de fincas (community administrator) normally prepares it. A detached villa with no community does not need one.

Occupation certificate (habitability). This is the one that confuses people. The old habitability certificate in the Valencian Community has been replaced by a declaración responsable de ocupación, a declaration filed with the town hall. Under Decreto 12/2021, a later occupation of a home needs a declaration backed by a certificate from a competent technician. The declaration has to be renewed once ten years have passed since the first occupation, whenever the property is transferred again or a new water, gas or electricity supply contract is needed. The council has ten working days to check it, and the technician's certificate is valid for three months from signing. Some councils still require an express licence by their own ordinance, so check with your own town hall. In practice, whether the notary asks for it at signing varies, and buyers often need it to put utilities in their name.

Mortgage payoff letter. If you still owe money, ask the bank for a certificate of outstanding debt for the buyer and their notary. The sale proceeds pay the loan off at signing. A separate cancellation deed and registry entry then remove the mortgage from the register. Check your contract for an early repayment charge, as the law caps them. For more on selling with charges on the property, see selling a property in Spain with debts.

Utility bills and the rest. Recent water, electricity and gas bills are not a legal requirement as far as I could confirm, but buyers usually want them to transfer the contracts. Add the community statutes if you have them, and any guarantees or invoices for recent works.

Who issues what, how long and what it costs

Costs below are rough. Several come from comparison sites or older sources, so treat them as a guide and get quotes.

Document	Who issues it	Rough cost	Time	Remote?
Title deed copy	Notary who signed it	Small fee, ask the notary	A few days	Yes, by email or gestor
Land registry extract	Land registry via the Registradores site	About €9 online	Often same day	Yes
IBI receipt	Town hall or tax agency	Free	Minutes to days	Yes
Energy certificate	Architect or engineer	Often from about €60, more for larger homes	1 to 3 days after a visit	Visit needed, so someone must give access
Community debt certificate	Community secretary or administrator	Varies, some charge	Up to 7 natural days	Yes
Occupation declaration	You, via a technician and the town hall	Technician fee plus council fee	Technician visit, then up to 10 working days for review	Mostly, with a gestor
Mortgage payoff letter	Your bank	Check your contract	Days	Usually yes

The energy certificate figure comes from comparison-site quotes for Alicante, which start at around €45 to €60. Older local figures for the occupation route were under €100 for the technician and about €80 for the Alicante council fee, but those date from 2020. Do not rely on them for budgeting.

Selling from abroad: NIE and Modelo 211

Every party in a Spanish deed needs a Spanish tax identification number. For a foreign owner, that is the NIE. If you do not have one, you can apply through a Spanish consulate. The London consulate says processing normally takes within three weeks and the fee is £8.65, and you can apply in person or through an accredited representative. Start this early, because it is the slowest step for most overseas sellers.

If you are not tax resident in Spain, the buyer has to withhold 3% of the price and pay it to the tax office using Modelo 211 as an advance on your tax. The Agencia Tributaria explains this on its website. How that interacts with plusvalía municipal and capital gains is a calculation of its own, which we cover in the seller net-proceeds calculator. If you are moving home to Britain, see selling Spanish property when moving back to the UK.

If you cannot be in Spain on signing day, you can give a power of attorney to someone you trust, often your gestor or lawyer. Whether you need one, and how it is drawn up, is worth discussing with them. Our guide on whether you need a lawyer to sell covers the options.

Order and timing

1. Start with the slow items: NIE if you need one, the mortgage payoff request, and the occupation certificate if your home needs one.
2. Book the energy certificate before you advertise, since the rating has to appear in the advert.
3. Ask for the community debt certificate a few weeks before signing.
4. Order the land registry extract and IBI receipt last, so they are fresh.

Selling in Torrevieja or central Alicante? The same Valencian rules apply. Local councils differ on the occupation paperwork, so ask yours first.

Before you sign anything

Every sale is different, and this guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Ask a gestor or an abogado (lawyer) to check which of these documents your situation needs, especially if the property has a mortgage, was inherited, or is rented out. Rules in this guide were checked in October 2026. Councils and registries change their procedures, so confirm the current requirements with your adviser and your town hall.